[(four 0 four)]

There is a lot of info (as well as some great pics) out there, but it's spread out over several threads. This post is an effort to coordinate that info. Post your updates NOW!



http://www.atlanticstation.com/infocenter/default.asp (http://http://www.atlanticstation.com/infocenter/default.asp)

http://www.atlanticstation.com/RELAUNCH/LIVE/live.htm


These were taken in The Commons area about 1 week ago.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation11.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation12.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation9.jpg
Who decided that this design will be what almost every new apartment community intown will look like?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation13.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation2.jpg

The District. Mostly commercial/retail with some horrendous townhouses
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation5.jpg

[Buck]

Nice pictures.

It is sad that all the new apartment projects seem to have the same design. :(

[ThrashATL]

Some BUTT UGLY condos there in the first part of the pictorial.... a FARRRRRRRRR cry from the lavish brick condos they would always show in the pre-build illustrations. Atlantic Station IMO has already failed as an urban project. This would look more at home at Ashford-Dunwoody & 285.

What a pathetic result after such a long and laborous build up.

[Chris Creech]

Yeah, that developer (who also did Cityscape - YIKES) has delivered some major disappointments. What's with all the fake stucco styrofoam? Is the idea to make surburbanites feel welcome by letting them live in the same crap they could live in out in the burbs. It feels like a Cobb county apartment complex, not an urban city development.

I for one am getting really tired of all the "fake" design where they just tack on odd roof shapes and just scramble up the fascade with some brick stuck here, some color there, with no real sense of design.

[Terminus]

Yeah, that developer (who also did Cityscape - YIKES) has delivered some major disappointments. What's with all the fake stucco styrofoam? Is the idea to make surburbanites feel welcome by letting them live in the same crap they could live in out in the burbs. It feels like a Cobb county apartment complex, not an urban city development.

I for one am getting really tired of all the "fake" design where they just tack on odd roof shapes and just scramble up the fascade with some brick stuck here, some color there, with no real sense of design.

Well, as a resident, you should pressure your council person to outlway EIFS (fake stucco) in the City. Of course, do recognize that this will virtually kill any affordable multi-family housing in the city.

[ThrashATL]

Turn the whole project into public housing. In a few years, that's what it'll look like anyway.

[Chris Creech]

Well, as a resident, you should pressure your council person to outlway EIFS (fake stucco) in the City. Of course, do recognize that this will virtually kill any affordable multi-family housing in the city.

I understand that it's cheaper in the short run, but the life expectancy is much shorter and it just doesn't hold up. I just have this horrible feeling that in 10-20 years everybody's going to be looking at this nasty crumbling EIFS construction and saying things like "god, how dated! that is soooo turn of the century. What were they thinking???"

These people could be facing some serious condo assessments down the road to maintain and refurbish this stuff.

I'd much rather see quality construction up front, and builders building housing that will be there for generations or even centuries, not the throw away stuff -- even if it's more expensive. The housing will become "affordable" as the building ages and newer "hotter" buildings become available. Then you still come out on top in the long run with lower maintenance costs and a building that maintains it's looks and desirability.

Unfortunately, there's just very little old high-rise housing stock in Atlanta, the number of older condo conversions from buildings in the 60s-90s, you can count on one hand. (Like the Peachtree, the Landmark, Peachtree North, etc.).

But give it 15-20 years many of the towers we are so excited about today, Metropolis, Museum Tower, Spire, will become relatively affordable "b" and "c" stock. Outshined by towers we haven't even imagined yet in neighborhoods that have yet to have their moment in the sun.

I imagine that Atlanta will finally be a mature urban housing market when one day there's a couple having a conversation like this (circa 2050):

"Well hon we've looked at all those new highrises in downtown around the multi-modal station but you don't even get a view unless you at least above the 40th floor, that big new Marietta Plaza IV in West Midtown is nice, and so are the ones overlookin the new park they built over the connector, especially that tall retro deco tower they built over the Varsity, but they're just so darn expensive."

"Yeah, true, but we just have to look at more affordable housing. Maybe we should look over in the old Midtown Peachtree Corridor, that area has all those older towers. I understand they just saved Metropolis from demolition and named it a historic building. Those older buildings don't have all the new stuff and they're kinda dated now, very turn-of-the-millenium and all. Peachtree Center is kinda quaint now being a historic district. I kinda like the period stuff that John Portman's new clone is building over there."

(Also just a prediction - but in 25 years at least half the existing housing at Atlantic Station will be gone/redeveloped through market forces.)

[p-snack]

proof of ATL's continuing lack of vision or I should say shared vision. I saw it coming from the missed opportunity bridge to the boring tower- I'm not suprised. I use to really believe in ATL- I even bought a house here 2 years ago- but it seems like 1 disappointment after another

[Terminus]

I understand that it's cheaper in the short run, but the life expectancy is much shorter and it just doesn't hold up.

I agree, but most people don't look at the long term value of ANYTHING when they buy it because we are such a throw-away society. I bought where I did (123 Luckie) and paid about 50% more than I would have for the same square footage in another building (and was literally spending 60% of my income on housing for a time there - another reason NOT to own a car) because I wanted someplace that would last.

[Teshadoh]

Perhaps that's why I bought a century old home in Grant Park - built for the ages. Because even if wanted to tear it down the Grant Park neighborhood association would be on my ass if I even mention the word 'remodel'.

[AubieTurtle]

I have a friend in the 'burbs who will only buy new houses. An used house, even if it is only a couple of years old, is somehow "icky".

What a strange culture we've become...

[dirtybird]

I have a friend in the 'burbs who will only buy new houses. An used house, even if it is only a couple of years old, is somehow "icky".

That sounds exactly like a friend of mine. My theory is people like that are part of the previously mentioned "throw-away society". They don't do the upkeep needed in maintaining a home; to them, it's a waste of money. They don't mind spending money on the dishwasher that breaks, but they won't spend money to replace carpet that looks worn. To them, they'd rather put the thousands of dollars needed to the down payment on a new house.

[jcathens]

does anybody know when twelve is getting started?

[R2D2]

Atlantic Station looks great. The apartments and homes look nice. This is going to be an Atlanta asset for many years to come.

[jason21atl]

Ok, this afternoon I was taking a walk through Atlantic Station just to see how things were coming along. Construction is certainly well underway for some elements of The District. When, though, will they begin construction of the office building elements on either side of 17th street? If would be an awful eyesore if the retail portion were to open up and there are these huge caverns looking down into the parking deck all the way down 17th street until you get to the park/lake. Will they wait until they have tennants before they start construction or go ahead and build first? Anyone have a clue?

[niff]

Well, Twelve should fill up one of the holes, but that still leaves at least two or three more open. I've often wondered this myself, but as I understand it, those towers won't be up before the retail portion is open. I think the openings will be covered with a temporary stucture [canvas/plastic roof perhaps?], but it will make for an interesting logistical job to move in materials and heavy equipment into such a small area when the towers do go up.

[Terminus]

but it will make for an interesting logistical job to move in materials and heavy equipment into such a small area when the towers do go up.

Just like in a REAL city.

[niff]

lol, True.

[jason21atl]

I was driving down 17th st today into Midtown and saw that they erected another crane in the district. I think that makes it 4 cranes now.....looks like things are really hopping now. Does anyone know when they are going to begin construction on the Dillards? Isnt that what is going to fill the big open space immediately north of 171 17th street tower?

Also, whatever happened with Jacoby Development's talks with the city about the faux smokestack sign that they wanted to erect? Did the city stop that or are they going to allow an exception to the sign ordinance? If not, is there anything that they can put up to identify the area/development in it's place?

[StreetCandy]

There's a block of some really cool designed rowhouse condos on the left side of Moreland Av. heading south between Freedom Pkwy and L5P, with each unit appearing to have a uniquely designed Victorian facade. Prices seemed kinda high though, starting around $350.... Anyone know anything about the developer? They sure beat the hell out of anything I've seen at Atlantic Station.

