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Developers: Density, affordable options bound for downtown Riverdale Josh Green Wed, 09/25/2024 - 08:01 Due south of Atlanta’s airport, a multifamily complex has begun construction to add density near Riverdale’s main commercial strip and a regional greenspace.

Plans for HearthSide Riverdale call for 70 units of senior housing where single-family houses now stand at 6795 Powers St. in the Clayton County city.

The site is a block off Ga. Highway 85, situated behind a Del Taco on Riverdale’s main hub of retail, just west of Riverdale City Hall and Riverdale Regional Park. It’s about five miles south of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

According to Swinerton, a California-based general contractor with offices nationwide, demolition of the existing homes has begun at the 2.64-acre Riverdale site. The project marks the company’s sixth with Atlanta-based developer OneStreet Residential. The building was designed by Boulder, Colo.-based DTJ Design.  

Previous HearthSide-branded projects include complexes in Tucker, Lawrenceville, and Peachtree City.

HearthSide Riverdale calls for a single gated building with a mix of market-rate and affordable apartments with either one or two bedrooms.

Courtesy of Swinerton; designs, DTJ Design

The Riverdale site's proximity to City Hall and food options along Ga. Highway 85. Google Maps

Monthly rents haven’t been specified. But according to the development team, just a dozen apartments will rent at market rates, while the other 58 will be reserved for seniors earning less than 60 percent of the area median income.

Pet-friendly amenities at the Riverdale complex will include a fitness center, garden beds, a community room, and laundry facilities. One unique facet will be a 700-square-foot bistro open to both HearthSide residents and the general public, according to Swinerton officials.

The $16.4 million Riverdale project is scheduled to be finished in early 2026.

For the Hearthside venture in Lawrenceville, which was finished last year, Swinerton received the Construction Management Association of America’s South Atlanta Project Achievement Award.

The company’s Atlanta Division has built $358 million of commercial and multifamily projects since expanding to the Southeast in 2018. That tally includes more than 11,000 finished residential units throughout metro Atlanta, with more than 700 under construction or in the development pipeline, according to Swinerton officials.  

The 6795 Powers St. site in relation to downtown Atlanta and the city's airport (shaded). Google Maps

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6795 Powers Street Riverdale HearthSide Riverdale Swinerton OTP South OTP Atlanta Airport Construction Management Association of America OneStreet Residential DTJ Design Affordable Housing Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Riverdale City Hall Clayton County Riverdale Regional Park senior housing affordable senior housing HearthSide Lawrenceville Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

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The 6795 Powers St. site in relation to downtown Atlanta and the city's airport (shaded). Google Maps

Courtesy of Swinerton; designs, DTJ Design

The Riverdale site's proximity to City Hall and food options along Ga. Highway 85. Google Maps

Subtitle HearthSide-branded project begins construction due south of Atlanta airport

Neighborhood Southside

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‘Urban conservation’ project hires farmer, reaches 80 percent sold Josh Green Tue, 09/24/2024 - 16:32 Now here’s an amenity you don’t see every day (or ever) with new residential developments around ITP Atlanta: a full-time, onsite farmer who’s an expert on sustainable agriculture.

But that’s the latest addition at Pendergrast Farm, a unique single-family project billed as the city’s “premier urban conservation community” that’s aiming to set the bar for sustainable living while preserving farmland and woods near Emory University.

Project officials send word that 80 percent of Pendergrast Farm’s 20 energy-efficient residences have either sold or are under contract, as amenities and additional homes take shape, and the project’s 1-acre working farm takes root.

Vincent McKoy, a graduate of the HABESHA Works Program with five years of professional experience, has been hired to manage Pendergrast Farm’s onsite urban farm and spearhead its Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, program.

“This community represents everything I believe in—sustainable living, fresh food, and fostering a connection with the land,” McKoy said in an announcement. “I know exactly what’s in my food and that it’s completely from the earth, with no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides. Now I can continue that organic farming practice for others.”

McKoy, at center, and scenes around the communal farm today. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Construction progress on residences near the communal saltwater pool last summer. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

At Pendergrast Farm, McKoy will be charged with planting and monitoring an array of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs, creating educational programs such as gardening workshops for residents, and establishing the CSA program. The latter will allow onsite residents and surrounding neighborhoods to receive regular boxes of fresh produce by way of subscriptions.

Pendergrast Farm is tucked at the end of a wooded drive off Briarcliff Road in northeast Atlanta’s Briarcliff Woods community, just east of the point where Interstate 85 meets Clairmont Road. The 8.7-acre project is building a variety of housing and communal spaces with the goal of blending “farm-to-table living with urban convenience,” or what project reps have described as a “mini Serenbe, but intown.”

Site plans also call for a half-mile trail system, meadows, and other features tucked around the property. Homes will range between 1,600 and 3,000 square feet with garage options and courtyards, officials have said.

Prices for available homes start at $1.27 million, which buys a five-bedroom, four-bathroom stacked home across three levels and 3,000 square feet, over a two-car garage.

According to developer Healthy House of Georgia, 70 percent of the DeKalb County property will be preserved, to include 5 and ½ acres of woods. The site is being marketed as “the last key remnant of farm and woodland on Briarcliff Road.”

The Pendergrast Farm Common House as seen in July. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Other Pendergrast Farm amenities will include a communal saltwater pool, central green, and a Common House where wine tastings, book clubs, and exercise classes are planned.

Each new home is solar-panel ready, wired for EV charging stations, and rated as using 50 percent less energy than comparable new housing built to current codes, according to project officials.

Find more context, construction progress photos, and site plans in the gallery above.

