What's wrong with Atlantic Station? (Atlanta: apartment, condos, homes)

[K-SawDude]

I think this just goes to show the power of perception over reality. If people buy into the narrative that ________ is "ghetto" and/or "dangerous" and/or "scary," that's often enough to sink a neighborhood. That's not to say there weren't real problems there before. But to me, this perception doesn't match the current reality, that Atlantic Station is relatively tame as a Live/Work/Play area. (Personally, I don't really like the mix of stores there, and I find the parking kind of a hassle. But I've never felt unsafe there day or night over the last couple of years.)

The real question is, why do we as a culture tend to experience such a hangover effect with perception of "ghettoism," even in the face of neighborhoods having undeniable improvements in safety, diversity, upscaleness, etc.? I know some will say racism, and I don't doubt that that's part of it. But to me, there seems to be a more general lack of open-mindedness, an unwillingness to reform opinions in the face of new facts and experiences. Perhaps due to paranoia more generally?

[testa50]

I think one thing that needs to be talked about is how well the turnaround is going. I'm for some reason drawn to gritty sorts of places (I'd dine at Lunacy Black Market in South Downtown before Atlantic Station any day of the week), but I've been drawn over to AS more often recently. I like the music they play over the speakers, and the overall vibe is a lot better than it used to be. Hosting a couple Atlanta Underground Markets was a very good move, too.

Sea change: Atlantic Station rescue succeeds - Atlanta Business Chronicle

AS will probably always be a place that is more slanted towards suburbanites than people from the city (it's kind of an "urban-lite" experience), but it has definitely elevated itself above being just another shopping mall. I'd love for more highrises to be built, as well.

[RoslynHolcomb]

We were there quite a bit in the spring getting nursery stuff from Ikea. More than once we were there after dark and I didn't see anything that bothered me, and we had our young son with us.

[arjay57]

I went to Atlantic Station on a Saturday night several months for the specific purpose of seeing whether there was any truth to these claims about it being "ghetto" or dangerous. There wasn't any evidence of that whatsoever. Yeah, the crowd was probably 90% black but so what? If you build a mall in a predominantly black neighborhood who do you expect to show up?

The only vaguely annoying thing I recall was a bunch of young women talking very loudly as they exited the movie theater, but the last time I checked that is permissible under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. I personally don't care for loud hollering type conversation but that's just my old geezer quirkiness.

[ecuresident]

Originally Posted by testa50

I think one thing that needs to be talked about is how well the turnaround is going. I'm for some reason drawn to gritty sorts of places (I'd dine at Lunacy Black Market in South Downtown before Atlantic Station any day of the week), but I've been drawn over to AS more often recently. I like the music they play over the speakers, and the overall vibe is a lot better than it used to be. Hosting a couple Atlanta Underground Markets was a very good move, too.

Sea change: Atlantic Station rescue succeeds - Atlanta Business Chronicle

AS will probably always be a place that is more slanted towards suburbanites than people from the city (it's kind of an "urban-lite" experience), but it has definitely elevated itself above being just another shopping mall. I'd love for more highrises to be built, as well.

If you mean more highrise homes they need to sell the current inventory in which the AS lofts is something like 90% unoccupied (I dont have the exact number), twleve is also something like 25% (perhaps higher) unoccupied, and the Atlantic just started selling homes and is probably over 60% unoccupied. If you mean highrise offices than I agree, but then that doesnt help with the issues at nighttime which is why AS is considered ghetto. I dont think anyone is saying AS is ghetto during the day. But either way the turnaround is going well and there has been noticeable improvement. K-saw I agree with you that a bunch of it is just perception and racism, BUT when some guy is yelling "hey shorty" to my 29 year old wife (it happened once when we were there) its not a place I love to frequent and def not a place my wife would feel comfortable going to with another female friend. I guess a lot of people's beef including mine is the youth culture (and this is seen more from the lower income youth-regardless of race) but of being very loud, cursing, and hollering at females regardless of who is around.

