Cityplace at Buckhead-8 40 story towers planned.

[Andrea]

Towers A - H will be 424' high.

Celeste, the site plan says the 8 larger towers will be 472 feet tall, but we were told they may actually be somewhat higher than that when the service areas are included. I'm thinking they indicated that the short tower would be something in the mid-300 foot range.

It's a little hard to visualize what they're talking about from the site plan alone. The top level of the parking decks, for instance, will have the swimming pools, gardens, and other recreation areas. They suggested looking at some of their projects like Icon Brickell to see the sort of concept they have in mind.

http://www.iconbrickell.com/main.htm

[Lady Celeste]

Thanks for the correction Andrea. Regardless if people like the plan or not, that will be an impressive sight coming north of GA400.

[verge]

I realize some have expressed displeasure with the site plan and I don't think it's perfect either. But let's be honest -- they city contemplated 25 years ago that the superblock would be intensely developed, and since that time changes have been sporadic. This is in part due to market conditions but sewer and transportation obstacles played a part, too. In the 80's two class A office towers were built, and there've also been 2 or 3 condo towers, and some fairly nice retail and apartment developments.

Cityplace isn't going to transform Atlanta into Manhattan, but it can certainly bring the city closer to becoming an increasingly desirable alternative to suburban sprawl. If it's built out, and if other residential projects in that area like 3630 Peachtree, the second Kusmiersky tower, the Phipps Towers, the Mansion, 3344 Peachtree, the Post towers, Terminus, etc., etc., are brought to fruition, then you've got substantial additional momentum for high-end residential in the city. This is likely to occur all up and down the Peachtree Corridor, and I think one of the major challenges for the future will be to accomodate and promote these developments while still taking care of the old neighborhoods that are its core.

The site plan, as 'published' by the ARC is very preliminary... and likely to change--- also it appears fairly urban, with buildings lining all (new) public streets and parking decks behind--- any development of this scale will have a lot of parking--- the going rate for city projects is 1 per bedroom or roughly 1.5 per unit in suburbia that becomes 2 per unit... It seems to maintain an urban and pesdestrian environment---

In any case, Architectonica will surely produce an interesting skyline...

[verge]

Here's a more detailed site plan... shows retail on street, etc...

CityPlace_20Site_20Plan.pdf

CityPlace_20Site_20Plan.pdf

[Andrea]

Here's yet another plan that tightens things up even a little more.

http://www.northbuckheadzoning.com/citypla...e%206-27-06.pdf

One aspect of this is the addition of townhomes along Roxboro Road, which will basically match those on the other side of the street. The project requires a change in the CDP due to a conflict between earlier zoning and land use ordinances, and this reflects a compromise to "step down" the towers to the adjoining single family neighborhoods in Ridgedale and Pine Hills.

[Martinman]

City Place approved by Zoning Committee BY TIFFANY TURNER

-The Story

City Place, the Related Group

[nick]

City Place approved by Zoning Committee BY TIFFANY TURNER

-The Story

I think it's going to look really fake having eight buildings the same height.

[Andrea]

I think it's going to look really fake having eight buildings the same height.

nick, somehow I sense that you are not a fan of this project.

[Lady Celeste]

So they got approved....interesting. Having so many relatively tall buildings in Buckhead will definitely increase it's density. I hope the urbanity of the project is up to par as well.

[Andrea]

I don't know why but I think it will be pretty urban.

[nick]

nick, somehow I sense that you are not a fan of this project.

Haha, I know I know, I'm sounding like a broken record. I really am not a negative person but there's just so many things about it that bother me. Atlantic Station totally ruined all hope I have for these types of massive developments. But that's for another thread, another day. I just don't get why a developer would make such a crummy street layout, so much wasted space and then on top of that make the vast majority of the buildings the same height. It's just going to look so fake! This is probably the last best chance to make a decent grid pattern (albeit a small grid) in the heart of buckhead. The area is in no way designed to be urban, so why screw it up further?

[atlrvr]

I agree about the same height issue....what is that all about? Do they not want anyone except for 1 tower to feel inferior? That said, they all seem to have vastly different footprints, so it can be assumed that there will be variety in design. I would prefer if there was a difference in building materials as well, but I have a feeling that is too much to ask.

I'm not sure there is a way to improve the street network based on what they had to work with. Grandview pretty much ruined that whole area. I do like their inclusion of townhouses, but think that additional townhouses should fill is some of the "gaps" between towers....I agree there is just a bit too much greenspace in the wrong spaces.

I haven't followed this project overly closesly, but do many of these towers and their attached parking structures have ground floor retail?

