Midtown Atlanta News and Events Archives

Atlanta Arts Festival Midtown Atlanta GA September 17-18, 2011

September 15, 2011 by Thom Abbott

Atlanta Arts Festival Midtown Atlanta One of the great things about Midtown Atlanta, and the Greater Atlanta Metro area, is our festivals. If you are a festivholic (I made that one up!) then you can get your fix in the Atlanta area. From Spring to Fall, we’ve got ’em all. Festivals that is. And this weekend brings you the Atlanta Arts Festival in Midtown Atlanta GA at Piedmont Park!

If you did not have a chance to get out and about the U.S. this summer, then you can find treasures from across the state as some 200 artists display their talents, all in Midtown Atlanta’s back yard, Piedmont Park. This is the 5th year for this event which is for both the art collector with a big wallet and those that might just be starting to find that right piece for their Midtown Atlanta Condominium. Other attendees can simply fill their weekend with entertainment (and people watching…my total favorite)

The Midtown Atlanta Arts Festival, LLC was founded by Julie Johnston Tepp with the goal of contributing to the cultural life of the community, specifically by producing a quality fine art/fine craft Festival. Tepp has some experience behind her, having served on the Dogwood Festival Committee for some 9 years prior to this festival.

The Artist’s Market will be open on Saturday from 10am-7pm and on Sunday from 10am – 6pm. For more of a complete information here is the Atlanta Arts Festival Midtown Atlanta schedule.

Here is a map of the festival, centered around the Active Oval in Piedmont Park.

Atlanta Arts Festival Midtown Atlanta Site Map

Thom Abbott Midtown Atlanta For More Information on how we can best serve your Midtown Atlanta Real Estate needs, please fill out the online contact form or call us at 770.713.1505.

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Promenade II Midtown Office Tower Goes On The Market

September 5, 2011 by Thom Abbott

Promenade II Midtown Atlanta Georgia Office buildings in Midtown Atlanta seem to be some of the real estate that is moving. Recently, Dewberry Capital purchased the former Bell South headquarters building, Campanile, at 14th and Peachtree Streets, and has since signed on Sun Trust Bank as a major tenant.

Now, Promenade II, a 38-story office tower located between 14th and 15th Streets is up For Sale.

The building which is owned by Charter Hall Office REIT, is under contract to Beacon Capital Partners LLC of Boston. Beacon will try to sell Promenade II since Atlanta is not one of its core markets, real estate observers have noted. Bids are expected to reach $150 per sq. ft or around $116 million.

The building has also been known as the AT & T building, and was originally part of a plan to build two additional towers on the adjoining land. The two other towers, of 48 and 58 stories, were never built due to the collapse of the commercial real estate market in the early 1990s. (We’ve heard THAT story before!)

Let’s see who the new owner is and what the plan will be for Promenade II, a Midtown Atlanta landmark.

Thom Abbott Midtown Atlanta For More Information on how we can best serve your Midtown Atlanta Real Estate needs, please fill out the online contact form or call us at 770.713.1505.

For a Quick Look at Midtown Atlanta Condominiums:

Midtown Atlanta High Rise Condominiums

Midtown Atlanta Mid Rise Condominiums

Perhaps you are interested in Historic Midtown? Take a look at Homes For Sale In Historic Midtown Atlanta

Midtown Restaurant Week – August 27- September 4, 2011

September 1, 2011 by Thom Abbott

Midtown Restaurant Week

It is Thursday, but you still have FOUR days to enjoy Midtown Restaurant Week. It started this past Saturday and runs through Sunday, September 4, 2011.

Restaurant week events are always a great opportunity to check out restaurants you might not otherwise visit, be it price or location. But when you can get a 3 course meal for either $25 or $35, what ARE you waiting for?

Here is a list of your choice of restaurants. You’ve got 4 nights left…you better start making some reservations! Don’t let Midtown Restaurant Week pass you by!

Atlanta Regional Transportation Project List Selected

August 16, 2011 by Thom Abbott

Light Rail Train I’ve been watching this process with great interest. The Atlanta Regional Transporation Project List appeared on the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The paper featured a week long series about the region and our dire need for a comprehensive transportation plan for the Metro Atlanta area. The city is far behind cities like Denver, Houston and Charlotte and could “choke” on its own growth if solutions are not found for the growing traffic problems we face.

The group consists of five mayors and county commissioners from across the Atlanta region, and agreed to a history making list of $6.14 billion list of of transportation projects. These projects would be paid for by a new 1 percent sales tax which voters will vote on next year.