[Terminus]

There's a block of some really cool designed rowhouse condos on the left side of Moreland Av. heading south between Freedom Pkwy and L5P, with each unit appearing to have a uniquely designed Victorian facade. Prices seemed kinda high though, starting around $350.... Anyone know anything about the developer? They sure beat the hell out of anything I've seen at Atlantic Station.

That has NOTHING to do with the developer - it was a zoning requirements of the Candler Park SPI and their status as a historic district. If the regulations at Atlantic Station had been put in place, people would have done it right.

[martarider]

That has NOTHING to do with the developer - it was a zoning requirements of the Candler Park SPI and their status as a historic district. If the regulations at Atlantic Station had been put in place, people would have done it right.

Yep, the right zoning will make all the difference. One of the lessons from Atlantic Station is that even when a developer repeatedly promises to do everything right, we still need good zoning as a safeguard.

The next major redevelopment area seems to be the west side / Marietta Blvd corridor. Perhaps we should put some kind of SPI-style zoning in place there NOW so that this type of thing doesn't keep happening.

[Terminus]

That has NOTHING to do with the developer - it was a zoning requirements of the Candler Park SPI and their status as a historic district. If the regulations at Atlantic Station had been put in place, people would have done it right.

Yep, the right zoning will make all the difference. One of the lessons from Atlantic Station is that even when a developer repeatedly promises to do everything right, we still need good zoning as a safeguard.

The next major redevelopment area seems to be the west side / Marietta Blvd corridor. Perhaps we should put some kind of SPI-style zoning in place there NOW so that this type of thing doesn't keep happening.

An SPI isn't necessary. I'd just rezone it all LW, MRC-2 or MRC-3. There's no reasons to re-create the cart.

[Buck]

About that smokestack? Any word?

[KevinAtl]

http://www.buildings.com/Articles/detailBuildings.asp?ArticleID=2010

[(four 0 four)]

There are now 6-7 cranes up and the retail is progressing quickly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation17.jpg

Twelve!!! Sign NOW before it's too late!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/twelve.jpg

[niff]

Ah, beat me to it ;)

http://www.members.cox.net/niff/as1.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/niff/as2.jpg
http://www.members.cox.net/niff/as3.jpg

[DonTallPaul]

Nice pics guys!

[Stratosphere 2020]

Love cranes, they give the sign of a boom.

[jddar]

I took a drive by Atlantic Station today and there is quite a bit of progress -- much more than I expected. The buildings going up now are much more substantially built using reinforced concrete instead of the straw and sticks used on the previous apartments and condos.

[GNofAtlanta]

Atlantic Steel site shows promise, but burst of daring needed

By CATHERINE FOX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/09/04


Seven years into this 17-year project, Atlantic Station looks like the early stages of a Monopoly game.

A house or two on Baltic Avenue, another on Marvin Gardens. A high-rise on St. James Place. This future live-work-play community is still a raggedy topography of gaps, abrupt scale changes and empty pits. Unless you look at the large model in Atlantic Station's Midtown offices, it is hard to imagine what the 138-acre site will look like when it is fully built.

Yet, it's not too soon to form impressions, and these are mine. From an urban design and land-use perspective, Atlantic Station has made great progress. From an aesthetic viewpoint, the picture unfortunately is more mixed.

A development nightmare, the property was a brownfield — toxic industrial waste from the steel mill originally on the site had seeped into the land and made it uninhabitable. Thanks to Atlantic Station's developers — and a process that included removing 150,000 tons of contaminated soil — land in the middle of town that was once environmentally unsound is beginning to fill up with homes and businesses.

The project is also helping to knit Midtown back together. Atlanta owes the 17th Street Bridge over the connector to Atlanta Station. Now the 17th Street corridor links Peachtree Street to Northside Drive. In addition, north-south streets flow into Home Park, the neighborhood to the south.

The master plan is in itself an achievement. The first version that developers unveiled looked like an office park, with acres of parking and isolated buildings. The final plan is much more pedestrian-sensitive and more sophisticated in its handling of uses and densities.

To get this far took gumption. Atlanta's pollution woes were holding back new city projects. In a sagging post-9/11 economy, sub-developers dropped out, and retail interest was sketchy. Plus, the start-up expenses were daunting.

"Any time you're building a project of that scale, a lot of money must be spent before any comes in," says Georgia Tech professor Mike Dobbins, who was Atlanta's planning commissioner when the project was born.

Developer Jim Jacoby and his joint venture partner AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., an affiliate of the AIG insurance giant, had to invest $250 million in improvements, including infrastructure and underground parking, in addition to $20 million worth of environmental remediation, to make the toxic land suitable for building — the largest such effort in Georgia. Their success with an untraditional project in a down economy is impressive.

Unfortunately, the buildings completed so far are not.

Falling short

As Atlantic Station's most prominent building and the first addition to the westside skyline, 171 17th Street, the SouthTrust Bank office tower next to the freeway, should have made a bold statement. We got fizzle instead of sizzle. The 21-story building, designed by Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, is ordinary, if not ungainly. The design combines three different facades — highly textured granite, a nicely detailed tinted-glass curtain wall and a translucent white box on top.

The way they are configured makes the building look different from various viewpoints, but ultimately, the parts don't cohere, and the building looks like a stack of boxes.

The illuminated box on top is the proverbial sore thumb. Most people assume it hides mechanical systems. Actually, it was intended to be a lantern, the first of the lighted tops to link the buildings that will fill in this block of 17th Street.

At least the tower projects a sense of substance through its materials and detailing. The three-story townhome condominiums on 16th Street, which sold out quickly, do not.

Although the project, developed by Beazer Homes, cost $200 per square foot (luxury housing starts at about $250), it looks like a subdivision done on the cheap. The trim and mullions (the strips that divide window panes) are so flat they almost seem painted-on.

The townhomes are done in the Craftsman style (think bungalows in Inman Park) to blend in with the character of nearby Home Park. But stacked-stone porches, which belong to another era, are the defining feature. Too bad: They are way out of scale, top-heavy in their proportions, and the outdoor space they shelter can barely accommodate a couple of chairs.

Beazer President Lou Steffens says a tight site (lots are 30 feet deep) and land costs dictated the size of the porches. But that does not explain bad proportions or preclude ingenuity.

Even Brian Leary, Atlantic Station's vice president of design and development, who is generally upbeat about Atlantic Station, says he wishes the townhomes weren't "so production-looking."

Cautious outlook

Any community development project is a process of give and take. The more parties involved, the more compromises. The Woodruff Arts Center campus improvements now under way involve a single client (with several subsets). The Atlantic Station developers had to work with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the city of Atlanta, adjacent neighborhoods and different developers and architects for every project within its boundaries.

Yet, even though Leary might wish some things could have been done differently, the 30-year-old Tech grad stresses that, in the big moves, the team has maintained its standards and intentions.

"We didn't touch the things that are core to the concept," he says. "Not the planning concept or the quality of the public spaces."

Theoretically, Leary has approval over design. So does a review committee composed of representatives from adjacent neighborhoods and districts within Atlantic Station. Given the shaky economy at the outset, however, he has used his power cautiously.

Sometimes that has meant putting his own vision aside. He had, for example, imagined the townhomes more in the spirit of Boston Back Bay brownstones or colorful Charleston-style homes, but instead honored Home Park neighborhood association's wish that they blend into the neighborhood.

Sometimes that meant economizing on materials — substituting half-brick for real brick and planting trees on the site that were 4 inches in diameter rather than 5.

"This," he says, "has been a lesson in value engineering the details and materials."

Persistence pays off

On many occasions, he has overcome compromise with persistence. When he first showed the plan for oval green space at the west end of 17th Street to his engineers, for instance, they nixed it because of a particular traffic requirement. When he solved that problem, the engineers found six more issues, one at a time.

He says "it took at least 15 meetings" with the engineers and the landscape architecture firm, EDAW, to answer the engineers' objections.