All in all, it's better than the first site plan suggested, but my guess is that driving/walking through there will be a very surreal urban experience.

[micropundit]

It might be helpful to the community to hold a urban design charrete with Related and a third party firm to come up some additional ideas relative to the project's landscape.

[Andrea]

There was discussion about creating a grid (with the community in support of it), but the developer was opposed to it and the ARC and the traffic engineers agreed. It may not be clear from the site plan but the various swimming pools will be on top of the parking decks, which will serve as the amenity level for the condos.

[Andrea]

... and then on top of that make the vast majority of the buildings the same height. It's just going to look so fake!

Fake in what sense, nick? I'm not defending the plan, and would have done it differently myself. However, the fact that the towers will be the same height (except for one of them) doesn't particularly bother me -- that seems fairly common in large projects.

[Lady Celeste]

I thought they were already approved but.......

Living-retail project near Lenox Square awaits final approval.

The proposal to build nine condo towers and 28 townhomes near Lenox Square in Buckhead has cleared several hurdles and now is pending final approval by the Atlanta City Council. I doubt they will not approve it since the neighborhood associations seem to be in aggreement with the development.

Anyway, the developer plans to build 3,860 residential unit and 110,000 square feet of commercial space on about 16 acres near the intersection of Roxboro and Kingsboro Rd. The project includes nine condo towers ad 28 townhomes, 16 to front on Roxboro. This is probably going to be good times for restuarants in the area. That is if they actually build all the residential components and people acually live in them. The entire project will create 5 million square feet of space, more than three times the size of Lenox Square.

This project owuld definitely alter the skyline of Buckhead. I'm curious though, why haven't they released any renderings? I would hate for all 8 of the 493' tall buildings to look the same. That could be a bit overwhelming. Well perhaps now that the NPU has given the go ahead, we may see some renderings soon.

[Andrea]

Celeste, the project requires a change to the Comprehensive Development Plan, which is why the developer has been working with the neighborhood associations, the NPU, and City Council to come to terms. CDP and zoning don't always match up in Atlanta, and the CDP can only be amended at certain times of the year.

[Lady Celeste]

Okay, now we can report that the CityPlace project has been given the go-ahead by the city.

More importantly than the number of buildings or their height is the fact that Related was able to work with the community to come up with a development that should enhance the urban experience that is developing in the Buckhead area. I am most excited that this complex will be steps from the MARTA Lenox subway station. Even more improtantly is the fact that the developer addressed the streetlevel experience.

From an AJC article:

The plan calls for 3,860 residential units, 110,000 square feet of retail space and 28 townhomes spread among nine high-rise towers on 19 acres of land at the intersection of Roxboro and Kingsboro roads.

The development will use a tree-lined street grid with wide sidewalks leading to a plaza to define its contours. Walkways will encourage pedestrian activity with street-level retail and pocket parks.

This is a great deal better than the first intial site planned which seemed a little standoffish.

Construction is expected to begin in early 2007.

To read the full article:

Approved

[Christian3]

Does anyone have any updates on this massive project. Has it been cancelled or postponed.

[Andrea]

Does anyone have any updates on this massive project. Has it been cancelled or postponed.

[Martinman]

Does anyone have any updates on this massive project. Has it been cancelled or postponed.

[Plasticman]

I went back and looked at the pics. This isn't a bad thing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but with those towers, Buckhead alone will have more 40+ story buildings than most tier two cities including Nashville, B'ham, Jacksonville, Charlotte, and others.

I mean most of the above cities would love to have eight 40 stories in their DT skylines, maybe not identical ones but eight buildings I'm sure.

I mean think how awesome those would look in Memphis stretched along the southern end of DT and mixed in with those other two towers they have planned.

[Andrea]

I went back and looked at the pics. This isn't a bad thing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but with those towers, Buckhead alone will have more 40+ story buildings than most tier two cities including Nashville, B'ham, Jacksonville, Charlotte, and others.

[micropundit]

Cityplace at Buckhead's website

[ryanmckibben]

I just want to go on the record as stating that I do not like this project, for much the same reason I do not like Atlantic Station. Urban neighborhoods were not meant to be created all at once. Anyone that has studied urban environs will tell you it's the mix of old and new, the difference in uses and architecture that make street life interesting, what creates , as Jane Jacobs so succinctly phrased it, the ballet of the street. What Related plans to do flies in the face of everything we learned from the mistakes made in the 60's and 70's with our so called renewal projects. Hell, I half expect to hear that Robert Moses has risen from the dead and is the GC on this project.