Newnan_Eric

I don't know what posessed me to look at the Henry Herald today, but I thought this article was interesting: ARC to consider planning policy shift

While I appreciate the props, it's not just urbanity that I love. (I do live in the exurbs afterall.) However, I do have a particular distaste for sprawling development. I lived for a time in the Netherlands - by some accounts one of the most densly populated countries in the world. This would conjure up images of people living cheeck-to-jowl with one another. This is the case in the so-called Ranstaad region - a crescent from Rotterdam to The Hague to Amsterdam to Utrecht. But, outside of that, there is ample countryside. What they do there is have compact towns with definable limits. In even a small town you will have apartments over shops, and townhomes are the most prevalent housing style. Outside of towns it is rural land dotted with the occasional farmhouse. This is why rail works there. It goes from point to point through rural areas. When it does stop, it is at a town of significant size, with reasonable denisty. One of the reasons I am such a fan of the commuter rail concept is that it would help us move in that direction. The costs are comparatively low (as compared to a new system), and it would stop mostly at places that are historic town centers. Some of these are places that pre-date our current development patterns and could support denser development that would then in-turn further support the rail system. However the current state administration does not see things the same way. The governor just signed the budget bill and did not use the line item veto to remove the clause restricting commuter rail purchases.

^^^ To be honest, I don't really think that it is such a horrible thing that this portion of the museum tower does not have street level retail. - It is a pretty severe grade. Even in mucn more urban cities, the retail is suspended on some of the bigger hills. I lived in the Bay Area for a while and in San Francisco the retial is usually on the cross-streets that don't have such severe grades. - The immediate surroundings make it hard to attract pedestrian traffic necessary for the viability of street level retail. While you do have the park to the West, the blocks to the South and Southeast are the imposing blank facades of the Inforum and America's Mart. The block to the East has the underwhelming Days Inn. - When the museum tower was built it was pioneering this neighborhood. I think that the developer and the ImagineIt museum should be commended for what they did accomplish. The children's museum faces the park, the Aquarium, and the soon-to-be World of Coke. To the North is all of the fabulous development at Ivan Allen Plaza and Twelve Centenial Park, but the Museum Tower was the first. I think I can forgive this particular blank wall. I will agree that Atlanta has far to many of them. Let's hope that this is the exception rather than the rule going forward.

Not sure what you mean. If you're talking about the foreground, That is the cross-street at that intersection - Williams Street. (I had to take some of these from the car. I had a sleeping three-year-old with me.) Nah, go to Kool Korners at 14th and State Street. Or better yet, the Havana Sandwich Shop on Buford Hwy. - Get the Cuban Platter with Black Bean Soup and Yellow Rice!

I was in town last Saturday and again yesterday. - Had to pick up a few things for the pending arrival from New Baby Products (an excellent store on Cheshire Bridge, by the way). - Anyway, I was able to go by a few sites and snap some photos: The long awaited streetscaping improvements on Cheshire Bridge have started: They are finishing auger cast piles on Aqua and will be starting foundation work soon: Plaza Midtown is probably one of the best-looking residential high-rises in the city: The Reynolds is getting closer to complete and is a classy addition to that stretch of Peachtree: The Auburn Avenue re-development is underway: This will be a real boon for GSU students in the new dorms - eliminating the blight in between the campus and the dorms. The new GSU dorms are a pretty sizable project: A parting shot down Baker Street towards the Aquarium:

Here are a few fun shots from last week. Thursday night was the Spring Taste of Newnan Event. It is a nice event that showcases Newnan's great downtown square and gives the local restauranteurs a chance to show their goods. This event has grown quite popular. The local paper, the Newnan Times-Herald, stated that this year's event was attended by over 5,000!

I can't really say much right now, but there might be some movement on the Medical Arts Building soon. Apparently, there is a group of investors that are talking to someone from Canada about opening a Boutique Hotel in the building. We've been approached about doing it, but I don't know if that will happen. A big renovation like that is not our strength. - - - There is another in town project that was debated heavily the other day that we are also in the running for. That is more promising, but I won't mention it until I know more.

Here are some of my latest: Terminus and Realm in Buckhead: I can't believe how fast Terminus is going up! Sembler's Lindbergh development: Here is the lot for the Townhomes that will face Piedmont While the design is NOT proper urbanism, at least it is better than what was there before. Look! They even are putting retail on the back side of the Home Depot: Lindbergh Center: Are they going to fill up all of the lots facing Piedmont? If they continue past the Longhorn and Chilli's,this could look OK. This corridor still needs a lot of work though.

