Is Atlanta's Eyes Bigger than its Stomach? (Hapeville, Commerce: 2014, job market)

[FromGA]

waronxmas, tonygeorgia --
I dont think anyone predicted an "end" for Atlanta. I think ATL is too far diversified for that.

All anyone said is not to expect large flashy projects. I doubt a lot of speculative money is going to be pouring in.

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Are big projects getting built in other cities?

Not really other cities that are doing better economically are still going slowly because of the recession, example the trinity river project in DFW metroplex is going slower. And I’m glad you ask this, because saying Atlanta isn’t building much or staling development projects is giving a misleading perception as if the rest the country was.

Pessimists want it both ways, truth is Atlanta has been hit and we need to step are game up as a region. But making it seem like the rest of the country it just glamorous and the status quo for Atlanta is the normal in into future… it’s just funny and it speaks for it self. Dallas and Houston are doing well compared to other cities yet themselves too are underperforming there own ambiguous.

Meaning Dallas and Houston are doing better than Atlanta but they still aren’t doing good, to were they should be just like Atlanta isn't doing as well to where we should be. So if this is normal for Atlanta, is this normal for Dallas and Houston too? Not just Atlanta most of country hasn’t even hit "normal" yet, so how the hell is Atlanta reaching a "new bad" normal. I understand if most of the country was at normal employment levels and etc, and Atlanta is at the same place but there’s no premise for even thinking like that. All you can say is Atlanta recovering slower, Pessimists may put more emphasize on slower than recovering to the point recovering is drop.

Is America's Eyes Bigger than its Stomach? is more appropriated.

[arjay57]

We do have some big projects going. The former Streets of Buckhead, and several large apartment buildings in Midtown and Buckhead. A lot of our overbuilt capacity is being absorbed, too. I believe there's a good bit of additional activity going on just under the surface.

[FromGA]

New normal -
Johns Creek on Peachtree Pkwy/141 just south of McGinnis -- apartment compex being built on a section of land. The land has been empty for 3+ years, and the rest of the area is not being developed.

12th and Midtown -- there were 2-3 projects planned. The one coming up is the apartment complex.

Nothing wrong with this. I am renter for the last 3 years. And nothing wrong with the new normal either.

Smyrna: EastWest connector and South Cobb Drive -- the only thing that seems to have come up in a tract of empty land is some kind of medical clinic.

Even as there are green shoots in retail operations opening, there are businesses shutting down to equal that.

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by FromGA

New normal -
Johns Creek on Peachtree Pkwy/141 just south of McGinnis -- apartment compex being built on a section of land. The land has been empty for 3+ years, and the rest of the area is not being developed.

12th and Midtown -- there were 2-3 projects planned. The one coming up is the apartment complex.

Nothing wrong with this. I am renter for the last 3 years. And nothing wrong with the new normal either.

Smyrna: EastWest connector and South Cobb Drive -- the only thing that seems to have come up in a tract of empty land is some kind of medical clinic.

Even as there are green shoots in retail operations opening, there are businesses shutting down to equal that.

LAMO You didn't read my post did you? most projects across the country right now are being stalled or scaled back even places like Dallas and Houston. So is this the new normal for the rest of the country as well? or are we just coming out of a major recession and things are generally slow.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by arjay57

We do have some big projects going. The former Streets of Buckhead, and several large apartment buildings in Midtown and Buckhead. A lot of our overbuilt capacity is being absorbed, too. I believe there's a good bit of additional activity going on just under the surface.

But as you know Streets of Buckhead was stalled as well. I'm just worried that what it did was kill off something "organic", the Buckhead nightlife, and replace it with a sterile "big project". This is a scorched earth approach to remake something that wasn't really broke.

We had nothing to lose with Atlantic Station as it was an abandoned steel mill. The only problem with the comprehensiveness of its redevelopment is that it was a one shot deal and didn't allow for feedback and changes along the way. It was build it...and here it is.