This verdant setting enhances the appearance of apartments and condominiums on either side of a pond, which are flats as opposed to attached homes. Although these structures, developed by Lane Co., are not brilliant architecture, they are a step up in the design department. Their contemporary facades are a lively assemblage of colors, textures and shapes. The Park District Apartments, the more pleasing of the two, employ a Tuscan-yellow stucco, stone, blond brick, gray metal and stainless-steel canopies. At Leary's suggestion, architects made the facade for the apartment building stepped in order to create individual front stoops.

As the comfort level about the project rises, Leary seems to be becoming more successful at pressing his values on the design. IKEA, the trendy Swedish furniture store under construction near Northside Drive, is altering its standard big-box design. It is adding a sun shade on the south side and windows all around. It is also putting 95 percent of the parking underground.

Leary speaks passionately about his efforts to guide the design of the retail complex under construction north of the office tower. In an effort to engender individuality, each store is a "cold, dark shell," which tenants build out their own way. To make the place pedestrian-friendly, he is requiring entrances and windows front and back and has banned blank walls.

He says he is pushing retailers to think beyond their formulas, using the 1,600-plus photos he's taken during his travels of projects he likes.

"I use them to show that there is another way to do things, and that it has been done before," he says. "We're not trying to reinvent the wheel."

He has, for instance, persuaded one tenant to drop its standard awning for a spiffier glass and steel canopy and convinced others that trees will enhance the environment, not hide the product.

"Don't pass judgment yet," says the bullish Leary. "It's still too early to tell.

"While 91 acres of the 138-acre master plan have been developed or are under construction (including 40-plus acres of parks, roads and sidewalks), the majority of the vertical density (primarily high-rise office, residential and hotel uses) remains to be built.

"When we're done, people will be surprised. I think it will get better in time."

Let's hope so.

If Atlantic Station is to be a model for future intown development, the quality of its architecture must equal the ambitiousness of its vision.

[martarider]

^ Good article! It's nice to see the AJC being objective about this... so often they (and others) fall into a pattern of excessive boosterism with mega-projects like Atlantic Station. It's as if we're not supposed to criticize a project once it hits a certain size.

Hopefully they will take a similar approach to the Aquarium and new World of Coke.

[DonTallPaul]

I too am glad AJC saw through their endless bullishness to point out some of the what seems like rushed and not as well planned construction.

However, below is what I think will make Atlantic Station more unique, and ultimately a success:

Leary speaks passionately about his efforts to guide the design of the retail complex under construction north of the office tower. In an effort to engender individuality, each store is a "cold, dark shell," which tenants build out their own way. To make the place pedestrian-friendly, he is requiring entrances and windows front and back and has banned blank walls.

He says he is pushing retailers to think beyond their formulas, using the 1,600-plus photos he's taken during his travels of projects he likes.

"I use them to show that there is another way to do things, and that it has been done before," he says. "We're not trying to reinvent the wheel."

He has, for instance, persuaded one tenant to drop its standard awning for a spiffier glass and steel canopy and convinced others that trees will enhance the environment, not hide the product.


Even some of the existing infill developments in Midtown, mainstream retailers haven't drifted very far from make a smaller or more compact version of their suburban stores. I think pushing the individual companies to come out of the box is really I think still makes AS unique.

Hopefully some of the upcoming construction and development is more quality, and more well thoughtout.

[Terminus]

Even some of the existing infill developments in Midtown, mainstream retailers haven't drifted very far from make a smaller or more compact version of their suburban stores. I think pushing the individual companies to come out of the box is really I think still makes AS unique.

Hopefully some of the upcoming construction and development is more quality, and more well thoughtout.

I don't think we'll see smaller chain stores - they really don't do that anywhere - but we will likely see format changes, including multi-level stores, stores with multiple entrances, and stores with underground or structured parking.

[DonTallPaul]

Even some of the existing infill developments in Midtown, mainstream retailers haven't drifted very far from make a smaller or more compact version of their suburban stores. I think pushing the individual companies to come out of the box is really I think still makes AS unique.

Hopefully some of the upcoming construction and development is more quality, and more well thoughtout.

I don't think we'll see smaller chain stores - they really don't do that anywhere - but we will likely see format changes, including multi-level stores, stores with multiple entrances, and stores with underground or structured parking.

I wasn't trying to really comment on the size at all. However, the change in format, and prehaps even design changes to make the store feel more unique is far better than say, what we got with Midtown Place Home Depot, which doesn't look any different than it's suburban counter part. But that can even be taken a step further beyond say the Kroger/Target where it is simply a multi-level version of target with multiple entrances.

For example, most Super Target coffee shops are inside, wholly enclosed in the confines of the store. Yet, you can see in a handful of developments, where these coffee shops their own entrance, with seating outside and become part of the overall enviornment, rather than simply inside the walls of another mainstream retailer.

[cabasse]

thanks for the pics you guys. it's been way too long since i've actually explored anything... busy busy

i really hope the next phase is of much better quality than what we've seen so far. i'll still admit though, i really don't hate southtrust as much as many seem to. it's nice in my book.

np: fila brazillia - dervishcontroller

[GNofAtlanta]

http://www.ascommunity.com/pictures/set1/Smaller%20Area%20above%2017th%20St.jpg

[Buck]

Gotta have it posted in the web. We can't access your hard drive.

[Teshadoh]

Thanks GNofAtlanta - I haven't seen that yet...

I notice they must still be looking for a big music & book store retailer, hopefully they can nab Virgin Music. As for books - considering intown will have 4 B&N & Borders, it doesn't matter too much to me.

[jddar]

Yes, thanks GNofAtlanta. On the map it looks like the spa-hotel site is where Twelve is being developed. I must have been misinformed about where Dillard's would be. I thought it was to be along the Connector beside the SouthTrust Tower where the convention hotel is located on this map.

[niff]

No, you're right. Dillard's should be right beside the South Trust building. I think the map is a little out of date, unless Dillard's just recently bailed.

heh "17 1/2 street"

[GNofAtlanta]

John Whitaker named to lead development of Atlantic Station

By WALTER WOODS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/14/04


AIG, the global insurance giant and the investment muscle behind Atlantic Station, has tapped a local developer to serve "the CEO role" for the 138-acre mixed use development on the Downtown Connector.

John Whitaker, for the last six years a principal at developer Trammell Crow Co., will join Atlantic Station LLC and local developer Carter as part of the team overseeing the Atlantic Station project, Whitaker said Tuesday.

Whitaker, who's been in the commercial real estate business in Atlanta for 21 years, was involved in the development of The Proscenium tower in Midtown, which Trammell Crow sold last year for a record price.

****************************************************

John Whitaker to lead Atlantic Station project
Jarred Schenke
Staff Writer
One of the key players in the development of big-named office towers in Atlanta has been tapped to raise more towers at Atlantic Station.


John Whitaker has been hired by insurance giant American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) to spearhead its pet Atlanta project, Atlantic Station. AIG is co-owner of the massive mixed-use project on 17th Street in Midtown with Atlanta developer Jacoby Development Inc. Whitaker has vacated one of the senior management posts at Trammell Crow Co. in Atlanta, a position that had him directing the firms brokerage and development efforts locally.

"AIG is focused on the Atlantic Station project. I was attracted to this project and I am once again in the development arena," Whitaker said. "What I bring to the table is an office background. I will be joining the team that has been working on this project for awhile."

This is the latest moves among the owners of Atlantic Station to gear up further development at the planned 12 million-square-foot, $2 billion project. Earlier this year, Jacoby hired Atlanta real estate firm Carter to lease and manage the project, including helping fill out the remaining empty office space at 1275 Peachtree Building, the local headquarters for SouthTrust Bank. Carter also is expected to move its offices to Atlantic Station as well.

And Whitaker also is a commercial real estate veteran, one who could help replace Atlanta development icon Charlie Brown, who retired last year from Jacoby after helping the developer jump regulatory and political hurdles to get Atlantic Station started.

"The fact that John Whitaker has been brought in to represent the owner I think reinforces the [need] to expedite the development," said Clark Gore, executive vice president of Holder Properties Inc. in Atlanta. "This is a good move for him. I think it's just a reinforcement that AIG is prepared to move forward expeditiously."

