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Striking visuals released for towers over Atlanta transit station Josh Green Tue, 10/31/2023 - 13:10 Visuals have surfaced for a multi-building, transit-focused development concept that could be eye-catching enough to befit its arts district surroundings in Midtown.  

The images depicting transformed land and airspace around MARTA’s Arts Center station were compiled by Omegarender, an international 3D rendering studio. The transit agency has long been exploring the possibility of redeveloping that station with high-rise buildings and, in September last year, issued a formal call for ideas from development teams.

According to Omegarender, the renderings were commissioned by client Rios—a Los Angeles-based architecture firm whose work in Atlanta includes designs of Echo Street West, which has wrapped construction of its first phase in English Avenue.

Rios recently permitted the designers to publish the MARTA Arts Center renderings online.

According to Ronen Bekerman’s Architectural Visualization Hub blog, the visuals depict an office building “visualized for potential construction,” with geometry that Rios wanted depicted from different angles amidst of full 3D environment of today’s Midtown.

Looking east, the view of the MARTA Arts Center concept from the direction of the Connector expressway and Atlantic Station. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

We’ve asked Rios officials for more specifics in terms of what the concept entails, and we’ll post more information should it come.

When asked about the renderings, Stephany Fisher, MARTA’s senior director of communications, told Urbanize Atlanta the agency remains in the procurement process for Arts Center station redevelopment and has “nothing more to share right now.”

MARTA’s solicitation process for developers capable of turning Arts Center station in the 1200 block of West Peachtree Street into a denser, Transit Oriented Development that includes affordable housing kicked off in September last year.

All proposals from developers were due back to MARTA in mid-December.

View of the conceptual towers from the northeast. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

As seen in 2022, MARTA's Arts Center station is surrounded by new development, including Hanover Company’s 31-story apartment tower (with crane) in the 1200 block of West Peachtree Street and the three-building Midtown Union project (partially pictured at right). Submitted

MARTA officials described the 6-acre Arts Center parcel as an “exceptional development opportunity in [an] amenity-rich location” at the doorstep of rail transit. The site is also adjacent to Woodruff Arts Center, home to Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the High Museum of Art.

The Arts Center offering includes air rights for development above the rail station and adjacent MARTA bus loop, located between 15th and 16th streets along West Peachtree Street.

The station, which has become something of a low-rise anomaly in the rapidly growing subdistrict, is zoned SPI-16, a Midtown Special Public Interest District designation that encourages dense urban uses and historic preservation.

In recent years, the northwestern blocks of Midtown’s core business district have been no stranger to skyline-altering projects that claimed numerous parking lots and low-rise buildings near the transit hub.

Recent developments include Hanover’s 31-story apartment tower, while across the street from the train station, Midtown Union finished construction last year on a hotel, residential, and office tower.

Also nearby, Greystar’s 33-story Nomia tower was declared open in August, and JPX Works’ Emmi Midtown building topped out earlier this month.

How new development could meet the existing transit hub, according to Omegarender's interpretation. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

The West Peachtree Street transit hub today.Google Maps

Developing Arts Center station would echo a groundswell of TOD activity along MARTA’s Blue/Green Lines, where the Marchon mixed-use complex has remade King Memorial station property, the Quill apartments have come online at Edgewood/Candler Park station, and an affordable-housing project remains in the pipeline at Avondale Station.

In summer 2022, MARTA’s Board of Directors also voted to move forward with pre-development work at five more stations, spanning from Bankhead to Brookhaven and Stone Mountain.

An aerial image of underutilized land around MARTA's Arts Center station, used by both the Red and Gold lines. Google Maps

West Peachtree Street frontage over the low-rise transit station. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

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1255 W. Peachtree Street NW MARTA Arts Center Station MARTA Mixed-Use Development TOD Transit-Oriented Development Woodruff Arts Center Alliance Theatre Atlanta Symphony Orchestra High Museum of Art Atlanta Development west peachtree Street Omegarender RIOS RIOS Architecture

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Looking east, the view of the MARTA Arts Center concept from the direction of the Connector expressway and Atlantic Station. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

View of the conceptual towers from the northeast. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

How new development could meet the existing transit hub, according to Omegarender's interpretation. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

West Peachtree Street frontage over the low-rise transit station. Concept by Omegarender, for Rios

The West Peachtree Street transit hub today.Google Maps

An aerial image of underutilized land around MARTA's Arts Center station, used by both the Red and Gold lines. Google Maps

As seen in 2022, MARTA's Arts Center station is surrounded by new development, including Hanover Company’s 31-story apartment tower (with crane) in the 1200 block of West Peachtree Street and the three-building Midtown Union project (partially pictured at right). Submitted

An early concept for potential redevelopment around MARTA's Arts Center station. MARTA; 2018

MARTA's Arts Center station in booming Midtown. A mural by artist Stacie Rose, new seating, and more than 5,000 plants were added in recent years. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Concept involves land around—and above—MARTA's Arts Center station

Neighborhood Midtown

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Prose-branded project to continue Gainesville development surge Josh Green Tue, 10/31/2023 - 08:31 A national developer familiar to many intown Atlanta neighborhoods is branching into far north OTP in hopes of capitalizing on a surge in economic and population growth. 

