Downtown Atlanta District Developments

[Martinman]

Yesterday the GWCC Authority unveiled the following options for a new stadium and expansion of the convention center.

Stadium Options

Convention Center options

This option would include moving sidewalks or some kind of people mover between the exhibit halls and new front door to the center on Marietta Street. This one is obviously the winner.

article

Edited December 5, 2008 by Martinman

[Lady Celeste]

I'm with you Martinman. I think the best option is that last one in your post. Moving the Congress Center closer to Marietta will do wonders for that stretch of road. Being right off of Centennial Olympic Park is also a plus. I say leave the Dome for now and focus more on the WCC.

[GRguy]

Is it either/or? Stadium or GWCC? Do both need to be done, or it is only a question of which first?

[Martinman]

Its not either/or. These are the different options under consideration for both a new stadium and convention center expansion within the existing campus. Most people seem to prefer both C options.

[Martinman]

The Business Chronicle reports that the 180 Peachtree Group has inked a deal with Exhibit Consortium LLC to jointly develop the terrace level of the former Macy's building into an 18,000 square foot exhibit hall. They expect to attract 300,000 - 800,000 visitors annually with rotating exhibits such as the King Tut exhibit at the Civic Center. The remaining two floors will be shops and restaurants.

[Lady Celeste]

I am very glad that this renovation will include something to bring even more pedestrians this stretch of Peachtree St. Being right by the Peachtree Center Marta Station and the Ellis Hotel is also a big plus. Slowly but surely the city is marturing. If they can bring these types of exhibits to 180 Peachtree we will be all the better for it. The conventioneers have asked for more to do close to the World Congress Center and this definitely delivers.

[Martinman]

The AJC reports that IHG plans to begin construction on the Staybridge Suites at 555 Courtland Street in late 2009.

The hotel will have 15 stories, 160 rooms, 4 penthouse condos, 4 levels of parking, a sky lobby on 4th floor, and ground-level retail.

Edited December 11, 2008 by Martinman

[verge]

GSU recenlty broke ground on their football practice facility at 188 MLK Drive.

Heres some more projects planned for the downtown area. I like most of them so hopefully they'll get built someday.

Mason Mitchell

Railside in Castleberry Hill

Butler Street MUD

222 Mitchell (adaptive reuse of old Norfolk Southern buildings)

301 Memorial

3 out of 4 ain't bad-- that top one is pretty awful, the rest OK...

Edited December 13, 2008 by verge

[Martinman]

I was touring some downtown projects this weekend and discovered this nearly completed Capital Centre office project in the government district. I assume its a restoration of an existing building but the exterior brick looks new.

At any rate its another attractive project for downtown.

By the way, my award for "best street level presence, new construction" goes to the Hilton Garden Inn.

My one concern is that the Museum of Patriotism will occupy the remaining retail space which leaves Johnny Rockets sort of isolated. Anyway, we need more like this at the Hard Rock Hotel next door and all over the city for that matter.

Edited December 15, 2008 by Martinman

[perimeter285]

As someone in the hotel industry, I am really curious why that was branded a Garden Inn instead of a full-service Hilton. Typically, Hilton Garden Inn's are select-service hotels without the food and beverage offerings that the new downtown HGI has.

But you're absolutely right - it does have a very nice street dynamic. I'm loving the way the Luckie-Marietta district is coming along!

[GRguy]

As someone in the hotel industry, I am really curious why that was branded a Garden Inn instead of a full-service Hilton. Typically, Hilton Garden Inn's are select-service hotels without the food and beverage offerings that the new downtown HGI has.

Typical select service properties can have retail and restaurants on the first level of an urban property, but the food portions are not run by the hotel and may not even have access from the hotel (no indoor access). They will also have small meeting rooms as opposed to ballrooms, so a franchisee can not build a full service hotel "on the cheap"

[Martinman]

Exactly. The restaurants there are not hotel related. Its merely retail space offered by the developer that happens to be in the same building.

Edit:

Speaking of which, Bob Amick (Tap, Trois, etc) will open a restaurant on the top floor of the HGI by early 2010. Stats, which is also run by Amick's company, has been a huge success.