Site plan for the 8.7-acre property with gardens, woodlands, meadows, and a trail system. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

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2155 James Alley Pendergrast Farm Briarcliff Woods Healthy House of Georgia Emory University Atlanta Farms Sustainable Living Atlanta homes HERS rating Atlanta Housing Atlanta Homes for Sale Homes For sale Interior Design Nicolae Trifu sustainability Sustainable housing sustainable planned community Vincent McKoy HABESHA Works Program

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Pendergrast Farm's James Alley location in northeast Atlanta near Interstate 85. Google Maps

McKoy, at center, and scenes around the communal farm today. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Construction progress on residences near the communal saltwater pool last summer. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

The Pendergrast Farm Common House as seen in July. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

A nature trail and natural waterfall on the northeast Atlanta property. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

A communal plaza and examples of finished Pendergrast Farm housing. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Example of interiors in finished Homesite 5 today. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Existing housing at Pendergrast Farm today. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Site plan for the 8.7-acre property with gardens, woodlands, meadows, and a trail system. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Plans for the finished residential buildout. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm; Nicolae Trifu architecture

Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm; Nicolae Trifu architecture

Expected look of the community green once finished. Courtesy of Pendergrast Farm

Subtitle Northeast Atlanta's Pendergrast Farm has been likened to a mini Serenbe intown

Neighborhood North Druid Hills

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Gwinnett's next transit referendum vote is weeks away. Will it pass? Josh Green Tue, 09/24/2024 - 14:09 Today marks exactly six weeks until Americans will be asked to make a monumental, potentially historic decision: Will Gwinnett County see $17 billion worth of transit investment in its future, or not?

Another way of framing the question: For Georgia’s second most populous county—with a population that topped 1 million for the first time in history this year—could the third time for referendum votes in the past five years be a charm?

Back in June, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 in favor of placing a SPLOST transit referendum on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot, which also includes the presidential election. Should Gwinnett voters approve the extra funding for transit—historically, and infamously if you ask Atlanta urbanists, they have not—the transit referendum would impose a 1 percent sales tax for up to 30 years.

According to county leadership, the estimated $17 billion culled from consumer spending in Gwinnett would fund up to 75 transit projects around the county, with an emphasis on expanding bus and microtransit options. But here’s the kicker: It would not include MARTA expansion or heavy rail in any capacity.

MARTA branching into the northeast OTP suburbs was one facet of transit referendums that failed most recently in Gwinnett in both 2019 and 2020. The latter, a $12 billion plan, was rejected by a razor-thin margin.  

The overarching goal now, as supporters of the SPLOST measure at the county level have previously told reporters, is to create a scalable transit system that allows Gwinnettians to travel anywhere in the county without a car, setting a blueprint for suburban transit in the metro that could lift Gwinnett onto “the world stage” in terms of doing viable transit right.

Should voters approve, Gwinnett would make substantial bets on buses and microtransit, an on-demand, shared-service operating with shuttles and vans that allows people to order rides via phones and pay $3 per trip. Gwinnett currently operates microtransit but in a limited capacity. 

Highlights of the $17 billion transit plan unanimously approved by commissioners in September 2023—following a year and ½ of public input and revisions—would include:

Expanded microtransit by 2033 across the entire county;

Additional, modernized transfer facilities throughout Gwinnett;

Extended and reconfigured bus routes. Additions would include a bus-rapid-transit line between Doraville’s MARTA station and Lawrenceville, the county seat, and high-frequency buses elsewhere. (The BRT route, as advocates have noted, could be a viable means of getting to Hartsfield-Jackson International Atlanta Airport without a personal vehicle or pricey rideshare);

Express bus routes from Snellville in southeast Gwinnett and Mall of Georgia in the far north down to Atlanta’s airport, providing an additional airport connection for residents in those sections of the county;

Gwinnett transit services would operate on Sundays, which they currently don’t.

Ride Gwinnett's proposed transit service diagram, should November's SPLOST measure pass. Ride Gwinnett

Gwinnett’s track record with tax-funded, transit-expansion proposals appears daunting, with four MARTA rejections dating back to 1971 and 1990, in addition to the two more recent failed efforts. But the county is a vastly different place these days, with three times the population as the early 1990s and a shift in politics and identity from suburban conservative to more progressive and remarkably diverse.

While its growth today isn’t on par with much of the boom-times 1980s and ’90s, Gwinnett remains firmly among the region’s leaders. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 2024 population estimates from July, Gwinnett packed on another 14,900 residents over the year ending in April. That was the second most in metro Atlanta, behind only Fulton County’s 17,400 boost in population (with the City of Atlanta factored in).

Gwinnett also finished second in terms of single-family and multifamily building permits issued (5,423), trailing only Atlanta proper (7,621) in that category over the past year.

As of July, ARC officials pegged Gwinnett’s population at 1,012,112, marking just the third county in Georgia to edge over 1 million residents. Will these people support a significant tax outlay to boost transit options? We shall see, in six weeks.

In the meantime, here’s a preview of the specific SPLOST referendum ballot language Gwinnettians will see in November:

“Shall a special one (1%) percent sales and use tax be imposed in the special district consisting of Gwinnett County for a period of time not to exceed thirty (30) years and for the raising of funds for transit projects?”

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Ride Gwinnett's proposed transit service diagram, should November's SPLOST measure pass. Ride Gwinnett

Subtitle Transit SPLOST plans totaling $17 billion are at stake come November

Neighborhood Gwinnett County

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First look: Beltline pocket neighborhood aimed at first-time buyers Josh Green Tue, 09/24/2024 - 08:05 Construction has begun on a unique southeast Atlanta project that developers say is geared toward first-time buyers, couples without kids, downsizing adults, or any other intowner generally sick of renting.

The 18-townhome venture is underway at 1160 Boulevard, claiming a vacant, 1/2-acre site that was home to a gas station decades ago and has since been cleaned up, per developers.

The Boulevard Heights location is roughly two blocks south of Grant Park and the Beltline’s Southside Trail corridor, which is undergoing trail construction on both sides of Boulevard. Next door to the east is Chua Quang Minh, Georgia’s oldest Vietnamese Buddhist temple.

The project, led by an LLC called 1160 Boulevard and designed by architecture firm TSW, is another example of an intown pocket neighborhood turning underused, tighter sites into denser residential enclaves that prioritize social interactions, economical use of space, and alternate means of transportation.

That means the one-bedroom, one and 1/2-bathroom townhomes will have no garages, but instead one dedicated surface parking space per unit toward the south end of the trapezoidal lot. A centralized courtyard and corner amenity space for barbecues are also meant to foster social interactions.