Officials with Carter and Jacoby did not return calls as of press time.

Veteran's experience
Whitaker is certainly no stranger to Atlanta office development, being involved on some of the key features to the metro area's skyline.

Whitaker was at The Landmarks Group during the 1980's and was the development officer for the latter half of the Concourse Corporate Center project in the Perimeter area, including its two most distinctive office buildings -- towers five and six, more popularly known as the King and Queen buildings. He also helped spearhead development of Capital City Plaza in Buckhead while with Hillman Properties.

Whitaker also became apart of Faison Enterprises, an Atlanta real estate company that eventually was sold to Trammell Crow. Whitaker stayed on with Trammell Crow, rising in the ranks to eventually head up its brokerage and development divisions in Atlanta.

For Whitaker, the move to AIG represents a move back to the pure development business.


Atlantic Station was a development he didn't understand until he dove into the project, Whitaker said.

"The project is going to be very, very cool when it's finished. Right now there's a tremendous amount of construction under way, and I'm not sure the market understands what this project is going to do for Atlanta," he said.

With the SouthTrust building finished, cranes have been spotted again at the project, this time focused on the 800,000 square feet of retail shops, including a future IKEA store. There are also plans to convert what was office space above some of the retail spaces into condominiums. And recently Novare Group announced plans for a residential tower at the site.

While AIG and Jacoby have plans for a second office tower at the site, nothing is in the works currently, Whitaker said. In other words, no new tower will begin without a company agreeing to take a significant amount of space prior to ground-breaking, he said.

"I think [the owners] are going to take whatever opportunities the market offers them," Whitaker said. "But any new office buildings will be anchor driven. The project has a tremendous amount of momentum right now. We are eager to do more development there."

Whitaker said his position only "augments" what Carter has been doing at Atlantic Station since officially taking the leasing and management duties.

"John's not looking to lease and manage. John will be the eyes and ears for AIG, and I see him taking a larger role," said Chris Schoen president of Barry Real Estate Co. in Atlanta. "[It's] a real big project. It can create a lot of momentum, and he's a smart guy. I'm sure he can make it successful more than it would have been otherwise."

John Decker, another development icon in Atlanta and partner with Childress Klein Properties, said Whitaker's past experience will play a key role at Atlantic Station.

"He's got many, many years of experience on the landlord side of the business," Decker said. "I think he brings a good reputation to the table. And his track record and what that speaks of brings a lot to the table."

[Terminus]

No, you're right. Dillard's should be right beside the South Trust building. I think the map is a little out of date, unless Dillard's just recently bailed.

heh "17 1/2 street"

Are you sure about that?

I always thought it was where they show it on the plan. I can't see why they would put a single-use store on the site where the best views are.

[GNofAtlanta]

I drove by today and it looks like they are putting it just where it is on that drawing.

It's good to read they might be putting even more residential above retail, that should be fun.

[micropundit]

John Whitaker named to lead development of Atlantic Station

By WALTER WOODS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/14/04


AIG, the global insurance giant and the investment muscle behind Atlantic Station, has tapped a local developer to serve "the CEO role" for the 138-acre mixed use development on the Downtown Connector.

John Whitaker, for the last six years a principal at developer Trammell Crow Co., will join Atlantic Station LLC and local developer Carter as part of the team overseeing the Atlantic Station project, Whitaker said Tuesday.

Whitaker, who's been in the commercial real estate business in Atlanta for 21 years, was involved in the development of The Proscenium tower in Midtown, which Trammell Crow sold last year for a record price.

****************************************************

John Whitaker to lead Atlantic Station project
Jarred Schenke
Staff Writer
One of the key players in the development of big-named office towers in Atlanta has been tapped to raise more towers at Atlantic Station.


John Whitaker has been hired by insurance giant American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) to spearhead its pet Atlanta project, Atlantic Station. AIG is co-owner of the massive mixed-use project on 17th Street in Midtown with Atlanta developer Jacoby Development Inc. Whitaker has vacated one of the senior management posts at Trammell Crow Co. in Atlanta, a position that had him directing the firms brokerage and development efforts locally.

"AIG is focused on the Atlantic Station project. I was attracted to this project and I am once again in the development arena," Whitaker said. "What I bring to the table is an office background. I will be joining the team that has been working on this project for awhile."

This is the latest moves among the owners of Atlantic Station to gear up further development at the planned 12 million-square-foot, $2 billion project. Earlier this year, Jacoby hired Atlanta real estate firm Carter to lease and manage the project, including helping fill out the remaining empty office space at 1275 Peachtree Building, the local headquarters for SouthTrust Bank. Carter also is expected to move its offices to Atlantic Station as well.

And Whitaker also is a commercial real estate veteran, one who could help replace Atlanta development icon Charlie Brown, who retired last year from Jacoby after helping the developer jump regulatory and political hurdles to get Atlantic Station started.

"The fact that John Whitaker has been brought in to represent the owner I think reinforces the [need] to expedite the development," said Clark Gore, executive vice president of Holder Properties Inc. in Atlanta. "This is a good move for him. I think it's just a reinforcement that AIG is prepared to move forward expeditiously."

Officials with Carter and Jacoby did not return calls as of press time.

Veteran's experience
Whitaker is certainly no stranger to Atlanta office development, being involved on some of the key features to the metro area's skyline.

Whitaker was at The Landmarks Group during the 1980's and was the development officer for the latter half of the Concourse Corporate Center project in the Perimeter area, including its two most distinctive office buildings -- towers five and six, more popularly known as the King and Queen buildings. He also helped spearhead development of Capital City Plaza in Buckhead while with Hillman Properties.

Whitaker also became apart of Faison Enterprises, an Atlanta real estate company that eventually was sold to Trammell Crow. Whitaker stayed on with Trammell Crow, rising in the ranks to eventually head up its brokerage and development divisions in Atlanta.

For Whitaker, the move to AIG represents a move back to the pure development business.


Atlantic Station was a development he didn't understand until he dove into the project, Whitaker said.

"The project is going to be very, very cool when it's finished. Right now there's a tremendous amount of construction under way, and I'm not sure the market understands what this project is going to do for Atlanta," he said.

With the SouthTrust building finished, cranes have been spotted again at the project, this time focused on the 800,000 square feet of retail shops, including a future IKEA store. There are also plans to convert what was office space above some of the retail spaces into condominiums. And recently Novare Group announced plans for a residential tower at the site.

While AIG and Jacoby have plans for a second office tower at the site, nothing is in the works currently, Whitaker said. In other words, no new tower will begin without a company agreeing to take a significant amount of space prior to ground-breaking, he said.

"I think [the owners] are going to take whatever opportunities the market offers them," Whitaker said. "But any new office buildings will be anchor driven. The project has a tremendous amount of momentum right now. We are eager to do more development there."

Whitaker said his position only "augments" what Carter has been doing at Atlantic Station since officially taking the leasing and management duties.

"John's not looking to lease and manage. John will be the eyes and ears for AIG, and I see him taking a larger role," said Chris Schoen president of Barry Real Estate Co. in Atlanta. "[It's] a real big project. It can create a lot of momentum, and he's a smart guy. I'm sure he can make it successful more than it would have been otherwise."

John Decker, another development icon in Atlanta and partner with Childress Klein Properties, said Whitaker's past experience will play a key role at Atlantic Station.

"He's got many, many years of experience on the landlord side of the business," Decker said. "I think he brings a good reputation to the table. And his track record and what that speaks of brings a lot to the table."

The difference in the two stories is amazing.Walter Woods is not the best reporter the AJC has had since Sally Salters"retired".It's a shame that real estate development is covered so poorly in Atlanta,where developers rule.

[niff]

Are you sure about that?

I always thought it was where they show it on the plan. I can't see why they would put a single-use store on the site where the best views are.

Well, I can't be certain. I have the same information as everyone else. I don't disagree with your point about the placement of a single-use store, especially since it will probably have few windows; however, I though I read somewhere that it was going to be beside the SouthTrust tower. I know the renderings have shown it as such, but then, its debatable whether you can consider that cannon.

http://www.members.cox.net/niff/south.jpg

[Terminus]

I just biked from the West Side Market to the MARTA Arts Center Station via 17th Street. It seems IKEA is putting on their trademark blue facade.

