Turner Field Area = New GSU Campus? (Atlanta, Panthersville: middle-class, apartments, rental)

[Nanosolar]

Mayor Reed has proposed building "middle-class housing" on the Turner Field site.

A better investment for everyone would be for for the state, city, GSU, and businesses to work together and acquire all of the old Turner field area. GSU can then build a true campus. The campus would include traditional amenities found at other great universities including: having the majority of the student body living on or near campus, athletic fields, parks, art, but primarily a "sense of place."

As much as GSU expands downtown I fear it will never be "theirs." The school needs to have it's own campus where all the students live. Model it after UT Austin, USC in LA, or other large universities (20,000+) in large cities. This would be much more visionary than building some more 3 story apartments with a parking deck in the middle for block, upon block, upon block. The "Reed (D)-Deal (R)" central quad. Easy money maker for all parties for ~100 years.

Map:
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/ed...c.kgz-7_Icz3Dg

[arjay57]

I like that idea, Nanosolar.

[Ant131531]

It's an urban campus for a reason. Why are people so adamant about GSU becoming more suburban? It's too late for GSU to have a UGA or Tech-like campus.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Nanosolar

Turner Field Area = New GSU Campus?

Mayor Reed has proposed building "middle-class housing" on the Turner Field site.

A better investment for everyone would be for for the state, city, GSU, and businesses to work together and acquire all of the old Turner field area. GSU can then build a true campus. The campus would include traditional amenities found at other great universities including: having the majority of the student body living on or near campus, athletic fields, parks, art, but primarily a "sense of place."

As much as GSU expands downtown I fear it will never be "theirs." The school needs to have it's own campus where all the students live. Model it after UT Austin, USC in LA, or other large universities (20,000+) in large cities. This would be much more visionary than building some more 3 story apartments with a parking deck in the middle for block, upon block, upon block. The "Reed (D)-Deal (R)" central quad. Easy money maker for all parties for ~100 years.

Map:
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/ed...c.kgz-7_Icz3Dg

Acquiring the Turner Field area and developing it into a new traditional suburban-style campus for Georgia State University is not at all a bad idea.

It's just that Georgia State University does not want to be a traditional suburban-style campus.

Georgia State University wants to be a very high-density urban campus near and at the very-center of Downtown Atlanta in the mold of extremely high-density urban campuses like George Washington University in the Foggy Bottom area of Downtown Washington DC and New York University in the Greenwich Village area of Lower Manhattan in New York City.

Downtown at and near the very-heart of the city is also where the City of Atlanta wants Georgia State University to be located as the city benefits very-much from the presence of over 32,000 students (and over 3,000 faculty members and administrative staff) on the streets of Downtown Atlanta each weekday.

[Box]

Yeah, I think GSU is better off as an urban campus. The beauty of GSU is that it forces you to get out and interact with folks outside of your college environment. The only downside is...well...you know....the weirdos.

[ATLJR]

I 100% agree with Born 2 Roll and I believe the people guiding GSU's future feel the same. However, I think it would be highly beneficial for GSU to work/partner with Atlanta in the redevelopment of this area. Providing affordable rental options in the area would be beneficial to the students as well as the school, while providing the area with the people needed to support grocery stores, bars, restaurants, and other services that are vital to a vibrant community. Consider them the "early adopters" who could help push the neighborhood forward. GSU could also move some facilities over there such as athletic fields for the students who want to participate in intramurals or practice fields for their sports teams. This would also "force" GSU to work with the APD to help keep the area safe.

I'm not implying this area should only be a GSU development, but that by GSU investing in the area it would be both to the benefit of the city and the university. I think when developing an area, especially one that many associate with crime and seediness, it can be very beneficial to have a ready source of people to move in. I think low rents, access to the university, a campus bus line, recreational fields, and good security provided by both APD and GSU would provide a lot of incentive for students to move. With those students, come services, and with those services come new residents.

[gerrythesnake]

No. Downtown still has plenty of parking lots that could be developed first

[cqholt]

GSU main campus needs to stay downtown, but redevelopment of the area could include some students housing. Just like AS has several student-only apartments. An extension of the streetcar south along Capital, then east along Georgia Ave to get to Grant Park and Zoo Atlanta would benefit GSU and allow them to use the money that goes towards shuttle buses and help fund the O/M of the streetcar.
The Ted could be re-purposed as a general-use athletic facility for GSU. Keep GSU football at the Dome/new stadium, but other field-based sports could use a down-sized Turner Field. That way Atlanta isn't tearing down its history by demolishing the Olympic stadium.

[Gulch]

No way GSU should replace the current campus (that would kill Downtown) but GSU could definitely use the north part of the land to replace Panthersville and add more student housing.

[Mischief8]

GSU is run by the state board of regents. Anything the school wants to do developmentally has to go through state budget approvals. Therefore, there's no chance that GSU will have ANY say in what's being developed across the freeway from them.

Now, if GSU were a private university (with private university tuitions), then there MIGHT be a slight interest in what's going on at the site of poor, old, decrepit, decaying Turner field. Besides, why build your own when you'll be marching into Artie's bird's nest in 2017.