The new Hilton Garden restaurant will be directly under the helipad of the 15-story building. The glass-enclosed restaurant will cover 10,000 square feet inside over two floors and offer an outside terrace. It will have panoramic views of Midtown, Buckhead and Centennial Olympic Park.

article

Edited December 17, 2008 by Martinman

[Jim856796]

Yesterday the GWCC Authority unveiled the following options for a new stadium and expansion of the convention center.

Stadium Options

Convention Center options

This option would include moving sidewalks or some kind of people mover between the exhibit halls and new front door to the center on Marietta Street. This one is obviously the winner.

article

Why did they suddenly propose this crazy plan? I do not want a new stadium or an expansion to the convention center. The convention centre has run out of space to expand. I would prefer Option A because other options for a new stadium would involve the death of the Georgoa Dome and we don't want that. The GWCC complex is fine the way it is now.

[Lady Celeste]

Since our office markets are all split up...and for good reason, I decided to put this information in the Downtown Atlanta Development thread. The information for this post comes from David Morgan, a broker in the office properties division of Richard Bowers & Co.

As 2008 has been placed in the history books, we have hard numbers regarding the Atlanta office market.

Atlanta

[UrbanAtl]

With regards to the Georgia Dome: option C should help connect Downtown to the west side/Atlanta University Center due to the proposed park expansion. The problem to be solved is that the current park is on top of a very tall parking garage. It appears to be at street level from the Downtown side because most of those streets are also on top of parking decks. An expansion of the park would eradicate the barrier that the Dome created by allowing the expansion to 'step down' to Northside Drive on the west reconnecting the downtown business and tourist districts to the university district to the west. What an amazing opportunity to expand Downtown Atlanta's cultural zone for tourist to include the Atlanta University complex. I would love to see the park go further and cross Northside Drive and really connect the AU center to DT by morphing from a city park into a university style quad (between Rhodes St to the south, Sunset Ave to the west, and Magnolia St to the north).

Edited January 12, 2009 by UrbanAtl

[Jim856796]

I should have had the Georgia Dome built a bit to the south when it was constructed back in 1992. I don't care in extended park connects Downtown to the University Centre, I don't want the Georgia Dome torn down. I could try moving the stadium, but it weighs 10 million tons.

[eastatlanta119]

Story on the AJC website with vague plans for a casino at Underground...

[Martinman]

The've added some details....

Developer Dan O

Edited January 13, 2009 by Martinman

[eastatlanta119]

I'm having a hard time placing the model - what's the tallish existing building?

[UrbanAtl]

The tallish building is the existing hotel that is across Peachtree St. from Five Points MARTA station. The part of the model that is at an angle follows the bend in Peachtree going north towards Woodruff Park. The lit atrium at the top right of the model is the existing Kenny's Alley. Behind the model is the plaza where the old World of Coke and the Zero Miles Post are located.

[Martinman]

We finally have a rendering of GSU's Freshman Hall that is under construction at the corner of Piedmont and Edgewood.

Not bad but the next one that will be built across Piedmont from this one is a little better.

[Lady Celeste]

We have heard about the rumored Hard Rock Hotel a few times in the past. In this most trying of economic times, I am even baffled to see a new rendering for the Hard Rock Hotel. There are currently 3 new flag developments (new to Atlanta anyway) nearing completion in an already competitive hoteliery market. I guess they are positioning themselves for the next upturn. They could have also revamped it after the city put it's stamp of approval on the proposed casino at the Underground.

At any rate, I would not advice anyone to hold their breath...I think it will get built but it will probably be at least 2 years before more firm specifics are available. While not earth shattering in design, I do think it adds some visual interest. I just hope that the street level is not left devoid of life. It should embrace it's location not turn it's back on it. I think the rendering maybe for dramatic affect...but it would be nice in the nighttime skyline to have a building so lite. I know, it's not environmentally friendly...but hey, Atlanta has many LEED certified buildings and this is after all Hard Rock Hotel.

Anyway, it's always good to get a rendering in this developmental climate...expecially when, if built, it would add density to the Centennial Park area.

[Martinman]

Gosh I haven't posted here in a while. Hope everyone is well.

some Downtown news -

Irish pub Meehan

[GRguy]

Wow, some very interesting designs. What is the location/cross streets?

[Martinman]

It'll share the block with the aquarium and the Coke museum on the corner of Centennial Park Drive and Ivan Allen.