[Buck]

There was a rendering of the IKEA in the AJC last week, I think it was.

[(four 0 four)]

It seems IKEA is putting on their trademark blue facade.
That's unfortunate. If it was blue, it might be OK but, instead it's BLUE !!

From the Peachtree/I-85 bridge
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstation18.jpg

[ascommunity.com]

GNofAtlanta - glad to see you found my website and were able to post the image of the 'District' area plans as they were slated to look about 2 years ago when that image was put together.

You are all correct - the Dillard's is now on the southeast side of District, right next to the Southtrust building. Here is a better representation of the District that I put together last night.

http://www.ascommunity.com/images/sitemap-092004.jpg

Also - I posted some more progress pics at http://www.ascommunity.com/pictures/092004/index.htm

We are getting our 7th crane today as the Dillard's contractors are constructing theirs on the site! Progress is happening all around!!

--Joey

[Terminus]

GNofAtlanta - glad to see you found my website and were able to post the image of the 'District' area plans as they were slated to look about 2 years ago when that image was put together.

You are all correct - the Dillard's is now on the southeast side of District, right next to the Southtrust building. Here is a better representation of the District that I put together last night.

--Joey

Are those pedestrian crossings on 17th Street just a dream? I'm very concerned about the fact that there are so few signals and crosswalks on that street. I know GDOT has their standards, but there are cracks in the concrete, as we've seen from 14th Street.

[ascommunity.com]

The only crossings on 17th Street, once off the bridge, will be at Market Street and State Street. There are no other crossings planned at this time as the median extends this entire distance on 17th Street.

I agree, it's only north of 17th Street where this development becomes truly urban and truly pedestrian friendly. The wide sidewalks through the rest of the delopment are great, but people still drive by at 50 MPH and it's not the most comfortable feeling at times.

--Joey

[cabasse]

http://www.ascommunity.com/pictures/092004/img_5883_std.jpg

i see lights which look as if they're supposed to shine upwards for illuminating the overhang, yet when i was walking around saturday night, none were on. have they ever been on, and what do they look like when they are? i actually don't have as much of a problem as so many seem to with the bridge. i kinda like it.

expect some really good shots of atlanta coming soon from tony-detroit. he drove down friday night, got here around noon and i toured him around downtown - east atlanta - inman/candler park - va-hi - midtown - atlantic station and a little of south buckhead.

np: don henley - dirty laundry

[ascommunity.com]

The lights on the bridge - as well as all the streetlights on 17th street have been out since the last 'Hurricane' passed through. Theses lights are typically on and illuminate the bridge.

--Joey

[niff]

Joey, thanks for the updated plan! Its interesting that that north eastern building is shown as "future." I guess it won't be built in this current phase? Your web site is great btw - definitely going to have to bookmark that one :)

[ascommunity.com]

Brian,

That is correct, based on current demand the NE building in the District area will not be built as part of the 1st Phase scheduled to open in October 2005.

Thanks for checking out the site. Been collecting info for awhile now so there is quite a history of news/info.

--Joey

[GNofAtlanta]

Hundreds eagerly await Atlantic Station's second condo phase

By DAVID PENDERED
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/26/04


After rearing two children in east Cobb County, David and Ruthie Brown are ready to trade their three-story house for an intown condo with urban amenities at their doorstep.

The empty nesters hope to move into the second phase of condos to be built at Atlantic Station, the mini city rising on the west side of the Downtown Connector near Georgia Tech. The Browns and about 300 others are on a waiting list to meet a sales agent and get details on the 322 condo units beginning construction this week.

David Brown sounds as enthusiastic as a college student talking about his first apartment when he describes his hoped-for move to Atlantic Station. Brown owns Northside Restorations, a custom furniture shop on nearby Bishop Street, and his wife teaches third grade at Murdock Elementary School, near Marietta.

"To me it's just a beautiful place and I love the location," Brown says. "I love the way they've got the whole place landscaped. There will be movie theaters and restaurants and shopping, so we'll never need a car to go have a good time anymore."

The Browns are part of a significant crowd that wants to live in Atlantic Station. Fewer than 10 of the first phase of 347 condos remain — and all those are one-bedroom units. All 55 townhouses were sold before they were complete.

The condos were so hot last fall that the developer shifted plans to capitalize on the demand. The Lane Co. retooled plans for 278 apartments to go straight to the condo market. Prices in the second phase, called Element, start in the high $100,000s for a one-bedroom unit and rise into the $300,000s for three bedrooms.

While Atlantic Station may seem old hat to commuters who have watched it evolve from a steel mill into a mixed-use community, it still captures national attention. It won a national Phoenix Award for Excellence in Brownfield Redevelopment last week from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Awards aside, Brown loves the idea of living at Atlantic Station.

"I showed my daughter about three Sundays ago so she could see the view. It's just incredible."

[KevinAtl]

New Condo Community Planned in the Atlantic Station® Redevelopment

Atlanta –– Lane Company, the same firm responsible for the phenomenally successful Art Foundry condominiums in the ATLANTIC STATION® redevelopment, today announced it will build its second condo project in the popular live/work/play community. Even before the announcement was made, roughly 300 people had already signed up to request information and inquire about sales appointments. More requests are coming in daily.



“We have a fantastic product, an exceptional intown location, and prices that are extremely reasonable, especially for Midtown,” says Bill Donges, Lane Company’s Chief Operating Officer. Donges is also President of CondoLane, which will market and sell the new condos. “This project is at the center of a new kind of urban lifestyle,” he adds.



The new $55 million dollar condo community will include 322 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes. Many will overlook the swimming pool, parks or lake with views of the Midtown and Downtown skylines. Some will feature loft-style mezzanine levels. The first homes should be ready for occupancy by next summer. Final completion is projected for summer of 2006. The new community will be named “element.” Prices will start in the high $100s.



Lane Company set records last October when it sold $10 million dollars worth of condos at Art Foundry in just three hours. Strong sales are predicted for the new community as well.



The new five-story condo community will have parks, a pool with a sun deck, a business center, Internet café, conference room and fitness center. Residents also have the option of joining a professionally-managed health and wellness center and spa, which will be located next door.



The new condos will be minutes from Midtown, Downtown and Buckhead; they are between the new IKEA store and the retail and entertainment district of the ATLANTIC STATION® community, which are both under construction. When complete, the retail and entertainment area will have a movie theatre, a grocery store, restaurants, and world-class shopping. When fully completed, Atlantic Station will feature 12 million square feet of retail, office, residential and hotel space.



Lane Investment & Development Corp. will develop the project, Lane Realty Construction will build it, and CondoLane will market the condos. All are subsidiaries of Atlanta’s Lane Company. The Preston Partnership, LLC, designed the new community.



The condos will be available for presale in the coming weeks. Potential buyers and brokers who want more information, or are interested in pre-sale appointments can sign up online now at www.elementatlanta.com. After signing up they will receive floor plans, pricing information and more details about how to arrange a sales appointment.

[Buck]

I'd like to see them build a bit taller (not necessarily highrise) and denser.

[niff]

Where will these be located exactly? I know there is space between the current condo/apartment buildings and the retail section. Is there also room between the current ones and Ikea?

Buck - I agree, and with the success they seemed to have had, I'm surprised they aren't building higher, even if only 6 or 8 floors.

[GNofAtlanta]

They will be located next to Art Foundry. There was a small rendering and location diagram on the back page of the Atlanta Business Chronicle or the AJC Horizon section, can't remember, sorry.

[niff]

OK, I bet its that South East portion of the Commons then. On a side note, I went to the Lane web page and saw their Atlantic Station video. I grabed this still image since I thought it featured an interesting shot of a model of Atlantic Station. Note the scale of the planned buildings.

http://www.members.cox.net/niff/as_still.jpg

Edit: I guess I should put in a disclaimer that I realize the overall plans have changed multiple times, and the placement of some of the towers seem wrong [although they mostly match up]. However, from the context of the video, this was shot during the condo contruction, which would make the footage only a year or so old.