Alliance Residential Company, which bills itself as one of the nation’s largest multifamily developers, has closed on 35 acres at 900 Mountaintop Avenue in the Hall County city of Gainesville.

That’ll become the site of a 300-unit apartment venture called Prose Gainesville—the latest in Alliance’s Prose-branded communities—that’s described as another new rental product for the growing city with rents capped “at a manageable rate.”  

Gainesville is located about 50 miles north of Midtown along Interstate 285 and the shores of Lake Lanier.

Alliance Residential Company

The City of Gainesville's proximity to Lake Lanier and the rest of metro Atlanta along Interstate 985. Google Maps

According to Alliance officials, Hall County has seen a “massive increase” in businesses and employment opportunities since 2015, packing on more than 5,000 jobs, 100 new businesses, and roughly $1.3 billion in capital investment. It counts an estimated 212,000 residents today, with the population expected to swell by 20 percent over the next decade, according to U.S. Census estimates.

As for Prose Gainesville, plans call for one and two-bedroom units ranging from 810 to 1,182 square feet. (The range of rents has yet to be determined.) Communal perks will include a resort-style pool, courtyard with grilling stations, a club room with an entertainment lounge and catering kitchen, and a package concierge.  

Noah Randall, Alliance’s managing director, said the apartments will mark the company’s first project in Gainesville.  

“This is a unique opportunity to serve the diverse and self-sufficient economic base of higher education institutions, healthcare, and technology in Gainesville,” Randall said in a project announcement Monday. “We’re committed to offering a wide range of residents quality and convenient housing options.”

Prose Gainesville is scheduled to start welcoming residents in early 2025.

Alliance Residential Company

Elsewhere around metro Atlanta and beyond, Alliance projects right now include Broadstone 2Thirty near Grant Park, Broadstone Peachtree Corners, Broadstone Cartersville, Prose Columbus, and Prose LaGrange. All are under construction now or scheduled to break ground soon, reps tell Urbanize Atlanta.

Gainesville counted some $200 million in under-construction development and infrastructure upgrades, including sidewalks and parking improvements, around its downtown as of late 2021, as Fresh Take Georgia reported.

Other notable projects have included the 214-apartment project Midland Gainesville and the $50-million, 223-apartment Solis Gainesville, opened just beyond the downtown square where a pedestrian bridge—formerly nicknamed the “bridge to nowhere”—ends.

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900 Mountaintop Avenue Gainesville Alliance Residential Company Prose Gainesville Hall County Broadstone Cartersville Prose Columbus Prose LaGrange Broadstone Peachtree Corners Atlanta Development OTP Atlanta apartments Lake Lanier North OTP

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The City of Gainesville's proximity to Lake Lanier and the rest of metro Atlanta along Interstate 985. Google Maps

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Alliance Residential Company

Courtesy of Alliance Residential Company

Subtitle Active metro developer Alliance Residential Company has closed on required 35 acres

Neighborhood Gainesville

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Designs unveiled for Atlanta's rapid homeless housing initiative Josh Green Mon, 10/30/2023 - 14:36 Exactly how so-called Rapid Housing communities that aim to address Atlanta’s chronic homeless population could look and function is coming into clearer focus.

An Invest Atlanta update announcing that its board has approved a $7.5 million line of credit to construct hundreds of quick housing options provides the first glimpse at a community of repurposed shipping containers installed along downtown’s Forsyth Street.

According to that rendering, the project would be gated, with communal greenspaces and ramp-accessed decks connecting the homes made of refashioned containers on what’s currently an underused parking lot. Twenty different containers are shown arranged around the site. 

Plans for temporary micro housing at 184 Forsyth Street downtown.Partners for H.O.M.E./City of Atlanta; via Invest Atlanta

The Forsyth Street property in question and its downtown context. Invest Atlanta

According to Mayor Andre Dickens’ office, the Invest Atlanta funding will enable the city and its partners The Atlanta Continuum of Care to start building flexible communities with 500 “low-cost micro units” that can be quickly built.

Those units, according to the city, can serve as temporary, semipermanent, or permanent shelters and housing for Atlanta’s current unhoused population.

Partners for H.O.M.E., working on behalf of Atlanta CoC, will announce the first community location in December, according to Invest Atlanta.

Dickens has predicted the housing options will have a small footprint but provide a substantial benefit to intown communities. All units will aim to provide low-barrier alternatives to traditional shelters with access to wraparound services such as healthcare and employment, per city officials. 

The city unveiled plans two months ago to build the temporary homeless housing from former shipping containers on a South Downtown parking lot on Forsyth Street in the shadow of MARTA's Garnett station and another on underused property in Mechanicsville—the latter involving a land swap with Atlanta Public Schools.

The strategy calls for using shipping containers—many of them donated by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, following use as temporary COVID-19 hospital facilities—as a relatively cheap, quick means of delivering rapid housing options.

Not everyone has applauded the city’s push for quick housing solutions. The plans have drawn criticism from a pro-business group that believes Forsyth Street is the wrong location for a village of shipping containers, in that it’s a food desert with a high concentration of nightclubs.   