The Atlanta Regional Transportation List:

Atlanta- Beltline, likely streetcars, consisting of several sections $602 million

Cherokee- Widening GA 140 (Hickory Flat Highway) $190 million
Clayton County- Turning Tara Boulevard into a “super arterial,” $130 million
Cobb County- Atlanta (Midtown) to Cumberland Mall area, possible light rail, $856.5 million
DeKalb County- Clifton Corridor MARTA route to Emory University, $700 million
Douglas County- Widening Lee Road/South Sweetwater Road from I-20 West to U.S. 78, $18.9 million
Fayette County- Widening GA 85 from Bernhard Road to Grady Avenue, $24million
Fulton County- Improvements for the interchange of I-285 at GA 400, $450 million
Gwinnett County- Sugarloaf Parkway Extension from GA 316 to GA 20 (Buford Drive) $296 million
Henry County – Widening North McDonough Road from Bill Gardner Parkway to Racetrack Road, $48 million
Rockdale County- Widening and improvements for Sigman Road from Lester Road to Dogwood Connector, $30 million

The challenge here lies in getting the REGION to understand we need to make improvements, and that this list is trying to “spread the wealth” around so that projects are not focused in any one specific part of the Metro Atlanta area. Most people can read this list and know what project might impact their commute the most, yet other people will have no earthly idea where Sigman Road or Tara Blvd may be.

Now will come the marketing and sales part to get the voters to understand the impact of approving, or more importantly, NOT approving these projects and the sales tax that will fund them.

2012 is going to be a very important year all the way around.

Mingle In Midtown –Midtown Neighbors’ Association August 11 6-8:30pm

August 9, 2011 by Thom Abbott

I’d love to see my friends and neighbors out a this event! You don’t often get access to The Peachtree Club, so a camera might be in order!

MNA Mingle In Midtown

City Hall East to Get New Life as Ponce City Market

July 1, 2011 by Thom Abbott

You’ve heard the saying, “music to my ears…” Well, this announcement is certainly one of them. An Atlanta landmark of sorts seems to be on the verge of a new life, and one that could be an amazing addition to the Midtown/Old Fourth Ward area. If it’s done right.

If you have ever been to New York City and visited the Chelsea Street Market….then you can certainly imagine MY excitement about this massive redevelopment of the old Sears Roebuck & Company building, also known as City Hall East.

City Hall East to Get New Life as Ponce City Market

Ponce City Market at City Hall East Jamestown and its subsidiary Green Street Properties are about to close on the purchase of this mammoth 2-million sq. ft building. A visit to the Jamestown Properties website would certainly make you think they are indeed the company with the vision and the money to make such a transition a reality. Indeed, it’s possible. If it’s done right.

Unveiled at the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas in May, plans call for some 236,000 square feet of retail space and 21,000 square feet for restaurants. These plans include a “food hall” that would become the focal point of the Ponce City Market. So what could Midtown Atlanta residents hope for in the way of retail?

A look at the retail in Chelsea Market does not show any of those big box guys, but an eclectic mix of shops….just what the doctor ordered for the ailing retail segment of Midtown/Old Fourth Ward. I visited Chelsea Market when I was in New York City in December…it was awesome to say the least.

But, and there is always a but. Chelsea Market is in the heart of ultra density….Manhattan. ~~City Hall East~~ Let’s start calling it the new name, Ponce City Market sits on the edge of Midtown Atlanta and the edge of Old Fourth Ward. With the exception of a couple apartment buildings, it’s not at all a walkable destination for Midtown Atlanta condominium residents…or even Historic Midtown. (Can you say….CAR?) It does however, sit alongside the Beltline, a 22-mile loop of railroad tracks that are to be transformed into a transit/bike/walking ring around the city, connecting to multi-use developments….like Ponce City Market. The other “but” is the developer’s deep pockets. And that works two ways. One, they have the money to develop the Market, and sit on it. “But” they also have the money to help subsidize rents to get the place filled up, vibrant and happening, and then be able to move rents up, hopefully not running tenants out of business before they can become established.

Plans also call for office tenants that want true loft space for their offices. The building can offer up to 100,000 square foot plates for such, and also offer skyline views of Midtown and Downtown Atlanta.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one and let’s hope it’s a winner. No timeline for completion was listed in the information I found. Here is a photo I snapped while attending the dedication of the Historic Fourth Ward Park. City Hall East a.k.a. Ponce City Market is the huge brick building to the right.

Ponce City Market and Historic Fourth Ward Park

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