[ascommunity.com]

Yes, you are correct, this will be built on the SE section of the commons, next to the future dog park.

Here is a rudimentary outline of the commons to show the placement of the buildings in the Commons area.

http://www.atlanticstationcommunity.com/images/aerialviewv2.jpg

--Joey

[(four 0 four)]

It seems IKEA is putting on their trademark blue facade.
Yikes!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/four0four/atlanticstationikea.jpg

[Buck]

Alot of Blue....it should counteract all the Home Depot Orange already in Atlanta though. :)

[cabasse]

i am really looking forward to the completion of the retail phase. we have a lot to look forward to...

np: matthew good - 11:00 suburbia

[Teshadoh]

But there obviously won't be a sea of parking in the front of the building at least, only a little pond.

[dirtybird]

I'd like to see them build a bit taller (not necessarily highrise) and denser.

I agree; DC style midrises would be good.

[jddar]

The Story
SEPTEMBER 30, 2004
BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

Atlantic Station announced five new retail tenants this week, totaling 42,274 square feet, for The District part of the 138-acre mixed-use community in Midtown. Banana Republic, Jos. A. Bank, DSW shoe retailer, Cingular Wireless and Doc Green’s Gourmet Salads will join the list of retailers at the project...

[KevinAtl]

The Story
SEPTEMBER 30, 2004
BY JOHN SCHAFFNER


Atlantic Station adds five new retail tenants

Atlantic Station announced five new retail tenants this week, totaling 42,274 square feet, for The District part of the 138-acre mixed-use community in Midtown. Banana Republic, Jos. A. Bank, DSW shoe retailer, Cingular Wireless and Doc Green’s Gourmet Salads will join the list of retailers at the project.

The largest of the five new retailers will be DSW, with a 26,740-square-foot two-story store adjacent to the Publix supermarket going in at the intersection of 18th Street and Atlantic Drive. DSW, which signed a 10-year lease, is one of the country’s largest retailers of brand name women’s and men’s shoes. In addition to offering prices that can be 50 percent less than department store prices, DSW receives shipments of new merchandise weekly to keep abreast of in-season fashions.

The second largest of the new retailers is Banana Republic, which will occupy a single-level corner location at 18th Street and District Avenue, diagonally across from the previously announced Rosa Mexicano restaurant. Banana Republic offers modern, versatile men’s and women’s clothing as well as a home collection, shoes, accessories, personal care products and intimate apparel.

Jos. A. Banks Clothiers, one of the nation’s leading retailers of men’s tailored and casual clothing, sportswear, footwear and accessories, will occupy 4,000 square feet at the corner of 18th Street and Atlantic Drive in the same building as the previously announced Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro. Jos. A. Bank has 225 stores in 36 states and the District of Columbia, including eight locations in metro Atlanta, and boasts a heritage of nearly 100 years in business.

Doc Green’s Gourmet Salads, a Raving Brands concept developed by Atlantan Martin Sprock, has signed a lease to occupy 2,566 square feet on the corner of Atlantic Drive and West Promenade, along “café row” and next to the previously announced Mama Fu’s restaurant. Doc Green’s is a new fast-casual restaurant concept where customers create their own salads by choosing the combination of lettuce, gourmet toppings and grilled items such as chicken, lamb, steak or salmon. Doc Green’s also serves a wide range of vegetables, soups, casseroles and sandwiches. Doc Green’s also recently announced a new location on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Atlanta-based Cingular Wireless will have a 1,702 square-foot store on Atlantic Drive adjacent to the Publix supermarket.

Construction of the retail district of Atlantic Station is moving along now at a rapid pace, with a planned opening of much of The District planned next fall.

The new tenants join several others in the retail district of the city-within-a-city, including Dillard’s department store, Regal Theatre, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Claddagh Irish Pub, Mama Fu’s Noodle House, California Pizza Kitchen, Chaplin’s jewelry, Eye Gallery, Metropolitan Deluxe home furnishings, Pubix, Rosa Mexicano, Pier 1 Imports, Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Express (for men and women), PJ’s Coffee and Wine Bar, GUESS?, Lucid, American Eagle Outfitters and FOX Sports Grill.

Alto presently under construction on the western end of the development is the IKEA store. IKEA is one of the world’s largest home furnishings retailers.

Atlantic Station is ultimately projected to include 12 million square feet of retail, office, residential and hotel space, along with 11 acres of public parks. It is being co-developed by Jacoby Development Inc. and AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp. Atlantic Station, the brownfield redevelopment of the former Atlantic Steel site, already is home to more than 100 residents—with hundreds more expected to move in later this year—and 300 daytime employees of SouthTrust bank in the first of the community’s office buildings.

“Atlantic Station is a national model for smart growth and we provide the wardrobe for the smart-dressed man,” said Robert N. Wildrick, president and CEO of Jos. A. Bank. “The community being created in the heart of Midtown Atlanta offers such a variety to its residents and we are thrilled to be a part of this groundbreaking redevelopment.”

[KevinAtl]

The Story
SEPTEMBER 30, 2004
BY JOHN SCHAFFNER

Lane Co. this week announced plans to build its second condo community, named “Element,” at Atlantic Station and about 300 prospective buyers have already signed up to request information and seek appointments, according to the developer.

The new $55 million condo community will include 322 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, some featuring loft-style mezzanine levels. Many of the units will overlook the swimming pool, parks or lake, with views of the Midtown and downtown Atlanta skylines. The first homes should be ready for occupancy by next summer, with final completion of the project scheduled for the summer of 2006. Prices will start in the high $100,000 range.

The new five-story condo community will have parks, a pool with a sun deck, a business center, Internet café, conference room and fitness center. Residents have the option of joining a professionally managed health and wellness center and spa, which will be located next door.

“We have a fantastic product, an exceptional intown location, and prices that are extremely reasonable, especially for Midtown," Lane COO Bill Donges said. Donges is also president of CondoLane, which will market and sell the new condos. "This project is at the center of a new kind of urban lifestyle," he added.

The new condos will be between the new IKEA store and the retail and entertainment district of Atlantic Station, which are both under construction. When complete, the retail and entertainment area will have a movie theatre, a grocery store, restaurants and shopping. When fully completed, Atlantic Station will feature 12 million square feet of retail, office, residential and hotel space.

Lane Investment & Development Corp. will develop the project, Lane Realty Construction will build it, and CondoLane will market the condos. All are subsidiaries of Atlanta's Lane Co. The Preston Partnership LLC designed the new community.

The condos will be available for presale in the coming weeks. Potential buyers and brokers who want more information or are interested in pre-sale appointments can sign up online at www.elementatlanta.com. After signing up they will receive floor plans, pricing information and more details about how to arrange a sales appointment.

Lane Co. set records last October when it sold $10 million worth of condos at Art Foundry in Atlantic Station in just three hours. The company predicts strong sales for the new community as well.

[KevinAtl]

IKEA Atlanta Continues Progress as Blue Walls Begin To Appear

eBusinessNews
09/30/2004

Atlanta - ATLANTA - IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today noted that nearly all framing is complete and now blue composite panels are being installed for its future store opening next Summer in Atlanta on 15 acres in a mixed-use development just off the I-75/85 connector. The 366,000 square-foot IKEA Atlanta will include 1,597 parking spaces below the store. In addition to 500 construction jobs, approximately 400 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens.


"Now that our structure is formed and our blue paneling is going up, we are proud that we are still on our way to a grand opening next summer," observed Pat Merwin, IKEA real estate manager. "With the roof already going up and now the blue panels, we hope to be fully enclosed, unaffected by the weather by the end of year." IKEA Atlanta will be the first IKEA store in the Southeast, with the closest stores being in Woodbridge, VA outside Washington, DC, or along I-10 in Houston.

[KevinAtl]

There is a small picture of Element here.

http://www.the-stories.com/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A3946

[Buck]

It looks very......default.