Meanwhile, another section of the site is being reserved for a lockable bike storage facility for residents who prefer to pedal to the nearby Beltline—which will be possible in coming years via the South Boulevard Complete Street (estimated construction start: 2025), should the city’s plans come to fruition.

No units at 1160 Boulevard have listed yet, but pricing is expected to start in the mid-$300,000s.  

Plans for a lockable bike storage structure on site. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC; designs, TSW

Site plan for the 18-home project and its amenities. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC

The three-building project is inspired by Kronberg Urbanists + Architects’ 25-unit Edgewood community La France Walk, where a smaller but more centralized resale unit fetched $370,000 earlier this year.   

Each of the 18 townhomes will stand three stories, with about 912 square feet inside and another 150 square feet in mostly covered rooftop patio spaces.

The breakdown: Main levels will see living rooms, kitchens, and half-bathrooms; the second stories are devoted to primary bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry; and the third levels call for a flex space with small wet bars in addition to the patios.

Small, fenced yards for each home are also in the mix.

“It will be the lowest-priced [project] in the area, but it will sell for market-rate,” a 1160 Boulevard LLC development official who requested anonymity told Urbanize Atlanta.

“The thought was, there’s a whole lot of development going on in the area, a lot to be excited about, but we wanted to create something that’s different," he continued. "Everybody has their version of a two and three-bedroom townhome. We thought to go maybe a bit smaller and offer something that isn’t all that common.”

Plans for one of two rows of eight one-bedroom townhomes, topped with a flex space and covered porch. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC; designs, TSW

Site work at the corner lot in question this month where Boulevard (right) meets Francis Avenue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Another cost-saving tactic is to make the townhomes fee-simple, meaning owners would fully own the homes and land, as opposed to a generally more expensive condo arrangement with pricier insurance policies and other costs.  

“So rather than being $250 to $300 per month, the HOA we’re hoping will be like $40 to $50 bucks a month, because of fee-simple,” said the project official. “If you’re a single person renting or young couple and want to get out of an apartment and start building equity, there’s just not much around that’s affordable at an entry price point.”

The three-story layouts will also be less expensive to build, as any building at four stories or higher in Atlanta requires that fire sprinklers be incorporated, in addition to other costs such as more stairs, per the project leader.

Other plans call for onsite parking to be built with permeable pavers to help control water runoff, while conduit will be installed for future EV charging if buyers prefer. Landscaping calls for trees planted along Boulevard and other “tree islands” in the courtyard.

Beyond the Beltline, proximity to Zoo Atlanta, the future Boulevard Crossing Park, and a public greenspace that’s taking shape now as part of the Englewood development across the street are all cited as perks of the area.

Three-story facades planned along Boulevard. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC; designs, TSW

The 1160 Boulevard site prior to construction in January 2023. It last sold for $230,000 in 2018, property records indicate. Google Maps

Project heads tell Urbanize Atlanta vertical construction should begin at the site within about six weeks, and townhomes are scheduled to start delivering in late summer or early fall next year, when interest rates for mortgages could be lower. Plans call for building all homes at once, as opposed to in phases.

Head up to the gallery for more context and a closer look at what plans call for on this quickly developing section of Boulevard.

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• Is BeltLine-connected Boulevard Heights the next Reynoldstown?(Urbanize Atlanta) 

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The 1160 Boulevard site in relation to Grant Park, the Beltline corridor (dotted line), and other landmarks. Google Maps

Site work at the corner lot in question this month where Boulevard (right) meets Francis Avenue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC; image, Atlanta Beltline Inc.

Site plan for the 18-home project and its amenities. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC

Three-story facades planned along Boulevard. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC; designs, TSW

The 1160 Boulevard site prior to construction in January 2023. It last sold for $230,000 in 2018, property records indicate. Google Maps

Plans for one of two rows of eight one-bedroom townhomes, topped with a flex space and covered porch. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC; designs, TSW

Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC

Plans for a lockable bike storage structure on site. Courtesy of 1160 Boulevard LLC; designs, TSW

The 1160 Boulevard site today, after work began in July. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Boulevard Heights project breaks ground with bikeability, social interaction, lower HOA fees in mind

Neighborhood Boulevard Heights

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Influential Atlanta City Studio plots comeback in South Downtown Josh Green Mon, 09/23/2024 - 14:35 An influential pop-up studio with a singular mission to create collaborative, public realms that Atlantans can take pride in is setting up shop in the heart of rapidly changing South Downtown.

The Atlanta City Studio plans to officially open its fourth location—and first since 2022—on Monday in The Sylvan Building on Mitchell Street, an important component in the revitalization of historic Hotel Row. A tech-focused startup and coworking hub is also set to open in that building in early 2025.

Atlanta City Studio leaders say the Hotel Row location, situated next to Spiller Park Coffee, will confirm their commitment to South Downtown’s growth while providing a base for the city departments that oversee it.

The urban design studio operates within the City of Atlanta's Department of City Planning, and it’s managed by the Department’s Office of Design.

Atlanta City Studio periodically relocates to different locations throughout the city in an effort to make the studio’s work more accessible to the public, allowing residents in different areas to pop in, share their 2 cents, and “play an integral role in the design of our city,” per studio leaders.

The Atlanta City Studio's forthcoming space (with orange, in center) as seen in June on Mitchell Street. Google Maps

Since its inception in 2016 at Ponce City Market, the studio has worked on aspects of Westside Park, Broad Street’s pedestrian-friendly revamp downtown, the Cascade Storefront Redesign Program, Beecher Street design concept, and Cascade Bus Canopy design and construction, among other initiatives.

Previous Atlanta City Studio locations included Ponce City Market (from 2016 to 2017), Cascade Heights (2017 to 2019), and most recently a building on South Broad Street (2019 to 2022).

In related news, South Downtown owners Atlanta Ventures have recently rolled out a system of high-tech sensors and AI-powered security cameras as a means of thwarting and reporting crime in the 10-block district.

Elsewhere in South Downtown, work is revving up on what’s called “Project Elle,” an L-shaped collection of more than 25 buildings that begins at Ted Turner Drive/Mitchell Street and bends around to Broad Street and up to Five Points.

