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Another Tower for the Mile
Lutheran worshippers support mixed-used tower
By KEVIN DUFFY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/06/07
A Midtown church and a developer have formed an unusual partnership to do a master plan for a key Peachtree Street location that would include building a mixed-use tower.
Congregants at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer voted Sunday to enter into an agreement with CRB Realty to sell more than an acre at 4th and Peachtree streets, just north of the Fox Theater.
Louie Favorite/AJC
(ENLARGE)
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer has an agreement to sell land where a mixed-use tower will be built.
CRB plans to erect a highrise up to 40 stories tall with space for 40,000 square feet of retail, a boutique hotel, offices, and luxury apartments or condos.
CRB also will work with the church to fund an overall development plan for the entire 3-plus acres the church has owned along Peachtree. The planning will include the acreage CRB wants to buy on the north side of 4th, plus the land across the street where the church building is located.
Pastor Michael Foss said the church's support of vertical development means it's committed to having a significant profile in Midtown.
"Our mission to make disciples for Jesus Christ in the 21st century will be enhanced by this partnership, the dedicated planning and the opportunity to bolster our presence on Peachtree," Foss said.
He said the church can become a landmark even in a neighborhood of tall buildings. Look at the skating rink at Rockefeller Center in New York, Foss said.
"Rockefeller Center is surrounded by very high buildings," Foss said. "Regardless of the elevation of the buildings around us, we can create that sense of place with the church as its center."
More than 500 church members took part in the partnership vote, and nearly 89 percent supported the idea, Foss said.
CRB President Scott Brown said the opportunity to master plan a sizable tract "in the heart of the Midtown Mile — that's extra significant." CRB has been involved in the development of Atlantic Station.
Susan Mendheim, president and CEO of the Midtown Alliance, called the proposed mixed-use tower and master plan "a homerun for the Midtown Mile."
The Midtown Mile is 14 blocks along the Peachtree Street corridor from North Avenue to 15th Street targeted for 1 million square feet of street-level retail development.
Tom Ventulett, a founding partner of Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates (TVS), will work on the master plan based on input from the church and CRB.
The plan is expected to be completed in a year. After that, construction of the tower can begin, provided church members are still supportive. The building could be finished in the fall of 2010.
TVS designed the Woodruff Arts Center and Technology Square in Midtown, the Georgia Aquarium downtown, and helped develop Atlantic Station's master plan.
CRB will pay $13 million for the church land, Brown said. Total investment in the 625,000-square-foot tower will be in the range of $150 million, he said.
Conceptual plans call for 150,000 square feet of office space and 200-250 condos or apartments.
Foss said the church doesn't have firm expansion plans yet. But its wish list includes possibly building additional space for worship and other functions, or a preschool that could evolve into an elementary school.
About 3,000 people worship at the 55-year-old church building.
"We are a growing, thriving church, and we're growing younger," Foss said. "We have a variety of dreams that we believe would be very positive for Midtown and for us."
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Or how about an urban, multi-story Home Depot?
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