The Beltline is another "Field of Dreams" approach. Namely "build it and they will come". What concerns me is that its structure is not supported by a road but rather light-rail. A light-rail line that doesn't really go anywhere that people need to go except by a literal round about way.

[FromGA]

Originally Posted by chiatldal

LAMO You didn't read my post did you? most projects across the country right now are being stalled or scaled back even places like Dallas and Houston. So is this the new normal for the rest of the country as well? or are we just coming out of a major recession and things are generally slow.

"New development" is a significant aspect of the Atlanta story. Not so in the northeast and west coast. So the impact of slower growth is felt more in metro Atlanta.

So we are lagging (by a little, or a lot - I dont know) sun belt leaders Dallas and Houston. (Houston is a more established city, so I dont think they are that dependent on growth?)

I think we are both saying the same thing. You are justifying Atlanta's slow down. I am saying that without the growth (and all the incomplete projects), Atlanta looks a lot less appealing. I think Atlanta grew well until the 2000s. I was surprised to know that UPS actually moved here from CT in the 90s (I was assuming UPS was homegrown). Home Depot, Turner, ..... (homegrown). During the 2000s I feel metro Atlanta could have done better (grow into a truly exciting place to live in) when there was still money available.

Coming up with names like "Midtown Mile" and "Rodeo Drive of the South" (Streets of Buckhead) after other cities -- I think that is sort of what the original article is talking about as well.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by FromGA

Smyrna: EastWest connector and South Cobb Drive -- the only thing that seems to have come up in a tract of empty land is some kind of medical clinic.

The Smyrna Eye Group, formerly located on Concord Road just west of Atlanta Road.

[sab1024]

I am moving to Dallas for a number for reasons, mostly since the job market in Atlanta is one of the worst in the country. Their economy is steady and growing and they have created the most jobs in the past 10 years. Sure past performance is not an indicator of future results, but they have just elected a businessman mayor (Pizza Hut) and he is a proponent of small business, again no guarantees. We shall see. But they will challenge ATL on many fronts. I think Atlanta developed a bit faster than DWF in the 2000s but this decade may well belong to Dallas, the 4th largest city in US. They are building a park over the Woodall Rogers Freeway to link downtown to uptown that will create a very vibrant urban center; also building a scaled down but a signature bridge by Santiago Calatrava over the Trinity River, and the river is being developed (not without controversy). They want to become one of the top convention cities, they are now #6 and guess who is #5. If Atlanta does not create jobs, there will not be demand for these new developments. I think ATL will have to play catchup when the economy does start to get more consistent. Don't think that will happen until the 2012 election as things are very uncertain. Also I hear that ATL is increasingly not showing up in companies short list of relocating companies, mostly to do with traffic congestion. I don't ATL can come up with a quick enough fix to the traffic issue. This tax referendum is truly a joke and will have no real impact on the traffic. ATL now has to deal with the problem that the go-go growth of the last 20 years created.

[K-SawDude]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

The Beltline is another "Field of Dreams" approach. Namely "build it and they will come". What concerns me is that its structure is not supported by a road but rather light-rail. A light-rail line that doesn't really go anywhere that people need to go except by a literal round about way.

I don't think this is entirely fair to the Beltline. But I also don't mean to come off as a "Beltline can do no wrong!" advocate.

I share some of your concerns. The "promote growth" side of the Beltline is certainly taking some risks, especially in some of the southside neighborhoods. Except for residents in those neighborhoods, the general population won't immediately want to hop on a train and show up in the middle of Southwest Atlanta.

On the other hand, several of the Beltline stops will be major, major hubs: Lindbergh Station, Piedmont Park, Inman Park. Some of the designs even have Atlantic Station integrated as a light rail stop. Don't you think people from various neighborhoods would use the Beltline to get to those places? I sure would.

What would be more practical, however, would be some east/west lines connecting Atlanta. I'm all aboard a rail line connecting West Midtown to Virginia Highland via Midtown. That would get SO many daily riders. I just can't understand why such proposals aren't being considered more seriously.