Oops, you got the link wrong. the DRI you wanted to link to is this one: East Medina Village

There are a few different kinds of rail transportation: Commuter Rail utilizes existing (or new, but rarely) regular rail lines. These are usually shared with freight and other passenger (i.e. AMTRAK) rail lines. The concept with Atlanta's commuter rail system, is that it would be used to build up to a network of intercity rail lines. This would connect to other cities within and out of state. While the commuter rail portion of the system would be used for peak hours, the inter-city system could conceivably run at all hours of the day. Heavy Rail Transit (HRT) is what we have in MARTA Rail. The older subway systems throughout the world tend to be Heavy Rail systems. They are more robust and faster than Light Rail. Light Rail Transit (LRT) Systems are smaller and slower. They are, however cheaper than HRT. They still run on a dedicated right-of-way, though. The only thing in town that is close is the Airport People Mover. But even that is a bit lighter weight than most LRT systems. I think Dallas' DART system is LRT. Streetcars (or Trolleys) are the lightest form of rail transit. They run in rails embedded in exisiting streets. They stop more often than the other forms of rail transit and are much slower. They have little advantage over a bus - at least technically. However, they are electric instead of fuel burning. The other advantages are that they have nostalgic appeal and their installation implies a permanent commitment to transit in an area. (Their nostalgic appeal means that business people are more likely to ride one to a lunch than a smelly bus.) There, that should clear things up. If I have made errors, please feel free to let me know. -E

To answer your origninal question, yes I do. The perimeter is just too far out from the downtown/midtown/buckhead core to provide a boundary for growth. While I think it will be a long time before the area within Beltline is filled in, it will proivde a good anchor for the area to build to.

Some days I think that the Commuter Rail proposal will never see the light of day: No train, no deck, Jonesboro decides I know this doesn't have any bearing on whether the rail proposal will go forward, but it does signal waning faith in the effort.

Another project for the resurging Aurburn Ave. district: Donors will build new SCLC office When you add this, the re-development plan backed by Integral and Big Bethel Church, and the possibility of a Civil Rights Museum things look very promising ideed. Now, about that sale of the King Center to the Feds.... If the family can't take care of it properly, lets give it to someone who can.

I have always admired the facade of the GP building. How did they get the granite, window mullions, and glazing so flush. I mean the whole side of the bulding gleams as though it was a polished smooth surface. It is truly impressive. (And I speak from experience.)

Here are some photos from my trip intown on Tuesday: Progress on Central City Condos: A townhome project we're doing in Decatur: Decatur is serious about underground stormwater detention: And my favorite new development in town, Glenwood Park: What will become of this property (below) now that GP is moving along nicely? Hope you all enjoy! -Eric

Merry Christmas from the Fulton County Commission: The Board of Commissioners has passed the Beltline TAD! There is a blurb on the Beltline Partnership website and a posting on the Citizens for Progressive Transit Yahoo Group. No other details yet. This is great news. Now the city can move forward with issuing the Bonds for the project. There is still a lot of work to be done, but some of the biggest initial hurdles have been jumped. EDIT: Evidently the vote was 5-1. That's a big change from being deadlocked at 3-3. See this news blub.

You are correct sir! We are having a tough time getting out of the ground on this one. There are a lot of dimensional problems with the drawings. Not really the architects fault though, they had to hold off while the owner got financing together on the project. It should be done in October.

Yep, pretty close.

Thanks for the nice comments. We did have a great time and I thought it was a good crowd of people there. There was a mix of all kinds on the rink and everyone was singing along with the Christmas carols played over the loudspeakers. And IC, yes it was quite cold. That's why Nate was bundled up like Ralphie's little brother from "A Christmas Story." Now here are some photos from two weeks ago. The GC I work for is building a condo project in town. Can you guess which one it is?

Merry Christmas everyone! Took the wife and son to Centenial Olympic Park on Saturday and had a great time. Believe it or not my son is only 2-1/2, but he went ice skating with my wife on the temporary holiday ice rink they have set up. Ya know, it's not the Wollman Rink or Rockafeller Center, but a lot of people were there and having a great time. Downtown is really coming back. Here are the pics:

Yes, a lot of the original movie was shot on the South side in Clayton and Fayette counties. The Jonesboro train depot played a role in "Texarkana," Mundy's Mill is where the famous bridge jump was shot, and I can still show you the pond where the bassett hound went swimming.

I had come across a couple of articles on the "Radar" feature at PLANETIZEN and I wanted to post them here before they fell of the "radar screen" completely. Made in the midstate: Small businesses big part of economic development The best quote: The companies Clark talks to now are "innovation-led manufacturers," he said. "It's the type of stuff that you don't offshore. It can only be done here and often in cooperation with universities and (research and development) labs." Ga. technology conference focuses on farming Quote: He and his son, Clay, have one of the nation's most technology advanced family farms. Their tractors, sprayers and harvesters steer themselves using Global Positioning Satellite signals, freeing the Wades to work at laptop computers while the equipment travels through the fields. I just thought posters here would find these interesting.

According to the guys over at SSP, that is indeed an old smokestack from the steel mill. It will be moved to another location within Atlantic Station when the Millenium Arch is built. As for the "controversial" smokestack, evidently the developers wanted to build an entirely new "fake" smokestack with "Atlantic Station" written on it. The city denied it because it did not comly with their sign ordinance. I still think it could have been nice - honoring the old mill in a way. However, it probably would have been executed poorly and looked like junk.

I really don't remember the details. I may post on that "other" board to see if anyone knows.

I think you're talking about the item circled here: I don't know what it is either. Early on, the developers wanted to save the smokestack from the old steel plant, but the city (or some authority) wouldn't let them. I thought it would have been a nice homage to the plant that had stood there for so many years. Speacking of which, WABE did a feature on the steel mill last week or so. Here is the link: Well-Known, Well-Made and Well-Liked: The Mill that Helped Build Atlanta