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184 Forsyth Street SW MARTA Garnett MARTA station Downtown Atlanta Atlanta Homeless Homelessness MARTA Stations homeless Mayor Andre Dickens Shipping Container Homes Shipping Containers Atlanta Continuum of Care Partners for Home Housing Opportunity Bond Fund Invest Atlanta

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Plans for temporary micro housing at 184 Forsyth Street downtown.Partners for H.O.M.E./City of Atlanta; via Invest Atlanta

The Forsyth Street property in question, at right, with downtown's main business district ahead. Google Maps

The Forsyth Street property in question and its downtown context. Invest Atlanta

The 1.01-acre Forsyth Street property's location (in red) in relation to downtown landmarks such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia State Capitol. Invest Atlanta

Subtitle First location for shipping containers turned micro units to be unveiled in December

Neighborhood Downtown

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Plans emerge for making Buckhead Village hotel friendlier to neighborhood Josh Green Mon, 10/30/2023 - 13:17 An international hotel company has pulled together fresh renovation plans after its property near the heart of Buckhead Village drew criticism for being fortress-like and walled off from pedestrian activity.

According to a drawing filed with Buckhead’s SPI-9 Development Review Committee for review at its monthly meeting scheduled Wednesday, representatives from Homewood Suites by Hilton are changing course with the company’s recently purchased lodge at 540 Pharr Road, just west of Piedmont Road.  

The nondescript, six-story structure had previously operated as a Staybridge Suites for more than a decade, and its remake into the Homewood Suites brand began last year, according to Fulton County property records. To date, all renovations have been inside the building.  

At its Oct. 4 meeting, DRC officials informed Hilton reps the property is not compliant with current codes, in that the building walls off access to its main street and all pedestrian activity, “literally [turning] its back to the street,” per a meeting summary.

How the Homewood Suites relates to Pharr Road, as seen earlier this year when it operated as a Staybridge Suites. Google Maps

Homewood Suites had planned to renovate portions of the exteriors, outdoor recreation area, and landscaping. That work would have entailed building a covered outdoor dining cabana, updating doors and courtyard windows, and replacing a canopy awning—but not improving street connections in the increasingly walkable neighborhood. 

More recent plans filed for DRC review show a revised hotel front yard, so to speak. It would include stairs to the Pharr Road sidewalk, a “grilling zone” for guests overlooking the street, a new accessibility ramp from the sidewalk, seasonal (and cascading) landscaping along the street, and a more passive “play zone” with open greenspaces.

Renovation plans filed for Buckhead DRC review with examples of similar properties. Ponder & Ponder Architects; via Buckhead SPI-9 Development Review Committee

As DRC members have noted, the Pharr Road hotel was constructed before current SPI-9 zoning regulations were put in place. Those rules state, in part, that all properties must have front entrances accessible and visible from sidewalks along major roadways.

Earlier this month, DRC members recommended the applicants familiarize themselves with SPI-9 regulations and redesign the proposal before resubmitting the application and applying for a Special Administrative Permit with the city.

The Homewood Suites' location between the heart of Buckhead Village, left, and Piedmont Road. Google Maps

As is, the hotel’s main entrance is tucked off the street, accessible only through its parking deck.

Homewood Suites, Hilton's extended-stay brand, is also moving forward with plans to build a new hotel in downtown Decatur, with no additional parking included. 

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Renovation plans filed for Buckhead DRC review with examples of similar properties. Ponder & Ponder Architects; via Buckhead SPI-9 Development Review Committee

The Homewood Suites' location between the heart of Buckhead Village, left, and Piedmont Road. Google Maps

How the Homewood Suites relates to Pharr Road, as seen earlier this year when it operated as a Staybridge Suites. Google Maps

Closer look at the hotel property's sidewalk frontage along Pharr Road today. Google Maps

Initial facade revisions (above) planned on the building's Pharr Road side. Ponder & Ponder Architects; via Buckhead SPI-9 Development Review Committee

Subtitle Homewood Suites property drew Buckhead DRC scorn for “literally [turning] its back to the street”

Neighborhood Buckhead

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Vision emerges for made-from-scratch downtown Doraville Josh Green Mon, 10/30/2023 - 08:07 Like Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Suwanee, and so many other metro Atlanta places before it, the City of Doraville wants to help carve out a new identity by way of a vibrant, multifaceted gathering place and residential hub.

A development team unveiled conceptual plans to Doraville government leaders this month illustrating how a centralized downtown could look and function for the ITP city, claiming municipal buildings and other underused or undeveloped parcels.

The site in question involves 13 acres the city owns and has been exploring means of activating soon. The properties are bound by New Peachtree Road and Central Avenue, just north of Buford Highway and northwest of Spaghetti Junction near Assembly Atlanta. MARTA’s Doraville station is located across New Peachtree Road from the site.

Broad view of 13 acres of parcels Doraville owns for redevelopment in relation to Spaghetti Junction (bottom right), Interstate 285, and other landmarks. Google Maps

Spanish steps-style elements leading to the centralized green, which would be placed atop stormwater retention infrastructure at the slopped site. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

The team selected by Doraville includes developer Kaufman Capital, HGOR, and Flippo Civil Design.

Chris Mutter, a principal with Atlanta-based HGOR planners and architects, told city leaders the heart of the project would be comprised of two components: a central greenspace spanning roughly 10,000 to 12,000 square feet (similar to the size of Alpharetta City Center’s green) and dotted with low-rise retail buildings, likely topped with restaurant patios. Another key facet would be a three-story community building with city offices and chambers, a library, community space, and a coworking component, Mutter said.