Plans call for converting that to more than 100 adaptive-reuse apartments, 150,000 square feet of commercial space, and the 31,000-square-foot Atlanta Tech Village—Sylvan, the downtown coworking answer to Buckhead’s tech startup hub. Atlanta Ventures’ goal, officials said in July, is to be under construction on the majority of those buildings by the end of 2024.  

How historic Hotel Row facades have come together in South Downtown. Google Maps

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235 Mitchell St. Suite 103 Atlanta City Studio The Sylvan Building South Downtown Hotel Row Atlanta Ventures Atlanta History Historic Buildings Tyde Tate Kitchen Spiller Coffee Atlanta Office of Design City of Atlanta Department of City Planning Downtown News Downtown Development

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The Atlanta City Studio's forthcoming space (with orange, in center) as seen in June on Mitchell Street. Google Maps

How historic Hotel Row facades have come together in South Downtown. Google Maps

Subtitle For fourth location, Department of City Planning pop-up takes space on historic Hotel Row

Neighborhood Downtown

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Centennial Yards scores nearly $600M in financing to fuel growth Josh Green Mon, 09/23/2024 - 12:53 A downtown megaproject called one of the largest public-private partnerships in the U.S. and the “central attraction in Atlanta’s ongoing revitalization efforts” has secured a major infusion of funding to help it toward a goal of being finished within about six years, officials announced today.

Financial services firm D.A. Davidson’s Development Finance Group has closed $575 million of bonds in a complex deal meant to fuel Centennial Yards’ 50-acre remake of the downtown Gulch in coming years.

Kyle Thomas, D.A. Davidson’s Development Finance Group managing director, called the deal “the largest transaction in our group’s history” for an urban revitalization project among the biggest in the country right now. The company served as co-manager in the financing arrangement, alongside lead manager J.P. Morgan and co-manager Truist Securities.

“By leveraging our expertise in structuring complex, large-scale, early stage financings which are solely secured by tax increment,” added Thomas in a prepared statement, “we've been able to support the transformation of this historic site into a vibrant, inclusive community that will benefit all Atlantans.”

The $575 million in bonds were issued through the Atlanta Development Authority.

Specifically, they consist of $356 million Convertible Capital Appreciation Economic Development Certificates secured by a 5 percent EZ Fee—or what’s similar to a sales tax—that’s set to be collected within Centennial Yards, once it begins opening.

The rest of the financing is being sourced from $219 million in Senior Revenue Bonds secured by property tax increment within the Westside Gulch, according to D.A. Davidson reps.

Centennial Yards is considered a partnership between the Atlanta Development Authority, the City of Atlanta, and Los Angeles-based developer CIM Group, which counts more than $29 billion in assets, among other stakeholders. A CIM affiliate, Spring Street LLC, is leading the development, while co-investors are being led by Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler, the brother of CIM cofounder and principal Richard Ressler.

It's expected to cost in the ballpark of $5 billion overall. 

View of the Centennial Yards tower projects in August from the east, across the Gulch. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

“We’re committed to enhancing and supporting the communities in which we invest,” Brian McGowan, Centennial Yards Company president, said in a statement. “By building upon the rich history of Atlanta as a pivotal rail hub, Centennial Yards will not only honor the past but also create a vibrant future.

D.A. Davidson’s announcement also provides some updated clarity on Centennial Yards’ ambitious scope.

Current plans call for more than 2,600 residential units to be built, with 20 percent of those reserved as affordable housing. (The project’s first ground-up new residential tower, the 304-unit The Mitchell, topped out last month). Elsewhere will be almost 3,000 hotel rooms in projects ranging from boutique to full-service, alongside more than 900,000 square feet of entertainment and retail space, according to the financing update.

Just east of the first apartment tower, Centennial Yards has also broken ground on an 8-acre, mixed-use entertainment hub anchored by a Cosm entertainment dome with a fan plaza at the center. Those buildings are scheduled to be finished in time for eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches set to be played in Atlanta, beginning in June that year.

In terms of new infrastructure, Centennial Yards’ designs call for creating a dozen city blocks downtown, with a police mini precinct, a new fire station, and public greenspaces tucked among them.

Project leaders say they're aiming for 38 percent participation from minority and female enterprises and small businesses as a means of providing inclusivity and economic opportunity.

Expected look of activated patios at The Mitchell building, with Mercedes-Benz Stadium across the street. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

How the entertainment district is expected to meet Centennial Olympic Park Drive, near State Farm Arena. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

All told, Centennial Yards’ buildout is forecasted to add more than 5.7 million square feet of residential, retail, and commercial spaces downtown. Plans call for completing the project by 2030, according to D.A. Davidson’s announcement.

Founded in 1935, employee-owned D.A. Davidson Companies is headquartered in Great Falls, Montana, with regional headquarters in Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Omaha, and Seattle. It counts roughly 1,475 employees and offices in 28 states, per company officials.

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Expected look of activated patios at The Mitchell building, with Mercedes-Benz Stadium across the street. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

As viewed from the north last month, the 19-story Mitchell apartment tower now overlooks Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Construction progress on base levels of the 18-story Anthem hotel project, situated just north of the apartment tower. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

View of the Centennial Yards tower projects in August from the east, across the Gulch. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

How the next Centennial Yards phase is expected to meet Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (left), with active rail lines separating it from the Anthem hotel tower (back left) and The Benz. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

Planned look of a plaza area at Centennial Yards' entertainment district. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

How the entertainment district is expected to meet Centennial Olympic Park Drive, near State Farm Arena. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

Courtesy of Centennial Yards Company

Main entry point to the entertainment district along Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

Courtesy of Centennial Yards Company

Courtesy of Centennial Yards Company

Plans for the Cosm venue's exterior, at left. Courtesy of Centennial Yards; images by Apex Visualization

Subtitle Financial firm calls project one of largest public-private partnerships in U.S., with 2030 goal to finish

Neighborhood Downtown

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Photos: Latest Beltline retailer opens at revised shopping center Josh Green Mon, 09/23/2024 - 08:27 Nearly two years after renovations wrapped, a reconfigured shopping center that aims to bridge the “gap between Midtown’s energy and the recreational haven offered by the Beltline” has a new cornerstone retailer in place with trail frontage.