[testa50]

Originally Posted by ecuresident

If you mean more highrise homes they need to sell the current inventory in which the AS lofts is something like 90% unoccupied (I dont have the exact number), twleve is also something like 25% (perhaps higher) unoccupied, and the Atlantic just started selling homes and is probably over 60% unoccupied. If you mean highrise offices than I agree, but then that doesnt help with the issues at nighttime which is why AS is considered ghetto. I dont think anyone is saying AS is ghetto during the day. But either way the turnaround is going well and there has been noticeable improvement. K-saw I agree with you that a bunch of it is just perception and racism, BUT when some guy is yelling "hey shorty" to my 29 year old wife (it happened once when we were there) its not a place I love to frequent and def not a place my wife would feel comfortable going to with another female friend. I guess a lot of people's beef including mine is the youth culture (and this is seen more from the lower income youth-regardless of race) but of being very loud, cursing, and hollering at females regardless of who is around.

I mean I'd like for more highrises to get built once the economy turns. I think AS will be awesome if it ever gets to full build out with a dozen skyscrapers or whatever. It would have a massive skyline and be probably the densest neighborhood in this part of the country.

Also, I thought the lofts were turned into apartments and a reasonably fully occupied.

[ATLTJL]

So if the annoying teenagers didn't bother him, what exactly was it that he was so frustrated with?

I'm not 100% sure, I never got it out of him, that's why I am asking here.

I do remember he said that the landlords were not enforcing rules (he lived in one of the loft rental properties there). He said they would rent to anybody who came up with the cash, so a lot of times 5 or 6 people would come up with enough cash to rent a 2 bedroom place, which isn't supposed to be allowed. He said they would play music with loud bass all night and were very disrespectful.

So it could be that just his living environment tainted his view. I can sympathize with how awful that would be, but how courteous renters in the area are or aren't really has no effect on how the shopping environment is for visitors.

I just happen to know a lot of people, mostly black, who refuse to step foot near Atlantic Station. Maybe they don't like to see people living up to negative stereotypes, I don't know. It just baffled me, because I haven't even ever seen that. All I see are regular kids, not even acting particularly rowdy. To me it's no worse than Lenox Square. That's why I was wondering if I'm missing something.

[mike7586]

There is an obvious difference in the "clientele" of Atlantic Station with the new owners compared to the old ones, so that might be why you feel like you are missing something. It's gotten a lot better... at least the retail portion. I have no idea what it's like to live in the area so I can't comment on that.

[muxBuppie]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I'm not 100% sure, I never got it out of him, that's why I am asking here.

I do remember he said that the landlords were not enforcing rules (he lived in one of the loft rental properties there). He said they would rent to anybody who came up with the cash, so a lot of times 5 or 6 people would come up with enough cash to rent a 2 bedroom place, which isn't supposed to be allowed. He said they would play music with loud bass all night and were very disrespectful.

So it could be that just his living environment tainted his view. I can sympathize with how awful that would be, but how courteous renters in the area are or aren't really has no effect on how the shopping environment is for visitors.

I just happen to know a lot of people, mostly black, who refuse to step foot near Atlantic Station. Maybe they don't like to see people living up to negative stereotypes, I don't know. It just baffled me, because I haven't even ever seen that. All I see are regular kids, not even acting particularly rowdy. To me it's no worse than Lenox Square. That's why I was wondering if I'm missing something.

I don't know why people pay that money to crowd into a nice place just to ghetto it up. I had that same experience your friend did when I had a Dunwoody apartment. Too many people in one apartment bumping loud music and thug lookin dudes strutting around and hanging around outside looking hard. They could have kept that crap in the hood or some cheaper apartments.


As far as ghetto people all over Atlantic station; that is bull. I don't see day or night and like I said I actively LOOK for it just to see what you guys are talking about. I never see it outside of maybe a handful of people MAYBE. I'm sure half the young black guys people are scared of down there are gay anyway.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Well, the only shopping I've ever done at AS is IKEA and Target. But I'm not much of a shopper. Other than that we're there for the cinema and maybe grab a bite to eat. We saw the Bodies exhibit there.

Nothing about any of it seemed "ghetto".

There are always a lot of people working out in that gym by the cinema. Lots of young-uns, ha ha...gyms are still meat markets it seems!