Elsewhere would be hundreds of multifamily units, more commercial space, and a 15-foot-wide public trail to help tie it all together. At the site’s highest point along New Peachtree Road, a boutique hotel would be designed to capitalize on views into the central greenspace, Mutter said.

Chris Eldridge, Doraville city manager, stressed during the Oct. 16 meeting that all designs are tentative and subject to change. “We don’t have anything other than footprints of what could work, but it gives you a feel,” Eldridge said.  

Plans for an upgraded central boulevard, Park Avenue, between apartments and retail. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

Initial phases of topographical, environmental, and geological studies are complete, and a process to estimate the project’s full cost is now underway. A bond referendum is being considered to potentially help fund aspects of the project, specifically the community building.

According to the development team, the project would likely be built in phases, with the green square component coming first as a means of attracting further investment.

In the gallery above, find a rundown of where Doraville’s made-from-scratch city center could sprout, and what it could entail in coming years.

The view near Buford Highway looking toward New Peachtree Road. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

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Broad view of 13 acres of parcels Doraville owns for redevelopment in relation to Spaghetti Junction (bottom right), Interstate 285, and other landmarks. Google Maps

General location of the city-owned parcels in question, excluding the church property and others fronting Buford Highway. Google Maps

HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

The 15-foot-wide multi-use pathway, at right, in relation to the central green. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

Rooftop retail with a view over the green to the proposed community building. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

Plans for an upgraded central boulevard, Park Avenue, between apartments and retail. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

Spanish steps-style elements leading to the centralized green, which would be placed atop stormwater retention infrastructure at the slopped site. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

Plans for a versatile, communal stage, at right. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

The view near Buford Highway looking toward New Peachtree Road. HGOR/Flippo Civil Design; via City of Doraville

Subtitle Multifaceted proposal would claim city-owned land near MARTA, Buford Highway

Neighborhood Doraville

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Images: Piedmont Road homes are Morningside's cheapest new option Josh Green Fri, 10/27/2023 - 13:20 National homebuilding giant Toll Brothers has opened a decorated model townhome in hopes pushing into the next phase of sales at one of its many new communities popping up across Atlanta.

Situated along Piedmont Road, the Beckham Place at Morningside townhome project is offering the least expensive options for buying new in the neighborhood at the moment, though nobody besides maybe a lifelong Manhattanite would call these cheap.

Eric White, Toll Brothers division president in Atlanta, tells Urbanize prices in the “prestigious” neighborhood up the street from Piedmont Park now start in the low $700,000s at Beckham Place, with the bulk of move-ins expected next summer.  

The Beckham Place at Morningside site along Piedmont Road, north of Atlanta Botanical Garden. Google Maps

Current state of four-story townhome construction on Piedmont Road, just south of Fat Matt's Rib Shack and other landmarks. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Beckham Place calls for 60 units total in the 1700 block of Piedmont Road. The site curves along the popular connector between Midtown and Buckhead, a few blocks north of Piedmont Park near Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. It formerly housed the 11-building Oak Knoll Apartment Homes, which were built in 1951.

As the Beckham Place project started taking shape in 2021, prices for the smaller units began in the $630,000s, but that ship has sailed.  

Right now, the smallest available floorplan, the Ansley, is priced at $707,000. That buys three bedrooms and three and ½ bathrooms in around 1,768 square feet. 

The largest (but not priciest) option is called the Winn plan, with the same room count but about 2,044 square feet for $763,000.

Also with 1,768 square feet, the Ansley Modern Farmhouse plan is priced at $802,000 but won’t be available until next summer, according to Toll Brothers marketing materials.

Forthcoming pool and amenities area. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Sample designs for a Beckham Place living room. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Beckham Place is considered a gated community, with planned amenities that include an onsite pool and greenspace, developers have said. All three-bedroom townhomes will stand four stories, each topped with rooftop terraces.

All have two-car garages, but none will include elevators. 

The development team has called the location strategic for its access to Atlanta’s marquee greenspace, nearby shops and restaurants, and Morningside’s top-flight schools.

Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers, which bills itself as the nation’s top builder of luxury homes, acquired longtime Atlanta homebuilder Thrive Residential in early 2020. The deal included nearly 700 infill lots that Thrive had accumulated throughout Atlanta and Nashville, including the Morningside parcel under development now.  

In the gallery above, find more context and photos of the Beckham Place project’s current state.

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The Beckham Place at Morningside site along Piedmont Road, north of Atlanta Botanical Garden. Google Maps

Site plan and current outlook on availability at Beckham Place. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Current state of four-story townhome construction on Piedmont Road, just south of Fat Matt's Rib Shack and other landmarks. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Where infrastructure has been installed but vertical construction has yet to commence on the southernmost portion of the site. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Forthcoming pool and amenities area. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Example of a kitchen found at Beckham Place. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Sample designs for a Beckham Place living room. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Example of a primary bedroom. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

The fourth-floor roof terraces. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Base level of the four-story floorplan that's Beckham Place's least expensive option today. Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Toll Brothers/Beckham Place at Morningside

Subtitle Beckham Place project replaces 1950s apartments near commercial strips

Neighborhood Morningside

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Emory Village takes steps to become 'miniature downtown Decatur' Josh Green Fri, 10/27/2023 - 08:22 In a city bloated with forgettable shopping centers, visitors to Emory Village may have found themselves charmed by its historic storefronts, functional roundabout, effortless walkability, and pathways to a prestigious university just steps away.