Beltline officials and company leaders recently cut the ribbon on a unique flagship location of The Athlete’s Foot at Midtown Promenade, a 931 Monroe Drive shopping center just south of Piedmont Park along the Beltline’s Eastside Trail.

The two-story store includes an entry off the Beltline, space for the sneaker retailer’s corporate functions, and a community center on the main floor for hosting local sports-based initiatives, alongside custom murals reflecting Atlanta sites and culture.

It’s another shopping option at an Eastside Trail pitstop with a fresh roster of services and food-and-beverage offerings.

Proximity of the Beltline's Eastside Trail (left) to Midtown Promenade's new flagship The Athlete's Foot. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Beginning in 2021, Krog District owners Asana Partners and SRS Real Estate Partners remade Midtown Promenade into a more accessible, modernized 111,000-square-foot retail hub with access to the Beltline’s most patronized section.

Previously, the shopping center faced away from the Beltline, and several facades still do, but behind them now are a plaza, stairs, a ramp, and landscaping. A breezeway through the property, dotted with storefronts, was carved from former retail space.

Other food and retail offerings at the revised Midtown Promenade include Amalfi Coast-inspired seafood restaurant Alici, Colorado-based breakfast and brunch restaurant Snooze, sister Mexican concepts Yumbii and The Queso Shop (with Beltline patio spaces), Intown Animal Hospital, and Restore Hyper Wellness, among several others.

Midtown Promenade remains anchored by Trader Joe’s and Landmark Theatres’Midtown Art Cinema. Longtime attractions Richards Variety Store and F.R.O.G.S. Cantina, along with home décor retailer Tuesday Morning and Ah-Ma’s Taiwanese Kitchen, previously departed the shopping center to make way for changes.

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Patio seating and new entry points at Midtown Promenade. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

In another Beltline-altering endeavor two miles south on the Eastside Trail, Asana is behind the multifaceted expansion of Krog Street Market and Atlanta Stove Works into the broader Krog District. Nearby, the company also remade one of Coca-Cola’s first bottling plants into a hub of creative offices in Old Fourth Ward.

The developer is also a partner in the new 1050 Brickworks spec office building that’s continued West Midtown’s vertical growth this year.

Find a closer look at Midtown’s newest Beltline attraction in the gallery above.

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Proximity of the Beltline's Eastside Trail (left) to Midtown Promenade's new flagship The Athlete's Foot. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

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Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Courtesy of The Athlete's Foot

Patio seating and new entry points at Midtown Promenade. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Trail-fronting, flagship Athlete's Foot is cornerstone of reconfigured Midtown Promenade

Neighborhood Midtown

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Images: Midtown's Rambler project officially reaches max height Josh Green Fri, 09/20/2024 - 15:11 Just a year after site work began, another stack of amenitized student housing has topped out in Midtown, this time standing over Atlanta’s signature street.

Officials with Texas developer LV Collective confirm to Urbanize Atlanta that vertical construction has finished at Rambler Atlanta, a project that began late last summer and was just a few stories out of the ground as recently as April.

The 736 Peachtree St. development, which modified its height twice before breaking ground, stands 19 stories on a former parking lot, two blocks north of the landmark Fox Theatre.

Rambler Atlanta will count 214 apartments and 2,977 square feet of retail space, according to building permit records. The Rambler name echoes another LV Collective project, Rambler ATX, in the developer’s home city of Austin.

Vertical construction progress at the Rambler project last week in Midtown. Contributed

Plans for the retail arrangement fronting Peachtree Street. LV Collective/Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Midtown Alliance

Rambler's 1-acre property had long been used as surface parking bounded by Peachtree Street, 4th Street, and to the west, Cypress Street. Under construction now are student apartments offering 798 bedrooms total, with amenities on the top floor. The location, as developers have noted, is less than a quarter-mile from Georgia Tech buildings at Tech Square.

Renderings indicate a café with outdoor dining will be recessed into the building, facing Peachtree Street, with exposed pillars and garden-like components, as opposed to glass storefronts. These facets are now clearly visible near the street.

The building’s resident lobby and leasing office will also be placed near Peachtree, at the corner of 4th Street, according to site plans.

Building amenities will include coworking spaces, bike lockers, and a pet spa on lower levels, with a pool deck, fitness center, and outdoor terrace positioned on or near the roof, according to architects. Elsewhere, plans call for screening a 134-space, three-level parking garage with a perforated masonry wall, a means to help hide the deck.

Meanwhile, the western face along Cypress Street will see no active uses, instead housing loading and service areas at what will essentially be the tower’s backside.

The 736 Peachtree St. development viewed recently from the south (left) and west along Cypress Street. Contributed

Revised facade of the 736 Peachtree St. property. LV Collective; designs, Niles Bolton Associates

When initially presented to the Midtown Development Review Committee in 2022, LV Collective’s plans for the Peachtree site called for a building standing much taller: 37 stories with 480 apartments. That was later reduced to 29 stories and 374 units. Then in summer 2023, the height and unit count were scaled back again to the current size, though development officials haven’t provided answers as to why.

The Rambler building is expected to deliver in 2025, according to LV Collective. Niles Bolton Associates architects, Archie Bolden, and Michael Hsu Architecture are all listed as partners on the project.

The project joins three other student towers that delivered in Midtown in 2023 alone, with more in the pipeline. Those include another LV Collective venture, Whistler, the final building in SCAD Atlanta’s recent growth spurt, and Hub Atlanta.

Swing up to the gallery for more project images and context.

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Vertical construction progress at the Rambler project last week in Midtown. Contributed

The 736 Peachtree St. development viewed recently from the south (left) and west along Cypress Street. Contributed

Perspectives on the 736 Peachtree site's former condition. LV Collective/Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Midtown Alliance

Current plans for Rambler Atlanta's Peachtree facade. LV Collective/Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Midtown Alliance

How the project will meet Cypress Street, a block west of Peachtree. LV Collective/Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Midtown Alliance

LV Collective/Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Midtown Alliance

LV Collective/Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Midtown Alliance

Plans for the retail arrangement fronting Peachtree Street. LV Collective/Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Midtown Alliance

Original, taller plans for how the LV Collective 37-story proposal would have met Peachtree Street, at left. LV Collective; designs, Niles Bolton Associates

How the original designs would have looked facing south toward downtown (left) and west, to Cypress Street. LV Collective/City of Atlanta Office of Buildings; designs, Niles Bolton Associates

Subtitle Well that was quick...