[(four 0 four)]

^I agree. I hope the retail fares better because the residential component of this project has (as I"ve said before) been a disappointment. The only thing that appears as if it will be at all unique is Twelve. Even then, I wonder how well Twelve will stand up to the test of time with the same developer building the similar floorplans over and over again. What trendoid will purchase a resale in Metropolis, Twelve, Spire etc. when there is a newer, slicker building going up just a few blocks away at approx. the same price? All that said, there doesn't really seem to be a problem with this project attracting purchasers/renters, so why should (from the developer's viewpoint) he spend additional money to make it noteworthy?
I'm sure Atlantic Station will be a simply lovely place to live/work/play but, I woulld have liked to see it architecturally break some new ground.

[GNofAtlanta]

Atlanta given Millennium Gate

The National Monuments Foundation will give Atlanta a 72-foot tall monumental gateway, called the Millennium Gate.

The $20 million monument is the largest classical work of art to be built in the United States since the construction of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C., and the second monument to be built in Atlanta by this team, which previously built the Prince of Wales's Monument to the Olympic Games at Pershing Point.

Alexander Stoddard of Scotland, the chief sculptor of the Millennium Gate, will be among the presenters today at noon at the State Capitol.

A museum component designed by Edwin Schlossberg is planned inside the Millennium Gate. It will convey peaceful accomplishment over the last 2,000 years, the ascension of the United States and the resurgence of the city of Atlanta. Designed by way of an international competition opened only to students of architecture, the entries were judged by some of the most notable architects/educators: Robert A.M. Stern, Dean of Architecture at Yale University; Elizabeth Plater Zyberk, Dean of Architecture at University of Miami; Leon Krier of The Prince of Wales's Institute; Michael Dennis of Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Carroll William Westfall, Dean of Architecture at The University of Notre Dame.



© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

[GNofAtlanta]

October 21, 2004 07:00 AM US Eastern Timezone

Tahitian Noni International Announces a Sales Office in Atlanta's New Atlantic Station; Atlantic Station Is Destined to Be the Hottest New Development in Atlanta

PROVO, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 2004--Tahitian Noni International, developer and exclusive provider of the internationally acclaimed TAHITIAN NONI(R) Juice, recently announced that they had finalized the contract to be part of the new Atlantic Station development being built in Atlanta, Georgia. Current plans call for a beautiful new sales office as well as a new TAHITIAN NONI(TM) Cafe to be built on the site. This will be the first sales office to be built in the eastern United States and will be used as a model for all future sales offices and TAHITIAN NONI Cafes throughout North America.


Atlantic Station is a 138-acre environmental redevelopment and reclamation of the former Atlantic Steel Mill in Midtown Atlanta. Once complete, the new community is projected to include 12 million square feet of retail, office, residential, and hotel space as well as 11 acres of public parks. The development is located just north of Georgia Tech University in the Midtown section of Atlanta, right at the I-75/I-85 split, making it one of the most accessible and visible developments in all of Atlanta.

"Atlantic Station is the perfect location for our new sales office," stated Daniel Hillstrom, Regional Sales Manager for Tahitian Noni International. "We're excited to be a part of this unique development where the mix of office, residential, and retail space will create the most dynamic neighborhood in the Southeast. The combination of our new sales office and TAHITIAN NONI Cafe will be perfect for this exciting new concept."

About TAHITIAN NONI Cafes

The first TAHITIAN NONI Cafe opened last year in Tokyo, Japan. Five more Cafes are underway in Japan, Germany, Utah, Texas, and now Atlanta, Georgia. The Cafes feature a light and healthy menu based on TAHITIAN NONI(R) products.

About the Company

Tahitian Noni International was founded in 1995 by Kerry Asay, Kim Asay, John Wadsworth, Stephen Story, and Kelly Olsen to be the exclusive source of TAHITIAN NONI Juice, a natural healthy beverage, and other TAHITIAN NONI products. For more information, please contact the Public Relations Department at publicrelations@tni.com.

[supastar]

Tahitian Noni sounds very cool. I think they need more high-profile retailers like maybe a Virgin Megastore or H&M, maybe a Club Monaco or French Connection. I can't believe there aren't any of those in Atlanta yet.

[ThrashATL]

In 10 years, will Atlantic Station be the first brownfield to go greyfield?

[KevinAtl]

Tahitian Noni sounds very cool. I think they need more high-profile retailers like maybe a Virgin Megastore or H&M, maybe a Club Monaco or French Connection. I can't believe there aren't any of those in Atlanta yet.


There is a Club Monaco at Lenox Square. Virgin Megastore is the one I'm hoping for.

[GNofAtlanta]

Target-ing Atlantic Station

After years of scouting sites in the Midtown area, Target is homing in on Atlantic Station for a new megastore.

"We're working hard on Atlantic Station," said Target's real estate manager, Chris Case, during a real estate convention in Atlanta last week. "We need a store in Midtown."

Bruce Macleod, managing director of retail for Atlantic Station, which is going up by the 17th Street bridge, said the deal with Target is "close to being finished and we're excited about adding them to our mix."

Macleod said Target will move into a site on State Street, though there's no word yet on how soon.

Atlantic Station's retail portion is now 58 percent leased and 75 percent committed, Macleod said.

Atlantic Station will boast a movie theater, IKEA, Dillard's and Banana Republic, among other retailers, when it opens in fall 2005.

[GNofAtlanta]

IN DEPTH: HOME QUARTERLY
From the October 29, 2004 print edition

Atlantic Station attracts sight-unseen buyers
Tom Barry
Contributing Writer

Brian Fasthoff usually doesn't buy things sight unseen. But he made a big exception last fall, when he purchased his three-bedroom condominium in Atlantic Station.


Fasthoff said he liked what he saw in the massive $2 billion redevelopment, which eventually will have 12 million square feet of residential, retail, office and hotel space.

"When I saw the three-dimensional model of Atlantic Station that night, I knew right away that I'd buy," said Fasthoff, who co-owns Loca Luna and Eclipse di Luna restaurants in Midtown.

"It reminded me of a place by the Santa Monica Pier out in California that has pedestrian-friendly streets, restaurants and stores," he said. "Once everything opens, Atlantic Station will rejuvenate this city."

Pent-up demand

Fasthoff was hardly alone in signing up. Over three nights, 225 prequalified hopefuls -- culled from a waiting list of 1,350 -- were invited to purchase the initial 69 condominiums in Art Foundry, a 347-unit condo community within the 138-acre Atlantic Station, the largest urban brownfield redevelopment in the country.

Condo developer Lane Co. invited 75 potential buyers per night. But within three hours on the first night, all 69 condos -- $10 million worth of property -- sold. Buyers bought $20 million in condos within three days.

"All those buyers that night made me feel even better," said Fasthoff, 31. "Almost everyone there ended up with a condo."

Fasthoff, who moved from an apartment into his new home in late July, is pleased he made the move.

"As the first residents, we've had to go through the community's growing pains, but they've been minor, everything considered," he said. "I couldn't get a mailbox for two months, and they're just now finishing work on the swimming pool. But that happens with any construction project."

The beauty of Atlantic Station is that everything is going to be within walking distance -- restaurants, bars, movies and the grocery store, he said. "And I can drive to work in under five minutes," he said.

Thus far, all but a handful of the 347 one-, two- and three-bedroom condos have sold in Art Foundry, situated across the 17th Street bridge from Midtown. Prices range from $160,000 to $360,000.

In late September, Lane Co. announced that it will build a $55 million, 322-condo community in Atlantic Station to be named Element. The first units in Element are expected to be ready for occupancy next summer, with completion slated for the summer of 2006. Price points range from the high $100,000s to the $300,000s.

Also in the works is Twelve Hotel and Residences Atlantic Station, a 26-story tower that will have 404 condominiums and 101 hotel rooms. Now under construction, the joint project between the Novare Group Inc. and Wood Partners LLC is targeted for a fall 2005 completion. The condos -- to run between $160,000 and $330,000 -- will start on the seventh floor.

Down the road, Lane Co. plans to build several hundred condos or apartments above stores in Atlantic Station's retail and entertainment district, which will open in the fall of 2005. Details have yet to be announced.