But government leaders, neighboring residents, and village stakeholders believe it could all be much better. And they’ve recently made zoning changes in hopes of setting that in motion.

After a three-year campaign that included gathering input from hundreds of people, the nonprofit organization Emory Village Alliance has succeed in having a new zoning overlay for the village unanimously approved by DeKalb County’s District 2 Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners.

As EVA rep Mark Goldman relayed earlier this month, the broad goal of the zoning revision is to spur mixed-use redevelopment of non-historic sections of the village deemed to be underused today, resulting in a commercial and housing hub “envisioned to be a bit like a miniature version of downtown Decatur.” That is, new buildings standing three to four stories with condos, apartments, and offices over street-level restaurants and shops.

Examples “from around the world indicated that this approach would help revitalize the village,” Goldman wrote.  

The commercial hub's roundabout and storefronts along North Decatur Road today. EmoryVillage.org

Quick history: The EVA was founded in 2001 with a goal of breathing live-work-play life into the village.

An initial zoning overlay was put in place six years later, which led to “substantial improvements to public spaces.” Those included an eye-pleasing roundabout in place of a chaotic five-way traffic light, new crosswalks and sidewalks, dozens of street trees, and a fresh plaza with a fountain and sculpture built from old trolley tracks uncovered in village streets, per Goldman.

What didn’t materialize: developer investment on properties deemed non-historical.  

Emory Village circa 1945, as seen from the university’s campus gate, with a building later occupied by Everybody’s Pizza (R.I.P.) in middle. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library; via Emory Historian’s Blog

Backed by DeKalb commissioners and the Department of Planning and Sustainability, EVA leadership set out to remove unnecessary barriers to the sort of mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented growth popping up across the ITP landscape.

Goldman notes that nothing has changed regarding scale restrictions—buildings taller than four stories are still not allowed—at least as exteriors go. The village’s boundaries will also remain the same.

Specific changes to the overlay were outlined as follows:

• Allowing a few townhouses/rowhouses on the village’s edges next to existing single-family homes;
• Eliminating square footage requirements for apartments, condos, and offices;
• Allowing a food hall, a yoga studio, a day spa, a tutoring center, and centers for research;
• Permitting rooftop dining on the second, third, or fourth levels;
• Further encouraging offices for attorneys, therapists, optometrists, and similar, primarily on the second floor;
• Prohibiting tattoo parlors, cigar bars, and smoke and vape shops (however the existing one is “grandfathered”);
• Slightly reducing parking requirements, with most new parking in structures behind multi-story buildings.

The extent of Emory Village in the shadow of the university, according to Google Maps. Google Maps

Will the changes help propel Emory Village into becoming a denser housing hub and bona fide destination? Will current interest rates and other turbulence in the real estate world be an impediment? Only time will tell.  

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The commercial hub's roundabout and storefronts along North Decatur Road today. EmoryVillage.org

Emory Village circa 1945, as seen from the university’s campus gate, with a building later occupied by Everybody’s Pizza (R.I.P.) in middle. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library; via Emory Historian’s Blog

The extent of Emory Village in the shadow of the university, according to Google Maps. Google Maps

Subtitle Goal of zoning change is to lure development and vibrancy, including housing

Neighborhood Emory

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Phase one components of downtown’s Stitch start to emerge Josh Green Thu, 10/26/2023 - 17:03 Concrete plans are starting to emerge for how downtown Atlanta’s ambitious, highway-capping greenspace project might initially come together.

That’s the word this week from project spearhead Central Atlanta Progress, which reports the Stitch initiative has now tallied $42.3 million in total funding as a community visioning process is on the horizon.

The Stitch’s planning team has broken down phase one to 4.5 acres of interstate-capping infrastructure that would span between Peachtree and Courtland streets. That’s just east of MARTA’s Civic Center station.    

Early engineering for phase one is underway now, and plans also call for multimodal street, safety, and aesthetic improvements across the area in question, according to CAP officials.

Project leaders expect the Stitch master planning process to be complete in summer 2024.

Central Atlanta Progress

The planning and design team pulling the initial phase together is led by WSP, Hargraves Jones, the City of Atlanta, and yes the Georgia Department of Transportation, among other partners, per CAP.

What remains TBD at this point are specifics for phase one's greenspace and streets.

To help gather public input, the Stitch team has announced a Community Kick-Off and Visioning Workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (435 Peachtree Street NE). The church would neighbor the 14-acre, 3/4th-mile Stitch project should it come together as planned.

The two-hour workshop’s purpose is to allow the public to “help shape the goals and objectives that will build a more vibrant future for Atlanta and its residents,” according to CAP.  

The Stitch’s “Peachtree Green” section would reconnect a downtown street grid and create an active greenspace, setting the stage for park-oriented, high-rise development. Thestitchatl.com

The $42.3 million in Stitch funding has been pulled together since 2021 from federal sources and local matching coffers. CAP leaders say that amount will fully fund planning, concept engineering, and environmental due diligence for the entire project.

“With these elements of the project completely funded and underway,” CAP’s project update newsletter reads this week, “the team is pivoting their fundraising focus to capital construction.”