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Pricey Gold Dome expansion project roars ahead downtown Josh Green Fri, 09/20/2024 - 14:03 Scaffolding and major demolition work around Georgia’s famed Gold Dome signal the beginnings of a large-scale expansion project that state lawmakers have called long overdue downtown.

The cost of the Georgia Capitol redo and a new legislative building will be $392 million, as paid for with the $36 billion in state revenue lawmakers approved for this fiscal year.

State lawmakers have said they’re bursting at the seams of Georgia’s historic 1889 Capitol and an adjacent office building, necessitating the Gold Dome overhaul and expansion that will see a rare new office building erected from the ground up downtown.

The budget will also cover safety and security upgrades at the Capitol Hill complex, in addition to $83 million channeled toward preserving the historical integrity of the Gold Dome.

A fresh, thin layer of actual gold is being applied to the Capitol dome as part of updates.

 

Just north of the Capitol, across Martin Luther King Jr. Drive toward the high-rise heart of downtown, an eight-story legislative office building is planned to replace two partially vacant, state-owned buildings.

Demolition work to bring down those structures recently kicked off, as is visible along Piedmont Avenue.

Demolition progress this week at a state-owned building where Georgia Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children was housed. Contributed

The site in relation to the Gold Dome (background), looking south. Contributed

That 260,000-square-foot office project would also include a new parking garage with 500 spaces, all linked via a skybridge to the Gold Dome, as lawmakers revealed in February.

The new structure will replace a dated, 1980s office building just south of the Capitol that houses most legislative offices and committee rooms today but is in need of upgrades such as new mechanical and heating systems and lacks sufficient meeting rooms.  

Project leaders have said new construction around the Capitol should be finished by the end of 2026.

The downtown block Georgia lawmakers have targeted for a new office building. Google Maps

Another aspect of the work will be the restoration of a grand Capitol library that’s been obscured and sectioned into offices under the Gold Dome. Other offices built into the building’s original mezzanines will be purged, opening those formerly grand spaces back up, too, as the Associated Press previously reported.

An earlier, $208 million proposal to renovate the Coverdell Legislative Office Building on the south side of the Capitol as an overcrowding solution would have created less space—leaving fewer dollars for Gold Dome upgrades—and required that lawmakers work from portable trailers for two years, officials have said.

The 1880s building's frontage on Capitol Avenue. Shutterstock

In other recent demolition news from the area, Georgia state government in June demolished the original World of Coca-Cola (vacant since 2007) to make way for a new surface parking lot next to another state-owned building, the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot events space.

That will replace some parking being lost to staging areas for construction crews during the Gold Dome expansion. 

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Demolition progress this week at a state-owned building where Georgia Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children was housed. Contributed

Demolition work along Piedmont Avenue downtown, just north of Georgia’s historic 1889 Capitol. Contributed

The site in relation to the Gold Dome (background), looking south. Contributed

The downtown block Georgia lawmakers have targeted for a new office building. Google Maps

An eight-story office building would rise at right along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive should lawmakers' plans come to fruition. Google Maps

The 1880s building's frontage on Capitol Avenue. Shutterstock

Subtitle Demolition, fresh gold application underway along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Piedmont Avenue

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New details, glimpses emerge for Underground Atlanta sky-rise Josh Green Fri, 09/20/2024 - 08:10 It’s been a seismic week for urban-planning news around Atlanta, especially in downtown, and chief among those happenings is confirmation that hundreds of new residences are bound for Underground Atlanta in the district’s first large-scale, ground-up development in decades.

Following an Invest Atlanta vote Thursday that project leaders call crucial, the development team behind the 30-story proposal at Underground shed more light on where the tower stands today—and how it will look and function, should timelines go according to plan, sometime in 2027.

The 405-unit project is a joint venture between Underground owner Lalani Ventures and Exact Capital, a New York City-based real estate firm whose other work in Atlanta includes the nearly finished Skyline apartment building near the Beltline’s Southside Trail.

The tower’s 76 Wall St. site—bordered by Peachtree Street to the west, Wall Street to the north, Pryor Street to the east, and Upper Alabama Street to the south—is at a section of Underground called fountain plaza, across the street from two parking decks. The site is also steps from MARTA’s Five Points station, Atlanta’s largest and busiest transit hub, but contrary to ATL urbanist wishes, the tower won’t be totally bereft of new parking.

Closer look at the 76 Wall St. proposal's base floors. (We've asked for clarification on which cross-streets these are and will relay any details that come.)Designs, Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Underground Atlanta.

According to Jacob Vallo, Lalani Ventures’ chief investment officer and a former MARTA executive, the Underground tower’s plans call for a “well below market parking-to-unit ratio” that will bank on “phenomenal transit access and the walkability of downtown,” according to an announcement issued by Underground officials.

The mixed-income tower, for now, is still considered to be in planning phases led by Lalani Ventures and Exact Capital. Atlanta-based architects Niles Bolton Associates are handling design, engineering, and permitting. The firm’s recent work in Atlanta includes the posh student-housing tower Whistler near Georgia Tech and a mixed-use, Novel-branded proposal in Blandtown.

Underground owner Shaneel Lalani, Lalani Ventures CEO, and Craig Livingston and Michael Callaghan of Exact Capital have estimated the tower will cost $160 million to develop.

Invest Atlanta’s board this week approved an inducement for a $40 million tax exempt bond issuance that project leaders say will help the project pencil out with below-market apartments baked in. (That’s more than Lalani paid for the entire Underground property in 2020.) Before the project closes on its construction loan, which is predicted to happen sometime next year, the same board will have another opportunity to vet the project before giving a final resolution, according to Underground reps.

Planned location of the 30-story Underground Atlanta residential tower, next to main plazas and fountains. Google Maps

Plans call for 163 of the 405 apartments to be reserved as affordable housing for renters earning 60 percent or less of the area median income. All apartments will be housed in the same tower structure, sharing the same amenities.

