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Atlanta Condos For Sale

How do Buildings in Midtown Get Developed?

June 15, 2022 by Thom Abbott

Midtown Owners Manual Midtown Alliance

Midtown Owners Manual for Developers

I’ve been selling real estate in Midtown Atlanta since 2004. I’ve seen some pretty dramatic changes to the landscape over those years…and I think there may still be a few exciting new things in the future. As you walk down the street, you might be wondering, how some decisions were made with regard to a particular building. And you are having an interaction with that building as you look at it, or even visit a retail establishment or enter the actual lobby of the building. And it could be a residential (condominium) building, a student-focused apartment building (think University House, SQ5, The Mark) or one of the numerous office towers that dot the skyline. 

Atlanta has not had much of a flair to make their skyline stand out. Sure, you can pick up various buildings in various locations, but that’s the thing…they are all over the place. You have Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, the Perimeter ( think Perimeter Mall area) and then the Cumberland/Galleria area. If all the buildings from those areas were grouped together say Downtown to Midtown, you could have a pretty cool looking skyline. But developers in Atlanta seem to like the 4 squares of glass. Many of the newer construction buildings are lack-luster…in my opinion. Go to a city like Miami and the skyline will blow you away. It’s like each developer it trying to outdo the last one. Sure, they have oceans and bays for views, so they have amazing balconies on all the buildings. (If you notice, in Atlanta, balconies are often pretty small…almost an after thought. 1010 Midtown and Plaza Midtown are an exception) 

But all of this goes through a pretty extensive design review process through the City of Atlanta, and in Midtown specifically, you have the Midtown Alliance and their Design Review Committee (DRC). And they have a pretty good road map for any developer to follow….but they don’t really say “hey, would you make something that will WOW us?” Mind you, I’m a residential real estate broker, not a developer or builder. So I will be the first to admit I’m lacking in knowledge on this type of construction and all that goes into it. But, I can say, if I was building a building, I’d want it to be one that people driving on the Downtown Connector would go, WOW, WHAT BUILDING IS THAT! 

But to help you understand some of the guidelines that the DRC works with, and expects developers to follow, take a look at the Midtown Owners Manual for Developers. It’s a pretty cool online book that will give you some insight into the design goals for Midtown Atlanta. 

And maybe, just maybe one day, you’ll see that 40 story building go up, be it residential or office…and you will go WOW! I know I’m waiting. 

Filed Under: Atlanta Relocation, Blog, Midtown Atlanta, Midtown Atlanta Apartments, Midtown Atlanta Condos For Rent, Midtown Atlanta News and Events, Midtown Photos, Random Topics Tagged With: Atlanta Condominiums, atlanta relocation, Condominiums, Intown Atlanta Real Estate, midtown atlanta real estate, odds and ends, personal thoughts, So You Know

StreetLights Residential Proposes 26-story Tower at Juniper and 5th

June 12, 2019 by Thom Abbott

Another corner of Midtown seems to be headed to the winds of change…..StreetLights Residential Proposes 26-story Tower at Juniper and 5th!!

New apartment tower at St. MarksFirst, to give you your bearings as to where we are talking about, take a look at the map to the right….

There may be one house in the blue square (at the bottom) that may not be part of the site. 

This building will rise up some 299 “market-rate” residential units (would this mean a potential change to For Sale inventory would be possible?) over a seven-level parking deck to house some 568 parking spaces. It’s worthy to note that 150 spaces will be assigned to the adjacent St. Mark Church. There will also be a very modest 4,000 sq. ft of retail space.

The project went through the Midtown Alliance’s Midtown Development Review Committee this week. The DRC has some recommendations…

  • Moving the retail space to the corner of Juniper and 5th to take advantage of the pedestrian traffic along 5th Street
  • “strengthening the exterior design features” and work with the Atlanta City Design Studio due to the size of the building and the location next to the church. 

Here is the initial drawing of the building….(dwarfs the church for sure!)

 

Streetlights Midtown Apartment Proposal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Currently on the site you will find….

Juniper and 5th Apartment Building

The DRC report indicates the applicant will be back for another review after the above items have been addressed. 

Stay tuned! 

You can read the Midtown DRC report HERE! 

Filed Under: Atlanta Real Estate For Sale Or Rent, Atlanta Relocation, Blog, Midtown Atlanta, Midtown Atlanta Apartments, Midtown Atlanta News and Events Tagged With: atlanta relocation, midtown atlanta apartments, midtown atlanta real estate, News

The Mark at Atlanta Will Bring More Student Apartments to Midtown

November 15, 2017 by Thom Abbott

Student Housing The Mark at AtlantaAnother proposed apartment building will offer more off-campus apartments for students at Georgia Tech, and possibly SCAD. The Mark at Atlanta will eat up some more surface parking as well as three buildings. 

Landmark Properties and City Life Development Partners have proposed a 28-story apartment building at the corner of Spring and 10th Streets. This is across the street from Hanover West Midtown (once upon a time the Checker’s Drive In Restaurant). This new site is a surface parking lot, Domino’s Pizza, a small old apartment building and a doctor’s office. (See Map elsewhere in this article) 

The Mark at Atlanta will have 18 floors of residences, 9 levels of parking for 380 cars and street-level retail on 10th Street as well as Spring Street. (And people said nothing will happen on Spring Street…..yeah!) 

This building will join SQ5 and University House that have already been built just South of this site…and further South, the under-construction The Standard. There is some market for student housing obviously in the Georgia Tech area. 

Aqua Condos and The Mark at Atlanta
Aqua “04” Balconies on the left corner

While further from the SCAD campus, it might offer housing options for those students as well. 

