Should Atlanta consider a "redo" of downtown rather than other projects? (rent, condo)

[atlantagreg30127]

Just curious as I sit here late at night and the sinus pills kick in and take me to my happy place.... I had some visitors/relatives come from out of town, and after having spend some time showing them around the downtown area, they were let's say, very unimpressed with certain aspects of it. Then the ideas started to flow.

We see pockets of development downtown in places like the Centennial Park area, and we hear about the Beltline project that will surround the city. But might it not be better to devote more energy and time to giving the entire downtown area a "redo"?

I'm talking about completely redoing the Five Points/Poplar areas and all side streets that connect it to Centennial Park. Tax incentives for shop owners to set up shop there, condo developers to put emphasis on smaller more affordable living/shopping/grocery development in the area, clean up the panhandler problem once and for all, etc. Not bandaids and patches here and there - a complete redo.

Let's not even compare what could be done to any other American City - let's look at this Vimeo video of Melbourne, Australia to see what CAN be done if you can actually get City leaders on an intelligent mindset with the will to do things RIGHT:

Melbourne: A Pedestrian Paradise on Vimeo

Just a thought.

[mike7586]

Fairlie Poplar has amazing potential to be so much more and Five Points/Underground desperately needs a redo and an increased police presence.

[RandyWatson13]

If it wasn't for GSU downtown would be damn near dead. GSU is really doing a great job expanding and trying to make downtown part of the appeal of going to school there.

The police have done a much better job with the park down there too, it used to be dominated by bums but today tons of people are relaxing in the park etc. The Starbucks on the corner there is always packed with tons of tables to sit outside.

A Cafe Intermezzo also opened downtown.

Shame the Macy's left and is another office.

The Hooters downtown has some beautiful women

You can see tons of people walking around Centennial, the stadiums etc. The hotels seem pretty busy. They seem to be do something to the sidewalk in front the old Golden Buddha which is now closed it seems.

The Glenn is always having something going on. Good food at the restaurant there too.

I honestly think it has potential because of GSU, tourists. Outside of that it seems to be a tough sell.

Maybe if they completely redid the rail area below the stadiums (proposed rail station etc) will it liven up.

[LynnHarris]

I totally agree that there needs to be some "redo" of existing properties downtown. As a corporate event planner, I am constantly questioned by out-of-town convention and tradeshow attendees about where to shop in downtown Atlanta after each event. Many cannot believe that a city the size (and reputation) of Atlanta does not have more of a "community feel" downtown and blocks of shopping. However, the number one question I asked by frequent out-of-town guests is "what happened to Macy's?"

[ATL Golfer]

There are too many bad areas of downtown for significant investment to make sense.

Enticing high rent / high investment projects, you have to get rid of the low rent element.

I'm sure some will view this as racists, but let me assure you it is not.

The absolute worst thing they could do is put in the casino that gets talked about from time to time.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by RandyWatson13

They seem to be do something to the sidewalk in front the old Golden Buddha which is now closed it seems.

What's going on there is a re-do of the sidewalks to make the area more pedestrian friendly. This has been going on all over downtown for the past few months. There are supposed to be more trees and planters throughout the area, so in a way, the area is undergoing a re-do.

Making Downtown Atlanta More Pedestrian-Friendly « Project for Public Spaces - Placemaking for Communities

[waronxmas]

Hasn't a redo of Downtown already been underway for the last 20 years or so?

The revitalization of Fairlie-Poplar, the building of Centennial Park, the investment of Georgia State in the area has reshaped Downtown in a significant way in the last two decades.

There are also several dozen projects planned or in progress to remake Downtown. Central Atlanta Progress | Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

It's just going to take time and money, but the desire is there and we're closer to accomplishing this than being further away from that goal than credit is given for.

[ATL Urbanist]

Yes, please! My family lives in a historic Fairlie Poplar building and we really love the immediate area around our home, but when we walk our son to Centennial Park to visit the playground, we have to trudge alongside masses of parking lots that make the area look very un-neighborhood-like and also make it dangerous to walk around (because of cars zooming in and out of the parking facilities).

I see huge potential for this area to become a nice residential/commercial/attraction mix if it could be properly developed. We moved down here last year from our Midtown home because we were coming downtown so often on the weekends -- it just made sense to relocate and to be closer to MARTA since we use it regularly.

I think that if there was a bigger residential population there could be better support for commercial growth. The last few decades have shown us that downtown Atlanta will not thrive if it is treated as a place for only temporary visits by conventioneers, office workers and patrons of attractions. There has to be a solid residential aspect to provide 'eyes on the street' for safety and to patronize local businesses during lags in visitor traffic.

A redo of those streets between Fairlie-Poplar and Centennial Park would be key for making this kind of positive change.

[ATL Urbanist]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

... clean up the panhandler problem once and for all, etc.

I wanted to post again and address this separately. The panhandler/vagrant/homeless presence downtown is a major reason that the area gets neglected, I think, when it comes to growth. As unpleasant as the surface parking lots and underused buildings are, there is no greater problem that I encounter as a downtowner than panhandlers and vagrants.

And I HATE calling people a "problem" btw. These are humans deserving of compassion and I immediately began a regular contribution to the Union Mission when I moved down here to be able to help. But there's no doubt that the homeless shelters that draw these people-in-need to this area in such numbers will always be a stumbling block for growth.

The AJC wrote last year that the only 5 shelters in the entire metro that cater to homeless single men are all concentrated in downtown Atlanta. Until that changes, progress on other fronts will continue to be slow.

[gumboula]

Originally Posted by ATL Urbanist

The AJC wrote last year that the only 5 shelters in the entire metro that cater to homeless single men are all concentrated in downtown Atlanta. Until that changes, progress on other fronts will continue to be slow.

As much as I hate to say it as well, this is a serious problem. The city should look at how other places have served the needs of the homeless without crippling the downtown. This is the only city I have lived in with as serious a vagrancy and panhandling problem (and I have lived in others with larger homeless populations).