Specially, that includes more than $157 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation—in the form of a FY23 Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant—that would fund construction of phase one. The Stitch’s planning team applied for that money in September.

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Stitch Central Atlanta Progress MCP Foundation Midtown Connector Transportation Improvement Project Atlanta City Council Parks and Recreation Transportation Atlanta Downtown Improvement District Midtown Connector U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams U.S. Department of Transportation Atlanta Parks Midtown Civic Center MARTA Station MARTA Mayor Andre Dickens WSP Hargraves Jones GDOT Georgia Department of Transportation

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Central Atlanta Progress

Favorable numbers put together as part of the Stitch's recent pitch during National Infrastructure Week in Washington, D.C. Central Atlanta Progress/YouTube

The Stitch’s “Peachtree Green” section would reconnect a downtown street grid and create an active greenspace, setting the stage for park-oriented, high-rise development. Thestitchatl.com

The project's estimated timeline, for now. Central Atlanta Progress; thestitchatl.com

Vision for The Stitch's greenspace-heavy Energy Green section. Central Atlanta Progress; thestitchatl.com

Central Atlanta Progress/YouTube

Vision for Hospital Square. Central Atlanta Progress; thestitchatl.com

As seen in winter 2018, the Stitch would cap this 3/4-mile section of the Connector with greenspace, from the Civic Center MARTA station to just east of Piedmont Avenue. Courtesy of Jonathan Phillips

Subtitle Officials: Highway-capping park project has tallied $42M; public visioning session planned soon

Neighborhood Downtown

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Dewberry to demo high-profile Midtown building, nixing restaurant Josh Green Thu, 10/26/2023 - 13:35 The adaptive-reuse transformation of a long-vacant, high-profile Midtown structure into a hip restaurant with a rooftop scene appears to be off the table.

Prominent Midtown property holder Dewberry Capital recently filed paperwork for a Special Administrative Permit to demolish two buildings at 132 10th Street, adjacent to one of Atlanta’s marquee intersections at 10th and Peachtree streets.

That filing set off alarm bells among intown development watchers in that the address matches that of Henry’s Midtown Tavern—very much an active intown restaurant and bar. Henry’s has been open for a decade at the tree-shaded corner of 10th and Juniper streets, featuring what it claims is Midtown’s largest outdoor deck.

Dewberry representatives haven’t responded to inquiries about their plans. The controversial developer has long owned the entire block in question, spanning nearly 4 acres of what’s considered some of the most valuable real estate in the Southeast.  

But according to Midtown Alliance, Dewberry’s target for demolition appears to be only a partly deconstructed building just west of Henry’s, where construction on another restaurant hit a wall months ago.

How the roofless structure appeared along 10th Street in January. Google Maps

Construction progress and exposed interiors as seen a year ago. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons

Brian Carr, Midtown Alliance director of marketing and communications, tells Urbanize Atlanta demo plans appear to pertain to the 110 10th Street building once operated as Jocks & Jills Sports Grill during Midtown’s more raucous nightlife heyday. It was also a short-lived bodega called Mamanoes that shuttered in 2012 but has been vacant since.

A year ago, contracting and design firm Chandlee Construction started remaking the building into an Asian dining concept with rooftop seating and a bar. According to the contracting company, the Stix Asian Cuisine restaurant was set to introduce designs “inspired by a NYC award-winning legendary location” at the prominent Midtown corner.  

“The plans for the Asian restaurant to go into that space as adaptive-reuse have been canceled, but we aren’t aware of any definitive plans for the area where the building will be demo’d,” Carr wrote via email.

Carr said a weather event caused a wall to cave in at the site, resulting in structural damage. “We literally heard [and] saw the collapse from our office windows overlooking the site,” he noted.

The planned look and functionality of the 10th Street facade. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons

How the rooftop would have functioned near the corner of Peachtree and 10th streets in Midtown. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons

Prior to renovation efforts, the building included about 5,700 square feet and “plenty of parking,” with a valley of asphalt behind it, per a LoopNet listing from 2014. 

In more uplifting news from the immediate area, Midtown Alliance transformed the corner of Dewberry’s property into the 10th Street Temporary Park project late last year.

The greenspace with three “outdoor rooms”—one section with a fenced dog park, one with games such as ping-pong and cornhole, and another with a climbable structure—consumed the northeast corner of Peachtree’s intersection with 10th Street and has since become a popular (if impermanent) hangout for pet-owners and events such as movie nights.

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How the roofless structure appeared along 10th Street in January. Google Maps

The 110 10th Street building in question, prior to construction. Google Maps

Construction progress and exposed interiors as seen a year ago. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons

By November last year, renovation efforts had removed the roof of the former Jocks & Jills Sports Grill space. Submitted

The planned look and functionality of the 10th Street facade. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons

Former interior plans for Stix. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons

How the rooftop would have functioned near the corner of Peachtree and 10th streets in Midtown. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons

Subtitle Plans called for adaptive-reuse, rooftop hangout over Asian eatery on 10th Street

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Now finished, Castleberry Hill project in Benz's shadow bags awards Josh Green Thu, 10/26/2023 - 08:39 A residential project that’s come together in the shadow of Mercedes-Benz Stadium is being recognized for its sustainability and friendliness toward the downtown environment.

