ATLANTA | Construction Thread V

[bigstick]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

When they open up their checkbook, they can build one.

I agree, I have some friends that have never even been in the dome.

[hamster]

Originally Posted by bigstick

GDOT must have been on acid when they built this, it should have been done then.

Now is better than never. The worst congestion is 400 southbound to Sidney Marcus /85 northbound.

To understand what happened I would recommend reading the freeway revolts in the wiki link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_State_Route_400

There was a lot of opposition to building 400 though the middle of secluded Buckhead neighborhoods. The Buckhead Financial Center above 400 was built in an attempt to kill the road project. the incomplete 85/400 interchange was a result of community opposition. Higher traffic volume, keeping the toll booths, and less community opposition on the 400 corridor makes completing the 85/400 interchange necessary and achievable today.

Now if they can only add grade seperation or an interchange at boulevard and freedom parkway.

[Curious Atlantan]

Originally Posted by hamster

Now if they can only add grade seperation or an interchange at boulevard and freedom parkway.

Whaa, are you CRAZY? I own Condesa Coffee right at that intersection. A grade separated interchange would destroy my business and the fragile community that is slowly building in O4W!

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

When they open up their checkbook, they can build one.

Aren't they doing just that? From what I read in the above post they are financing a huge chunk of the cost.

[themaguffin]

Aren't they doing just that? From what I read in the above post they are financing a huge chunk of the cost.

I don't know, but all that I had read in recent months indicated they were asking for one to built, not saying that they were going to build one.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

Aren't they doing just that? From what I read in the above post they are financing a huge chunk of the cost.

Unfortunately, people like to complain without reading. If they read the article posted it says the Falcons will contribute $700+ million towards the project.

[atlantaguy]

Originally Posted by hamster

There was a lot of opposition to building 400 though the middle of secluded Buckhead neighborhoods. The Buckhead Financial Center above 400 was built in an attempt to kill the road project.

This is absolutely not true at all. The Atlanta Financial Center was originally constructed with the tunnels for 400 already in place. There was never a plan to block the highway with this building, they embraced it and planned for it from the beginning.

[themaguffin]

nfortunately, people like to complain without reading. If they read the article posted it says the Falcons will contribute $700+ million towards the project.

Oh yes contribute to

And where exactly does the other $300 million come from (it will cost more than $950 million to complete the project, we can all acknowledge that right?)

[DPC]

Originally Posted by micropundit

The Atlanta Falcons and Georgia World Congress Center Authority reached consensus that it makes more financial and logistical sense to build one new $948 million football stadium with a retractable roof than to retrofit the Georgia Dome.Ideally, the report said, the Falcons want a new 1.8 million-square-foot stadium with 66,000 to 72,000 seats and the ability to expand to up to 80,000 seats for special events.



They also suggested a new location just south of the Georgia Dome may be favored for the new stadium.

The two discussed the options Wednesday at a GWCCA meeting that featured a cost analysis from Kansas City, Mo.-based sports and entertainment architecture firm Populous.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/n...ium-would.html

I wish they would move the stadium to the suburbs and develop the land it sits on into a mixed use urban neighborhood. Basketball/Hockey arenas or baseball stadiums can anchor urban neighborhoods because of the amount of games and the mix of uses they can provide. Football stadiums do not provide that same opportunity. They also require too much parking which is bad for an urban environment. I think putting the stadium out in the suburbs would free up that section of downtown to be developed. I know it's not going to happen but we are so behind in density to other cities and that is prime real estate. We could build our first row house neighborhood for instance which would transition into downtown and seemlessly connect to the conference center. We could develop all the parking lots around that area and make a very dense walkable neighborhood with retail along the main boulevards and an extensive street grid. The Washington DC convention center is built like that and there is absolutely no surface or garage parking around it. It's in the middle of the city and people take the train to events. We could accomplish the same thing here I believe.

[patrick84]

^^^ The dome actually hosts a signifcant amount of events just beyond football games, as evidenced here http://www.gadome.com/booking/Calendar.aspx. The article also discusses how the direct competition with the idea of two stadiums would not be good for either owning party.

Additionally, DC's convention center was developed out of limited land contraints and the cost to actually expand out. Atlanta does not, and will not have that problem for a long, long time. Until the cost of land rises - significantly - nothing is going to change the logistics and "business sense of " outward expansion when compared to upward or creative expansion ideas. And just for thought... DC's old convention center was imploded in 2004 and is currently a surface parking lot with a Cirque Tent on it... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_...vention_Center.

[DPC]

Originally Posted by patrick84

^^^ The dome actually hosts a signifcant amount of events just beyond football games, as evidenced here http://www.gadome.com/booking/Calendar.aspx. The article also discusses how the direct competition with the idea of two stadiums would not be good for either owning party.

Additionally, DC's convention center was developed out of limited land contraints and the cost to actually expand out. Atlanta does not, and will not have that problem for a long, long time. Until the cost of land rises - significantly - nothing is going to change the logistics and "business sense of " outward expansion when compared to upward or creative expansion ideas. And just for thought... DC's old convention center was imploded in 2004 and is currently a surface parking lot with a Cirque Tent on it... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_...vention_Center.

Actually, I was just in DC and they are building the biggest mixed use development in the country right now from what I was told on the old convention center space. It is called City Center DC and it had 7 tower cranes above it. It was MASSIVE! It will be done in 2013.
http://www.citycenterdc.com

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Oh yes contribute to

And where exactly does the other $300 million come from (it will cost more than $950 million to complete the project, we can all acknowledge that right?)