Lalani Ventures and Exact Capital’s timeline calls for breaking ground on the building by the end of next year, which means construction should be well underway by the time FIFA World Cup crowds flock into Atlanta in summer 2026.

Nearby, Lalani is also planning to convert two-thirds of the One Park Tower he owns at 34 Peachtree St. into housing.  

Nearly four years after Lalani scooped up the historic, 400,000-square-foot complex spanning 12 downtown acres for $31.6 million, he says an arts and retail-focused “renaissance” is afoot.

As seen in July, the 76 Wall St. building where the residential tower is planned at Underground Atlanta's northern edge. Google Maps

Underground’s growing tenant rosters includes newer additions such at Atlanta Comedy Theatre, Insomnia Night Club, Utopia Restaurant Bar & Lounge, speakeasy and theater Pigalle by Paris on Ponce, and The Frisky Whisker ATL, described as an “eclectic sound gallery and listening lounge and cafe, featuring dozens of friendly cats.”

Seven art galleries are operating at Lower Underground, with two more at Upper Underground, and The Masquerade music and events venue is on pace to host 700 shows this year. Beloved Atlanta nightclub MJQ Concourse is also completing renovations now on the former Dante’s Down the Hatch space, according to Lalani.

“This [apartment tower] is part of our overall vision to create Atlanta’s top arts and entertainment community,” Lalani said in a statement. “Having residents live right here will create more vibrancy for this beloved property with historic roots, which in turn will have a great impact on downtown.”

Designs, Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Underground Atlanta.

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Closer look at the 76 Wall St. proposal's base floors. (We've asked for clarification on which cross-streets these are and will relay any details that come.)Designs, Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Underground Atlanta.

Planned location of the 30-story Underground Atlanta residential tower, next to main plazas and fountains. Google Maps

As seen in July, the 76 Wall St. building where the residential tower is planned at Underground Atlanta's northern edge. Google Maps

Invest Atlanta

Designs, Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Underground Atlanta.

Subtitle Now with Invest Atlanta blessing, $160M proposal calls for more than 400 residences, minimal parking

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Spotted: Clue for potential new Atlanta Amtrak station site? Josh Green Thu, 09/19/2024 - 15:53 Specific plans remain hush-hush, but Amtrak’s pick for a new multi-modal hub site in Atlanta ranks among the most compelling topics for urbanists around the city.

Could a clue have emerged this week from, of all places, a corporate retreat?

A masterplan presentation at Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s board retreat this week indicates the state agency is at least considering the mobility impacts of a potential Amtrak hub being located near its massive, 220-acre downtown campus, where multiple phases of mixed-use redevelopment are being considered. The board went into executive session to protect discussions related to the presentation, according to a Wednesday agenda.

One GWCCA objective is to “leverage transportation improvements like the Amtrak multi-modal hub and the Beltline to enhance connectivity and attract future developments,” notes the masterplan document. “This supports the vision of making the area more accessible and pedestrian-friendly.”

A well-connected downtown source separately tells Urbanize Atlanta that Amtrak and GWCC have been in discussions, but that’s unconfirmed.

A GWCCA spokesperson wrote via email today that Amtrak was “not discussed at all” during the Wednesday retreat. “Beyond that,” the spokesperson tells Urbanize, “we can’t comment on anything discussed during executive session.”

What’s certain is that both Amtrak and GWCCA have entered ambitious expansion modes.

Overview of the GWCCA campus, looking toward Midtown. Shutterstock

Amtrak’s general and legislative annual report for fiscal year 2025 includes a request for nearly $30 million in federal funding to secure a development site for a new intercity rail hub in Atlanta—and to start the process of building it. In an email to Urbanize in July, officials with America’s National Railroad Passenger Corporation praised Atlanta’s potential as a strategic hub location, but they didn’t divulging where it could be built.  

Amtrak has pinpointed intown Atlanta for a new station that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and, eventually, reestablish the city as the important rail hub it historically was, as part of Amtrak’s national growth spurt and hiring spree. According to Amtrak’s report, some of the Atlanta land in question is “at imminent risk of development,” but the location is referred to only vaguely as being downtown. Whether “downtown” actually means downtown Atlanta, or is a general reference to more urban parts of the city, isn't yet clear.

“We are excited to work with local, state, federal, and railroad partners to help secure a site for an improved and expanded Amtrak station in Atlanta,” reads a July statement provided by Amtrak.

Meanwhile, in May, nascent plans came to light for a potential $1.1 to $1.3-billion mixed-use growth phase around the GWCC.

Designs compiled by Atlanta-based architecture firm HKS marked the GWCCA’s first masterplan since 2008, prior to a major convention center expansion, the construction of its Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and other updates to campus. In general, the new development strategy calls for hotel rooms, housing, offices, and retail space—some of it directly linked to a multi-use Atlanta BeltLine connection trail, the Westside Beltline Connector—on what’s underused land today. The result could be a more robust convention business and more developed blocks around Atlanta’s Westside, especially in Vine City, per designers.

More recently, GWCCA officials selected a development team to transform the 11-acre Home Depot Backyard (the Georgia Dome’s former site) into a new entertainment district spanning up to 250,000 square feet. That team includes Atlanta development firm Fuqua Development, local investment and development company Pope and Land Real Estate, and Minneapolis-headquartered architects Nelson Worldwide—the same partnership that created The Battery Atlanta. Exactly what the project might entail, what it might cost, and when it could break ground hasn’t been detailed.  

The two main development sites in question (at top). Property adjacent to MARTA’s GWCC/CNN Center station is also being considered. GWCCA

As revealed on these pages in June, Amtrak’s $29.9 million grant request for “Atlanta Hub” would support property acquisition to preserve future railroad right-of-way and "ensure that the Hub station site can be connected with existing main line track,” per the Amtrak report. The funding would also help cover early phase prerequisites such as engineering and work to have the project cleared under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.

But that funding would only be a start.

Amtrak estimates the new Atlanta facility would cost roughly $700 million once needed infrastructure investments are factored in. That includes new trackage to separate passenger service from freight operations.

