Downtown Atlanta District Developments

[Martinman]

-Marketplace @ Centennial a small convenience type store, is opening in the Museum Tower. The signage says it will have groceries, coffee shop, internet cafe, wine etc.

-The "world's largest aquarium" is getting even bigger. Heres the Georgia Aquarium press release.

The Georgia Aquarium will break ground this summer on a $110 million dolphin exhibit that will open in the Winter of 2010. The expansion will add 84,000 square feet to the facility (about the size of two football fields), including a 1.3 million gallon exhibit to accommodate bottlenose dolphins.

Located on the west side of the present building near the Luckie Street parking deck entrance, the building will encompass areas that will include dolphin encounters, viewing windows and dolphin shows. The bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) that will initially inhabit the Aquarium

Edited May 6, 2008 by Martinman

[Martinman]

Allen Plaza update

Overview - if 24 AP is 28-stories it should be a bit taller than the W

Post / aloft hotel (16 Allen Plaza) - 450 apartments. The website says that this will open in 2009 which suggests a groundbreaking sometime this year.

24 Allen Plaza - 28 stories, 395,000 sf office, full-size grocery and 26,000 sf of retail

Allen Plaza master plan - The block south of 30 with office, hotel and residential would have to be a major building given the size of the block.

retail master plan .pdf - They are planning for Allen Plaza to have over 250,000 sf of neighborhood retail.

new website

Edited May 9, 2008 by Martinman

[Martinman]

Here's a photo from the AJC today of 3 baby peregrine falcons. Their parents have been nesting at the Suntrust building for three years. The only other known peregrine falcons in Georgia nest more appropriatley at the Four Seasons.

[krazeeboi]

^Wow, that's pretty cool. It actually looks like the nesting site could have been built as such. Is it a wooden box?

[Martinman]

From the Business Chronicle...

Work is set to begin on the first three floors of the former Macy's building and the investors hope to have the first stores open by mid- to late 2009.

The plan is to remove the store windows from three arches in the facade, adding a two-story glass wall behind the arches, and creating a 75-foot-wide "grand avenue" through the center all the way to the back entrance. The grand avenue will then be lined with 20 to 30 indoor shops and restaurants to cater to Atlanta's conventioneers, tourists, daytime office workers and residents.

Edited May 21, 2008 by Martinman

[j.midtown]

^^^I like this approach to reuse of the Macy's building.

Something I think might work there, or in another downtown space would be a Dave & Busters/Jillians/Sega Gameworks. The demographics would seem to be ripe for it with the growing GSU student population (not too mention GTech, AUC, even Emory), the convention/tourist trade downtown, not to mention the younger downtown/midtown population.

[Martinman]

Emory announced expansion plans today for its medical facilities at the main campus in Druid Hills and the Crawford Long Hospital complex in Downtown (despite the AJC always calling it Midtown).

The downtown expansion will include an 11-story medical tower on West Peachtree Street that will house about 125 hospital beds, 137,000 square feet of outpatient clinic space and 75,000 square feet of new research space.

The construction, to be completed in five years, will boost the capacity of Emory's two hospitals by a total of 300 beds, or 25 percent, and add at least 1,800 new jobs, officials said.

AJC article

In other news, the Museum of Patriotism has reached an agreement to locate in the Hilton Garden Inn retail space on Baker Street. Other retail tenants so far are Legal Sea Foods and Johnny Rockets.

Edited June 13, 2008 by Martinman

[Martinman]

Atlanta has been selected over Washington, D.C., and other cities as the site of a $230 million National Health Museum designed to teach visitors about healthier living and serve as a stage for international health events.

State officials and museum backers are eying several sites around Centennial Olympic Park for the planned 190,000-square-foot museum. So far, neither the state nor the city has been asked to contribute funds for the museum, but both are heavily involved in planning for the museum.

Most of the money for construction, organizers said, would be raised through an international fund-raising drive.

The architect chosen for the museum is Moshe Safdie, director of the Urban Design Program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.

AJC article

Edited June 18, 2008 by Martinman

[Lady Celeste]

I am so surprised that we heard so much about the NASCAR Hall of Fame but this was just a blip on the radar. Landing this museum is great on so many levels. It is helping solidify Atlanta as a leading area of medical and biomedical research. It fits in quite well with CDC on Clifton Rd (Emory area), the numerous hospitals in Atlanta, the American Cancer Society at the America's Mart and the numerous insitutions of higher learning in the vicinity.

This is one of the flags in the cap we should be proud to get. I don't really think that people have quite gleaned the international exposure this national museum could bring to Atlanta. I am so excited beyond belief. I knew we were in the running but I was sure it would go to Washington, D.C. I can imagine the world conferences on some type of world health issue being held right here in Atlanta. It is only befitting because through Delta, people from almost anywhere in the world can get here directly. The new international terminal will make this even easier. The plethroa of hotels already here, under construction or proposed will offer visitors countless lodging options.

I am also beyong thrilled that it will go near Centennial Olympic Park. Talk about a Tour De Force. The Children's Museum, The Georgia Aquarium, The Coca~Cola Museum, CNN, Phillips Arena, Allen Plaza, The Civil Rights Museum, The Museum of Patriotism, Downtown and now the National Health Museum. This area will be packed with things to do. I can barely contain myself. If in 1995 someone had told me the area that is not Centennial Park would be like it is not....I would have laughed in their face and called to have them committed to an insane asylum.

[perimeter285]

I agree, Celeste. I can't believe that there was not talk about us being in the running for this thing. It's almost nice in a way though because we didn't have all of the "will we or will we not" discussions - we just won it and now we can celebrate.

This is truly a great win for the city and I hope that they spare no expense in making this a world-class facility.

Now if we could just get the downtown streetcars going...