Not trying to continue arguing about financing a new stadium, but surely you would agree that contributing $700 million is "opening up their checkbook"?

$300 million is a steal for a stadium with a retractable roof...I imagine that the city can effectively collect the hotel tax to pay less than 1/3 of the cost of a hot new stadium for it's football team. There is also a lot of $ available from an NFL program (I think $200 million?) in matching funds as long as the team or owner contributes at least that much - which would apply in this case.

I personally like the Georgia Dome and would like to see it used for 20 more years, but that doesn't seem feasible in today's world.

[TarHeelJ]

Originally Posted by DPC

I wish they would move the stadium to the suburbs and develop the land it sits on into a mixed use urban neighborhood. Basketball/Hockey arenas or baseball stadiums can anchor urban neighborhoods because of the amount of games and the mix of uses they can provide. Football stadiums do not provide that same opportunity. They also require too much parking which is bad for an urban environment. I think putting the stadium out in the suburbs would free up that section of downtown to be developed. I know it's not going to happen but we are so behind in density to other cities and that is prime real estate. We could build our first row house neighborhood for instance which would transition into downtown and seemlessly connect to the conference center. We could develop all the parking lots around that area and make a very dense walkable neighborhood with retail along the main boulevards and an extensive street grid. The Washington DC convention center is built like that and there is absolutely no surface or garage parking around it. It's in the middle of the city and people take the train to events. We could accomplish the same thing here I believe.

For some reason I don't think anyone will be lining up to buy a rowhouse next to the GWCC - not an optimal place to live.

The parking for the Falcons stadium and other events is already in place and mostly underground, and there is a MARTA stop right next door that is heavily used for games and events. It would be horrible to move the stadium out of downtown...there is plenty of other space where central Atlanta can densify other than that area, so there is no need to kick one of downtown's main attractions out to the burbs.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by Curious Atlantan

Whaa, are you CRAZY? I own Condesa Coffee right at that intersection. A grade separated interchange would destroy my business and the fragile community that is slowly building in O4W!

Where is the "Like" button? Lol.

I completely agree with you. In fact, the official "plan" in Connect Atlanta is to eventually remove the bridge at Hilliard Street at some future time and make that portion of Freedom Parkway more of an at-grade boulevard that blends seamlessly into Downtown - not a highway.

[AtlantaMustang]

Construction Update:

10th and Williams:


SkyHouse:




77 12th:




Skyhouse and 77 12th:


Taken today by me

[TarHeelJ]

Thanks for the update Mustang!

[bigstick]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

Thanks for the update Mustang!

Great pics, thanks...........

[DPC]

Originally Posted by TarHeelJ

For some reason I don't think anyone will be lining up to buy a rowhouse next to the GWCC - not an optimal place to live.

The parking for the Falcons stadium and other events is already in place and mostly underground, and there is a MARTA stop right next door that is heavily used for games and events. It would be horrible to move the stadium out of downtown...there is plenty of other space where central Atlanta can densify other than that area, so there is no need to kick one of downtown's main attractions out to the burbs.

Sigh...I guess you are right although I don't know if I would call that area downtown based on it's built environment. It's considered downtown but it sure doesn't look like it. There is nothing but open space all around the Georgia Dome. I was thinking what a great urban neighborhood that could be if redeveloped. I was thinking about a complete revamp of that entire area with a major street grid and luxury row houses. There is so much land in that area from the dome to the parking lots that it could hold close to 2,000 row house units probably. That is what they have done in many blighted neighborhoods in other cities that needed redeveloping. The metro station being there is the reason I brought it up because neighborhoods like this one aren't supposed to be car oriented. I guess it's a super long shot but it would instantly be our most urban neighborhood.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Oh yes contribute to

And where exactly does the other $300 million come from (it will cost more than $950 million to complete the project, we can all acknowledge that right?)

The $300 million will come from proceeds from the Hotel / Motel Tax levied by localities through out the state, in this case paying back bonds used to finance the city's portion of the stadium. I know many businesses downtown, including the hotels, that make a lot of money off events held at the Georgia Dome (and soon to be new stadium). I've seen statistics, and I can dig them up if you'd like, but the Georgia Dome & GWCC contribute something like $2 billion to the local economy yearly and Atlanta directly makes $200,000,000 per year. I know a lot of that might be simply from the GWCC, but I imagine a decent portion is from the stadium (whether it be the Georgia Dome or a new stadium), so a $300,000,000 investment is paltry for the return, especially considering you're going to pay that investment back with a tax on the hotels that make money off of these events.

[ATL_J]

Originally Posted by DPC

Sigh...I guess you are right although I don't know if I would call that area downtown based on it's built environment. It's considered downtown but it sure doesn't look like it. There is nothing but open space all around the Georgia Dome. I was thinking what a great urban neighborhood that could be if redeveloped. I was thinking about a complete revamp of that entire area with a major street grid and luxury row houses. There is so much land in that area from the dome to the parking lots that it could hold close to 2,000 row house units probably. That is what they have done in many blighted neighborhoods in other cities that needed redeveloping. The metro station being there is the reason I brought it up because neighborhoods like this one aren't supposed to be car oriented. I guess it's a super long shot but it would instantly be our most urban neighborhood.

Have you seen all the renderings / project land uses for the gulch, multi-modal station, and that whole area? I can dig them up if you'd like, but that area (the gulch and the immediate area surrounding the GWCC & future stadium) has plans to be redeveloped.