Situated at 99 Centennial Olympic Park Drive, next to LED-clad sibling project Reverb by Hard Rock hotel, Castleberry Park has finished construction and added 129 apartments, alongside 15,800 square feet of commercial space, to the historic Castleberry Hill neighborhood.

The project’s architect, Atlanta-based TSW, announced this week Castleberry Park has also been recognized by the Green Building Initiative with Two Green Globes awards for environmental sustainability, following an evaluation process.

The Two Globes recognition is awarded to projects that show “excellent progress in reducing environmental impacts by applying best practices in energy and environmental efficiency,” according to TSW.

TSW’s Architecture Studio led designs for the 311,083-square-foot project located, like the hotel, just south of The Benz.

The project's facade along Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Castleberry Park

Castleberry Park's urban greenspace helped solve a sloping site issue off Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Courtesy of TSW

TSW worked with Gensler Atlanta, the hotel’s designer, to create a shared parking garage that can handle special events, along with residents and hotel guests. Other noted aspects include an “urban park” that allowed for a 13-foot transition between Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Mitchell Street and a versatile rooftop social area. The project’s modern-meets-brick façade was designed as a link between the still-futuristic stadium and the historic neighborhood, according to TSW officials.

As rents go, the least expensive option currently available at Castleberry Park is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit in 743 square feet that costs $1,796 monthly.

The largest option—two bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,294 square feet—rents for $2,999. (Two-story apartments with live-work spaces were also included but aren’t currently available for rent, per Castleberry Park's website.)

The complex does offer a workforce housing program with 27 units for tenants who earn less than 80 percent of the Area Median Income. The least expensive studio units as part of that program rent for $1,430 monthly, up to $1,838 for two-bedroom options.

Example of views from west-facing units. Castleberry Park

Officials with developer Dezhu US previously told Urbanize Atlanta the apartment project began construction in late 2020 and was initially expected to deliver by the end of the following year. Construction delays changed the timeline, as they had with the 11-story, 195-room hotel beside the new residences.

Find a closer look at how this two-pronged infill project came together in the gallery above.

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99 Centennial Olympic Park Drive Castleberry Park Green Globes Gensler Atlanta DEZHU US Dezhu Atlanta apartments Castleberry Hill Apartments Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Atlanta Hotels TSW TSW Architects Green Building Initiative TSW Landscape Architecture Studio Reverb by Hard Rock Hard Rock Hotel

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The project's facade along Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Castleberry Park

Castleberry Park's urban greenspace helped solve a sloping site issue off Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Courtesy of TSW

The rooftop deck feature designed by TSW Landscape Architecture Studio. Courtesy of TSW

Example of views from west-facing units. Castleberry Park

Example of a Castleberry Park kitchen. Castleberry Park

Example of a living room.Castleberry Park

The largest two-bedroom floorplan currently offered at Castleberry Park. Castleberry Park

The smallest, least expensive unit available today is a one-bedroom rental with 743 square feet. Castleberry Park

The 195-room, Gensler-designed Reverb hotel from Hard Rock International was a key addition to Castleberry Hill—and downtown's hospitality scene—in 2021. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Castleberry Park joins sibling project Reverb by Hard Rock just south of Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Neighborhood Castleberry Hill

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Castleberry Park Apartments Reverb by Hard Rock

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City unveils totally handy app to find bike parking (or lack thereof) Josh Green Wed, 10/25/2023 - 14:40 As Atlanta’s population grows, traffic thickens, and more residents shift toward car-free or car-lighter lifestyles, a nagging question persists:

Do our destinations have sufficient places to securely park bicycles and other modes of non-vehicle mobility?

The Atlanta Department of Transportation has built a means of quickly answering that question as it relates to businesses, parks, and other bikeable destinations across the city.

To help celebrate Biketober, ATLDOT developed a bike parking inventory app called ATL Rack ‘n Ride in hopes of assisting cyclists and micromobility users.

Another goal is to beef up bike parking options in strategic locations around town.

A portion of the ATL Rack ‘n Ride app shown with intown destinations spotlighted and flagged to date. Atlanta Department of Transportation

The app features an inventory of current bike racks (many with photos!) while giving the public and partner organizations a means of suggesting locations where bike racks are needed. (Because what’s worse than chaining a pricey new two-wheel ride to a gas meter or skinny tree a block away when waiting in line for brunch, right?)

Intuitive and color-coded, the app works on mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers. Users are able to upload photos and drop in comments or feedback. Bike lanes in streets and multi-use trails have recently been added for context.

ATLDOT officials say the suggested bike parking locations will help them pinpoint where racks are most needed and allocate resources accordingly, as the department works to expand bike parking across Atlanta.

“Reliable bike parking is essential to support cycling as a mode of transportation, promote safety and theft prevention by adding more secure racks, and help eliminate a significant barrier for micromobility trips,” Ashley Finch, ATLDOT’s shared micromobility coordinator, said in an announcement this week.

Added Solomon Caviness, ATLDOT commissioner: “This inventory, along with numerous infrastructure improvements planned across the city, will support more first [and] last-mile connections being made by bike.”

Have a gander at the ATLDOT app, which will also be available in Spanish soon, right here.