[Martinman]

With all of the competing museums and bureaucratic delays in DC, they decided to put it elsewhere. Ironically the Milleneum Gate was originally slated for DC as well.

Here's some pics of Savannah's beautiful art center expansion designed by Safdie .

Jepson Center for the Arts

[UrbanAtl]

I Love Savannah! But back to the new health museum... when do we get a better image than what was on the paper today? Are there more detailed plans floating around out there?

Edited June 20, 2008 by UrbanAtl

[Martinman]

Rendering of the 180 Peachtree building after redevelopment

[Martinman]

Here's a closeup look at the plans for 180 Peachtree from the website, 180 Peachtree.

The center arches now

and after renovation

[perimeter285]

A circular escalator a la the ones at Forum Shops at Caesars Palace would be a neat touch.

[adelosky]

I'm really excited about this. My wife and I were down there in 2006 for the Sarah Blakely foundation kick-off and the interior is still in phenominal shape and hopefully the revitalization of a historic building like this will continue to add to the Peachtree presence in Downtown.

[Martinman]

This is one of my favorite recently completed projects

Tribute Lofts

Edited July 27, 2008 by Martinman

[Martinman]

The board of directors of the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) approved the recommendation for funding for six public purpose projects within downtown Atlanta

Edited July 28, 2008 by Martinman

[Martinman]

Castleberry Point is nearing completion

The construction site across the street from Castlberry Point is the little office/retail project below.

There is also a 68-unit residential project planned for Castleberry that plans to start construction in early '09 and will initially be rental units.

Edited July 27, 2008 by Martinman

[ironchapman]

Hey guys! I don't have any updates, but I would like to say that I had the opportunity to go into Atlanta earlier this month. It's amazing to see how different the skyline there looks from when I started posting here back in May of 2005. It's really interesting to look at photographs I've taken of the area over the years and to see how it's all changed (I'm organizing a thread on it, actually).

[Martinman]

The slow economy and difficulty in obtaining financing has caused 10 of 15 projects to drop out of this years Westiside TAD financing. The fact that they would get a lot less funding due to the Supreme Court TAD ruling was also a factor. All of the developers say their projects are not dead, just either on hold until things improve or unable to meet this years TAD deadline. The article did not identify the projects that will get TAD funding this year but here are the projects that dropped out.

• 24 Allen Plaza; office space, Publix, retail
  
  Centennial Vista; 20-story apartment tower, retail
  
  Hard Rock Hotel; hotel, retail (construction start pushed back to third quarter 2009)
  
  Post Park at 16 Allen Plaza; 23-story Post apartments, Aloft hotel, retail
  
  222 Mitchell St; housing, offices, retail
  
  Carnegie Hotel; boutique hotel, retail
  
  Flatiron Hotel; boutique hotel, retail
  
  Markham Lofts; 12-story condo, offices, retail (in Castleberry Hill)
  
  Nelson Street Redevelopment; housing
  
  Centennial Park North; (Phase II) housing
  

article

Edited August 29, 2008 by Martinman

[Martinman]

A Japanese hotel company, Tokyo Inn, has just filed plans with the state DRI review office for a 40-story hotel containing 861 rooms. The tower would be close to Centennial Park and the hotel is a no frills brand with no restaurants or room service. The project will be designed by Phillips Partnership.

Article

Edited September 22, 2008 by Martinman

[Lady Celeste]

First, let me digest this news..........

Okay thank you. This came out of nowhere. Wow. A 40 story hotel right in the Fairle-Poplar District. It will be mere steps from Woodruff Park and Centennial Olympic Park. It will be across the street from the Equitable Building I am assuming. The view from Centennial Oympic Park is going to get better and better. Truth be told, I like the no frills approach. This will ge more casual travellors an opportunity for loding in the heart of downtown. I don't know what impact it will make on the skyline but it will do wonders for the urban experience. I hope they are going to put it on the slither of parking at the northwest corner of Forsyth and Luckie.

This is wonderful news. Not because it's a 40 story tall building but because this will add even more people to city center. Imagine all the visitors who can now come economically and visit all the sites at Centennial Park. It is also steps from Five Points Marta Station. One could possibly fly into Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and take the train right to the hotel. Also, the density in the area is wonderful. I'm sure the eateries in the area are jumping for joy....and right across the street from the Rialto Theater.....

This is great news, I can hardly contain myself. This, that 70 story behemoth that recently been proposed up in Midtown and the countless midrise residential undertakings are really going to make development in Atlanta an on going thing. Yay!

[orulz]

Interesting regarding the toyoko inn. Seems that they want to target rates in the $60-70 range, which afaik undercuts anything else in the downtown market. That plus the location (close to five points - that would put it on the south end of the park right?) means that it would certainly be my first choice for a hotel in Atlanta if I were staying on my own dollar rather than the company's. That, plus the recent economic downturn, and the tendency for people to cut "frills" and luxuries when the economy sours, means that this place might just be hitting a sweet spot in the market.

They say that the hotel will contain no restaurants, etc, but hopefully they'll still stick in a retail space or two on the ground floor.

[Martinman]

That price range would absolutely undercut anything downtown.

I just looked up the DRI application and the location is actually in the Farlie-Poplar district at the corner of Forsyth and Luckie, one block from Peachtree. If I'm not mistaken the site is currently a small parking lot so this could be a nicely urban project. Actually given the recently updated downtown zoning codes, it has to be a nicely urban project.

Heres a description from the application.

The Toyoko Inn Co. is proposing a 40-story business hotel consisting of 861 small rooms, which will include an enclosed parking deck which will be located on the 2nd thru 11th floors. This project will be design as a Leed certified building and will incorporate a total gray water reclaim system and will be situated within close proximity to the Five Points MARTA Rail Station in order to promote the use of alternate modes of transportation.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Martinman