What will be challenging, is the residents that live in Aqua Condominiums, just next door. For those that own one of the “04” Stack on the West side of the building…their balconies will pretty much look right into this building! Yikes! But, I’ve always told condo buyers, that as long as there are vacant lots, or low-rise businesses on a site, they are prime to be taken for future development. And now we see it once again!

With Aqua being 25 stories, and the new building at 28, they will be neck and neck. The new site has slope to it, so the actual line-up between the two buildings remains to be seen. 

The project came back through the Midtown Alliance’s Design Review Committee (DRC) on November 14, 2017. The notes from their second review of the project:

The Midtown Development Review Committee (DRC) saw a follow-up presentation for a student housing project proposed by CityLife Development Partners and Landmark Development. “The Mark at Atlanta” was presented previously in October and the committee requested more information related to the retail layout on 10th Street and the vehicular access and loading on Peachtree Place. They also recommended that the developer meet with residents of the adjacent condo tower, Aqua, to discuss concerns related to access and quality of life issues such as noise and site lines into the parking structure.  Since then, the development team made significant strides in addressing all identified concerns apart from the main sticking point involving a proposed curb cut on 10th Street. The DRC was not supportive of a variation to allow the curb cut on 10th Street due to the negative impact it would have on traffic flow along this corridor and the potential for traffic and pedestrian conflicts given its proximity to an existing curb cut on the adjacent property.  Further, 10th Street is viewed as a preferred location for retail and restaurant space and removing the curb cut allows more opportunity to activate the street level with those types of uses.  The committee recommended an alternative location for the curb cut on Spring Street. The development team is exploring this option and other modifications and intends to proceed with an electronic review before the end of the year.

 

Map of The Mark at Atlanta Building Site

Filed Under: Georgia Tech, Interesting Stories, Midtown Atlanta Apartments, Random Topics Tagged With: georgia tech housing, Georgia Tech News

Food Halls and Apartments – Can Atlanta BE Creative?

October 24, 2017 by Thom Abbott

NOTE:  This is an editorial-type blog post….with my thoughts. 

Food Halls and Apartments – Can Atlanta BE Creative?

Food Halls in Midtown AtlantaI have numerous sources of information that I review daily. I find articles that I think MY readers will find of interest, and I use social media to share them….Facebook, Facebook Business, Instagram and Twitter. It’s not all about real estate, but about the lifestyle in the markets or communities I serve. I want you to know that I’m knowledgeable, but also that I can share with you the cool things about why you should, or would want, to live there.

Apartment Construction MidtownAnd I look at the big picture. Like the Midtown Skyline with its square buildings. Seriously!! Look at most of the buildings being built now. Square, glass blocks. Nothing creative. Well maybe NCR. But the rest of them. Certainly nothing to drewl over. Gosh, if I was a developer, I’d be asking my architect to design me a building that when people were driving the Downtown Connector and looking at the skyline, they would be saying, “WOW…look at that building!” 

Currently, Atlanta (in general) is all about Food Halls and Apartments. It’s our rage, if you will. A Food Hall will anchor the redevelopment of Colony Square. A Food Hall will be part of the CODA building near GATech. A food hall even way out in Alpharetta at some development who’s name escapes me at the moment. 

Everywhere you look…you see those cranes? 90% of them are building FOR RENT apartments, not anything you can buy. I always wonder what that does to a community? So many residents with no “roots?” Do you HAVE to own a home or condo to have roots in a community? I suppose not, but I certainly think you have a more vested interest in a community when you “own” a part of it. 

So when will Atlanta hit the “apartment crash?” I mean, it really has to be coming. It’s not like we have an Amazon moving to Atlanta every month….and so many jobs to provide the people to fill all these apartments? But, I guess the developers know better than I, right? Ah…not so fast. 

I can remember standing on Peachtree Street looking North and saying, “all this construction is great, but where are all the people coming from to buy all these condos?” And a year or so later…well…you know how that story ended. 

How come we can’t create something unique? I read once that Yumbi was going to open a restaurant in a shipping container....never saw it happen. Are we becoming a boring place to be? I’d like to think not…with all the cool tech start-ups and all that are happening in Midtown. 

I just wonder where the next Food Hall or apartment building will be.

Colony Square Announces Plans for Main and Main

THE COLLECTIVE, ATLANTA’S LATEST FOOD HALL

Filed Under: Atlanta Relocation, Midtown Atlanta Apartments, Midtown Photos, Midtown Restaurants and Business, Random Topics Tagged With: atlanta relocation, Intown Atlanta Real Estate, News, odds and ends

Harry’s Caravaca Market To Open Spring 2017 at Trace Midtown

September 1, 2016 by Thom Abbott

Harry’s Caravaca Market To Open Spring 2017 at Trace Midtown

Do you even remember when it looked like this?

Trace Midtown Peachtree 5th Street

Fast forward to 2016, and that green space that once was, has become Trace Midtown, an apartment building with 290 homes and a unique restaurant space that fronts Peachtree Street.

Caravaca Market will take that space, come Spring, 2017!! The restaurant/urban market concept will occupy some 5,981 sq.ft. and include an “urban market,” bakery, cafe, wine shop and craft beer bar. (This could be nice!) The restaurant is from chef and TV host, Harry Pagancross. 

This will certainly bring to life a dead block along Peachtree Street, although many dog walkers I’m sure are missing all that green space that once was. We’ll be looking for the opening of this space next year! Stay tuned!

You can see a rendering of the restaurant at WhatNowAtlanta.com 

Harry's Caravaca Market Trace Midtown
Trace Midtown Under Construction

Filed Under: Blog, Midtown Atlanta Apartments, Midtown Restaurants and Business Tagged With: midtown atlanta apartments, Midtown Atlanta Business, Midtown Atlanta Restaurants

Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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