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A portion of the ATL Rack ‘n Ride app shown with intown destinations spotlighted and flagged to date. Atlanta Department of Transportation

Subtitle ATL Rack ‘n Ride spotlights businesses, parks, and other destinations—for better and worse

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Another downtown Atlanta housing tower gears up for launch Josh Green Wed, 10/25/2023 - 12:56 Developers say a downtown high-rise project that’s been percolating for nearly three years will break ground in a matter of months, providing a jolt of attainable housing options not geared toward college students or tourists for a change.

Officials with New Jersey-based RBH Group tell Urbanize Atlanta schedules call for breaking ground in the first quarter of 2024 on a 457,584-square-foot tower called Teachers Village, which first came to light with initial designs in early 2021.

Classified as mixed-use, the project would see 424 apartments total, with none of them rented at purely market rates.

RBH has described the 375-foot-tall downtown proposal as a first for Georgia, in that all apartments would be marketed to teachers, other school employees, and seniors in Atlanta as relatively affordable living options.

Officials this week said the bulk of the tower—227 units—will be reserved for independent living seniors. The remain 197 apartments will be considered workforce housing.

A revised look at the Teachers Village project's planned retail space where Ted Turner Drive, at left, meets Walton Street. RBH Group; designs, S9 Architecture

Ten percent of the units, or 23 homes, will be earmarked for renters who make no more than 80 percent of the area median income. The rest will be rented at below 120 percent AMI, project reps said this week.

According to a building permit application filed Monday, the tower will stand 33 stories, replacing a surface parking lot on the .92-acre property.

A parking garage currently on site will remain standing, per filings with the City of Atlanta Office of Buildings.

The Teachers Village site in question is bounded by Cone Street, Ted Turner Drive, and Walton Street downtown, a block from Centennial Olympic Park in the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District.

The southeast corner of the Cone Street site, looking toward Centennial Olympic Park. Google Maps

How the project would front Walton Street. RBH Group; designs, S9 Architecture

Roughly 23,000 square feet of retail fronting Walton Street is also in the works across two stories, aimed at adding vibrancy to the district with restaurants and shops. Plans also call for 371 parking spaces.

The project is designed by New York City-based S9 Architecture, whose local portfolio includes Ponce City Market. The goal is to fill a void of workforce housing downtown and create “a model for shared, intergenerational living where residents share social responsibility and live purposeful lives,” per RBH’s marketing materials.

According to earlier Special Administrative Permit filings, plans call for topping the building with a rooftop swimming pool and sun deck, while other outdoor amenities would include landscaped terraces above a new parking podium. The minimum 43 bike parking spaces required would be included in eight racks.

The higher floors would be reserved for apartments geared toward teachers, while lower floors would see senior independent living units. Those two variations of rentals would be accessed through separate lobbies at ground level, according to SAP filings.

In 2021, Invest Atlanta approved a $4-million Tax Allocation District grant and $26 million in tax-exempt bond financing to support construction of the portion of the project meant for teachers. At the time, they pointed to RBH’s success in developing other Teachers Village projects in Newark and Hartford, Conn. that addressed a need for workforce housing.

Teachers Village is now expected to be completed in 2026, project heads tell Urbanize Atlanta.

The project will pursue a National Green Building Standard rating with Bronze certification, per filings earlier this year. RBH Group

The tower would join a growth spurt for residential high-rises claiming former parking lots and low-rise structures across downtown, from the Gulch to blocks near the Connector.

The Teachers Village site is roughly a block from a 32-story student housing tower by Landmark Properties and AECOM-Canyon Partners that’s now open. Also within a block, the 22-story Margaritaville resort condo building by Wyndham Destinations opened with 200 suites and two floors of retail last year.

In other downtown residential (and affordable housing) news, a 218-unit project called Trinity Central Flats continues to line up financing in hopes of also opening in 2026 at a vacant parcel across the street from Atlanta City Hall.

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98 Cone Street NW Teachers Village RBH Group Georgia State University Newark Teachers Village Invest Atlanta Board of Directors Centennial Olympic Park MARTA Invest Atlanta Landmark Properties AECOM-Canyon Partners Margaritaville Wyndham Destinations Atlanta Development Affordable Housing National Green Building Standard Regal Pavilion S9 Architecture

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Overview of the 98 Cone Street/0 Walton Street site and its proximity to Centennial Olympic Park. Google Maps

The portion of the site, at right, along Ted Turner Drive, as seen in late 2019. Google Maps

The southeast corner of the Cone Street site, looking toward Centennial Olympic Park. Google Maps

A revised look at the Teachers Village project's planned retail space where Ted Turner Drive, at left, meets Walton Street. RBH Group; designs, S9 Architecture

The project will pursue a National Green Building Standard rating with Bronze certification, per filings earlier this year. RBH Group

How the project would front Walton Street. RBH Group; designs, S9 Architecture

Upper floors of the slender, rectangular structure. Courtesy of RBH Group

Approximate view of lower levels one would see leaving Centennial Olympic Park. Courtesy of RBH Group

Overview of the 33-story, 434,126-square-foot tower proposal. RBH Group

Walton Street frontage, at left. RBH Group

The north face against the existing parking garage, at left. The portion facing Centennial Olympic Park is depicted at right. RBH Group

Subtitle Teachers Village high-rise near Centennial Olympic Park seeks building permits, targets groundbreaking

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