Urban pioneers

Like Fasthoff, Shelley West bought her Art Foundry condo sight unseen.

"I took my mother and godmother to the meeting," she said. "Both have been in real estate for over 25 years, and they felt fine with it. So I felt fine, too. My godmother even bought her own unit as an investment."

A 29-year-old Atlanta native who works in Dacula, West moved to Atlantic Station from Suwanee.

"I always wanted to live downtown, but my parents thought it was unsafe," she said. "I told them it was either that or I'm moving to New York City."

West said she has no regrets. "Love it here," she said. "All my friends live downtown, and there are so many things to do."

Another early Art Foundry buyer was Wendy Waller, who has her own real estate firm, Yellow Real Estate Services, that has represented investors purchasing Atlantic Station condos.

Waller, 31, bought a two-bedroom unit with a fireplace for herself. The third-floor condo is the first home she's owned.

"Atlantic Station is the first large mixed-use development in this city," she said. "That's why it's hot."

[GNofAtlanta]

OH, and by the way if you haven't checked out the Element website lately you must. Under the Neighborhood section you can see a map that lets you know where each retail store is going, very informative.

http://www.elementatlanta.com

[DonTallPaul]

That interactive map is pretty sweet.

[Chris Creech]

That Millenium Gate thing is pretty cool, it seems like there would have been more press on that.

Here's a pic.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/atlanta/1004/Monument.html

[GNofAtlanta]

$53 Million Worth of Condos Pre-Sold at ATLANTIC STATION® Community
November 5, 2004
Source: (Regional)

Hundreds of Atlantans have “gotten into their element,” buying $53 million worth of condos – sight unseen – at “element,” the newest condo community in the ATLANTIC STATION® redevelopment.

Condo pre-sales began only two weeks ago. More than 1,000 people have been on the waiting list for the 322 homes; some have waited an entire year. As of now, buyers have reserved 228 homes, which means 70% of the total are sold. Only a selected number of homes are available at pre-construction pricing for a limited time.

The latest figures were released at a launch celebration for the condos Thursday night.
Several hundred people attended the event, which featured virtual reality computer animation of what the finished community will look like. The party also included costumed entertainers who greeted the guests and later performed for them.

The new condo community is now under construction in the live/work/play redevelopment next to the Downtown Connector in Midtown Atlanta. The condos will be ready for their first residents next summer, and are expected to be fully complete in the summer of 2006.

“element” is being developed and constructed by Lane Company, which also responsible for the sold out Art Foundry Condos and the Park District Apartments in the ATLANTIC STATION® community. CondoLane is marketing and selling “element.”

The new five-story “element” community will have one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes, some of which will have unique lofts with ceilings of approximately 18 feet. It will also have parks, a pool, sun deck, business center, Internet café, conference room and fitness center. Residents also have the option of joining The Art of Wellness health club, which opened this week.

The new condos will be minutes from Midtown, Downtown and Buckhead; they are between the new IKEA store and the retail and entertainment district of the ATLANTIC STATION® community, which are both under construction. When complete, the retail and entertainment area will have a movie theatre, a grocery store, restaurants and world-class shopping. When fully completed, ATLANTIC STATION® will feature 12 million square feet of retail, office, residential and hotel space.

Plans were recently announced to build the seven-story “Millennium Gate” arch in Commons Park, across the street from “element.” It will be one of the largest pieces of public art in the metro area.

Potential buyers and brokers who are interested in pre-sale appointments can sign up online now at www.elementatlanta.com.

[ascommunity.com]

Just posted some new images of the progress at Atlantic Station.

http://www.ascommunity.com/pictures/112004/index.htm

Enjoy!

--Joey

[niff]

Thanks :)

[Teshadoh]

And I was ready to go shopping there this weekend - damn, I have to stick to Buckhead for another year ;)

[Stratosphere 2020]

I am impressed some very good quality stores and eateries are coming to Atlantic station. Hopefully that will be one busy entertainment district of Atlanta.

[KevinAtl]

Lane Company to Break Ground on New Apartments at ATLANTIC STATION® Community

New Development Will be Firm’s Fourth at Live/Work/Play Community


Atlanta, GA (November 18, 2004) – Lane Company announced today that it will build its fourth development in the ATLANTIC STATION® redevelopment. It is preparing to break ground on a new apartment community.

The new development will have 242 units, at a construction cost of $31 million. The firm expects to break ground by Dec. 1. The first units should be competed by early in 2006, with completion slated for late Spring of that year. The name of the project is yet to be determined.

This is Lane Company’s fourth development at the ATLANTIC STATION® redevelopment. All of Lane’s projects to date, including this one, surround Commons Park, which is the largest park in the area.

Lane’s other projects at the ATLANTIC STATION® redevelopment include:
• Park District Apartments
• “element” – a condominium community which went on sale only a month ago and is almost sold out
• Art Foundry condominium, which is now sold out.

[jason21atl]

Does anyone know what this complex will look like? How many floors it will be? Architecture type? etc?

[martarider]

Wow, this place is filling in faster than I expected.

BTW what's going to be in the upper floors of the retail buildings? I thought it was going to be residential units, but I haven't been aware of any marketing or publicity for them...

[niff]

Whoa, another one? They just announced element no more than a month or two ago. I guess this fills up the last quadrant of the commons area. Are there any other large areas to build on? I know there are a few smaller spots left [hopefully for more virtical development ;) ].

[(four 0 four)]

Wasn't the planned build-out for this 10-15 YEARS...did they change that to MONTHS? Maybe instead, they plan on tearing down the 1st phases of residential (just before they fall down) in 8-10 years and replacing it with all new stuff, thereby sticking to the original schedule.
In the retail area, the daily progress is astounding, we'll be shopping in the big blue Ikea before you know it! It's hard to believe how much different the view is when you come around the corner on I-85S.

[niff]

Well, I'm sure it will be a while before they build out all the office space, but everything else seems to be going quite fast now.

Yeah, I can't wait to see the new view from 85 the next time I'm down there.

[martarider]

Rendering of the the new Lane development in today's Horizon section, print edition only. Here's a scan:

http://www.pbase.com/martarider/image/36680069.jpg

[jason21atl]

Looks like it should be a nice looking project. Have they released a name for it yet?

[GNofAtlanta]

A practical pond
Atlantic Station makes a retention facility a focal point instead of hiding it

By STACY SHELTON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/01/04


Terms not to use when selling real estate: Storm drains, retention ponds, drainage ditches.

Unless you're selling at the rising Atlantic Station, where the storm pond is a focal point of the instant upscale community of condominiums, apartments, townhomes, high-rise offices and stores.

Brian Leary, vice president, design and development for Atlantic Station, said a decision was made years ago to combine a place to store storm water with a water feature that will be pleasing to the eye.

The spot is called Commons Park and includes a historic smokestack that hearkens back to the site's steel mill beginnings.

The pond, a drainage area that collects rainwater as it runs off streets and rooftops, is surrounded by landscaped greenery and a sidewalk.

A steel and wooden footbridge crosses it.

Most developments, from shopping malls to office parks, hide their storm water by burying it in a vault, or draining it into a fenced-in, overgrown pit.

Brian Leary, vice president of design and development for Atlantic Station, said a pond-like feature was drawn in the sketches from the start about seven years ago.

In working with federal and state environmental regulators and their own environmental scientist, the developers decided to combine their desire for a water feature with the need for a place to store storm water.

"We said, 'Let's combine the two and really celebrate this,' " Leary said. "We went out of our way to bring people down to the edge of the lake. It's an amazing component of our whole public space and quality-of-life plan."

Leary said the drainage pond is big enough to hold a 100-year storm.

For now, construction activity on the 138-acre site is painting the pond a muddy, brownish orange.

Condominiums and apartments surrounding Commons Park are selling fast, Leary said

[jobe]

I'm not much for the Lane designs. I can get those at any Post apartment complex. I prefer the high-rise design. And I also like the idea of being able to take advantage of those hotel amenities at Twelve.