The Atlanta City Council passed a resolution in 2022 urging Amtrak to consider downtown as a viable location for a rail hub; at the time, the $5-billion Centennial Yards megaproject was considered the leading alternative, with the Armour Yards district near Lindbergh also being mentioned. In April, Armour Yards was revealed as one of four locations where Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens wants to see BeltLine-connected MARTA infill stations built in coming years, though how those would be funded remains a question mark. Centennial Yards, meanwhile, is teeming with construction for the initial phases of a massive mixed-use district.

The request for Atlanta funding came as part of $4 billion in Amtrak grant requests for base needs and modernization of its system as passenger numbers are on the uptick. Amtrak leadership has said the company is on pace to grow its ridership to 66 million annual passengers—more than doubling peak ridership in pre-pandemic 2019—by 2040.

In fiscal year 2025, Amtrak expects ridership to reach nearly 35 million.  

Amtrak's goals for rail service expansion around the Southeast, with Atlanta as the hub. Light blue represents new rail lines; yellow, enhanced services; and dark blue is Amtrak's existing national network. Amtrak

Atlanta’s current Amtrak station was built in 1918 in what was then a suburban setting, designed for a small number of passengers. Other drawbacks include no parking, no connections to local transit, an undersized waiting room, and poor access from the station building to its single platform below, which is a particular challenge for disabled passengers, the Amtrak report notes.

Amtrak has signaled interest in recent years to reestablish Atlanta as a predominant railroad hub, with routes fingering out to Charlotte, Nashville, Macon, Montgomery, Birmingham, Savannah, and other cities.

Today, just one Amtrak line serves Atlanta—the New York City-to-New Orleans Crescent.

Amtrak’s report states the modernized new station would boost the customer experience on the Crescent route and link Atlanta with new intercity passenger trains to cities small and large—Chattanooga, Greenville, SC, Memphis, and Meridian, MS are all named—in addition to the airport. The grant request isn’t tied to any proposals already moving through the FRA’s Corridor Identification and Development program process, but it’s compatible with that effort, per Amtrak.

Amtrak's 15-year planAmtrak

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Amtrak's goals for rail service expansion around the Southeast, with Atlanta as the hub. Light blue represents new rail lines; yellow, enhanced services; and dark blue is Amtrak's existing national network. Amtrak

Amtrak's 15-year planAmtrak

Overview of the GWCCA campus, looking toward Midtown. Shutterstock

The two main development sites in question (at top). Property adjacent to MARTA’s GWCC/CNN Center station is also being considered. GWCCA

Subtitle Mention of "Amtrak multi-modal hub" appears on recent downtown-focused agenda

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Massive bridge structure installed on Buckhead's answer to Beltline Josh Green Thu, 09/19/2024 - 13:33 A key component of PATH400 that could stand as a highlight for multi-use trail enthusiasts across metro Atlanta has nearly finished its complex, yearlong installation.

C.W. Matthews Contracting Company is putting the finishing touches on the Mountain Way Common bridge, a trail structure that soars nearly 60 feet high between Ga. Highway 400 and towering trees.

The bridge is further proof the expansion of the existing, 12-foot-wide PATH400 trail north to Loridans Drive is coming together. Only the gap between Loridans Drive up to Atlanta city limits at Sandy Springs remains to be built; beyond that, Sandy Springs has approved a $20.1 million construction contract to extend the pathway past Interstate 285 into Central Perimeter.   

Handrails to complete the Mountain Way Common bridge are being fabricated offsite and should be installed with two weeks, allowing construction crews to focus on the Loridans Drive section of the trail to the north, according to an update from Denise Starling, Livable Buckhead executive director.  

The Mountain Way Common bridge structure awaiting concrete recently—from 60 feet above the ground. Livable Buckhead/PATH400

Fresh concrete installed atop the elevated PATH400 bridge. Livable Buckhead/PATH400

The height and scope of the PATH400 project echoes another bridge that’s being installed as part of the Atlanta Beltline’s Southside Trail construction over Ormewood Avenue, though the latter bridge stands about 20 feet shorter.

Both are proof the infamous “glorified sidewalk” description for Atlanta multi-use pathways remains woefully off-base.

Livable Buckhead is hosting a PATH400 construction tour near the new bridge at 10 a.m. Saturday, but registration spots are extremely limited as of this writing. (The agency is also hosting an online trivia game that asks how many pounds the Mountain Way Common bridge’s concrete actually weighs, with the closest guess garnering the winner a free GoBuckheadATL card.)

Construction progress on the next northward leg of PATH400 near Mountain Way Common (left) and looking south into central Buckhead (right). Livable Buckhead/PATH400

Plans are also moving forward to install a large, bold, artistic gateway to the trail at a key entry point: the top section of Miami Circle off Piedmont Road, home to the Southeast’s largest collection of art galleries and attractions such as Eclipse di Luna restaurant. As is, PATH400 links to a parking lot next to Eclipse di Luna by way of a banal ramp.

Meanwhile, at the southernmost end of PATH400, a junction of trails is planned to help create a true regional network. Atlanta Beltline Inc. received a $25 million federal grant in summer 2023—the largest in project history—to help build those connections between the Beltline’s Northeast Trail, PATH400, and two other trail networks in the Lindbergh area, the Peachtree Creek Greenway, and Southfork Conservancy trails. Planning work continues in that area.

Schedules call for PATH400’s full, 5.2-mile greenway to be finished on public land adjacent to Ga. Highway 400 sometime in 2025. Partnering with Livable Buckhead on the project are the PATH Foundation and Buckhead Community Improvement District.

How PATH400 is expected to fit into a growing regional network of trails. The first dotted sections north of existing trails are under construction now. Livable Buckhead/PATH400; PATH Foundation

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Fresh concrete installed atop the elevated PATH400 bridge. Livable Buckhead/PATH400

The Mountain Way Common bridge structure awaiting concrete recently—from 60 feet above the ground. Livable Buckhead/PATH400

Construction progress on the next northward leg of PATH400 near Mountain Way Common (left) and looking south into central Buckhead (right). Livable Buckhead/PATH400

Subtitle Mountain Way Common bridge is key, complex feature of PATH400 greenway

Neighborhood Buckhead

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