Underground: How an outsider hopes to succeed where others have failed (Atlanta: sale, real estate)

[afdinatl]

I hope they build all 3 at the same time instead of one in 2017 and the next one in 3017

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by afdinatl

I hope they build all 3 at the same time instead of one in 2017 and the next one in 3017

Only the market will tell.

[UrbanConquistador]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I have a feeling this time may be the charm.

I do too. I think it has failed before in the past because they've always tried to turn it into a destination, rather than a community. Great communities become destinations organically.

[Ant131531]

Problem with high end retail is that Buckhead Atlanta has already put that on lock. Buckhead has been and will continued to be known as the destination for high end retail and shopping experience, especially with the new Buckhead Atlanta development which is developing into an urban neighborhood of it's own.

Any chances now of high end retail in the Atlanta core is over the next 2-3 decades...the city would have to really grow to be able to support multiple focal points of high end retail.

You may be able to get some mid-end retail(Forever 21, GAP, etc), but any chances of Dior or Armani is done. Buckhead has put that on lock which is fine.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

Problem with high end retail is that Buckhead Atlanta has already put that on lock. Buckhead has been and will continued to be known as the destination for high end retail and shopping experience, especially with the new Buckhead Atlanta development which is developing into an urban neighborhood of it's own.

Any chances now of high end retail in the Atlanta core is over the next 2-3 decades...the city would have to really grow to be able to support multiple focal points of high end retail.

You may be able to get some mid-end retail(Forever 21, GAP, etc), but any chances of Dior or Armani is done. Buckhead has put that on lock which is fine.

Exactly. That's why there was discussion of a City Target for Underground earlier in the thread.

[jsvh]

The developer said "higher end than Walmart" not "highest-end" retail. I don't think we are going to get (nor do I personally want) ultra-high-end luxury stores at Underground. I personally expect mostly mid-range shops and restaurants in the development.

[jsvh]

Underground ATL: Ga Tech grad shows time right for redevelopment | SaportaReport

As Darron Cooper completed a research paper about Underground Atlanta last year at Georgia Tech, he had no idea the city was on the brink of selling Underground to a developer.

Cooper’s paper views private ownership as a logical step for the revitalization of Underground. Now his report joins those on the Atlanta BeltLine and Atlantic Station for envisioning new purpose for remnants of Atlanta’s industrial past.
...

The paper pays particular attention to the neighborhood around Underground. It focuses on topics including employment and household income. Cooper identifies influencers including office and retail availability, and access.

Cooper’s paper notes that Underground’s very location – under Atlanta’s buildings and streets – is a major drawback for any retail activity. The drawback is exasperated in an automobile-centric region such as Atlanta, where Underground exists as a subterranean site that’s difficult to advertise with appropriate signage.

However, the paper also observes that Houston has achieved success with retailers in its system of tunnels beneath the business district.

The demographics of downtown Atlanta underscore the need for some basic forms of retail.

A grocery, for instance, is sorely lacking in downtown. Talk of a big box retailer is a cause of some concern, but Cooper notes that Walmart fills an important niche with its compact store at Technology Square.

Cooper said downtown has plenty of college students, and he supports WRS’s early plans for the residential component to target residents other than college students.

Cooper’s research showed 24,599 persons reside in 12,672 households located within a 1-mile radius of Underground. The median income was $31,707 in Census tracts within that radius, according to the latest available information.

In light of Underground’s present reality and future potential, Cooper said his blue-sky idea would be for Underground’s retail mix to be truly innovative. Perhaps to include an incubator space for tech entrepreneurs, such as Atlanta Tech Village, in Buckhead.

“Underground provides access to both road infrastructure and public transit to tech spaces around Atlanta, such as Tech Square,” Cooper said Monday. “They could add something that’s new, different, and edgy.

[Iconographer]

First of all, I am thrilled that UA is back in private hands. It was NEVER going to thrive under city ownership. My advice to the new owner is to step back in time to 1969. The original UA honored the city's history; the patina of age, soft gaslight. It was wonderful and unique. It also focused on entertainment venues; forget big box retail or groceries. Atlanta's convention business has suffered from the lack of a centralized entertainment district; it is sorely needed.

[kasuga888]

I thought one of the problem is the people "hanging" around the area making the experience less than pleasing. I remember it being okay in the early 2000s on the weekends, but by mid / late 2000 it looked like it did a U turn.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by kasuga888

I thought one of the problem is the people "hanging" around the area making the experience less than pleasing. I remember it being okay in the early 2000s on the weekends, but by mid / late 2000 it looked like it did a U turn.

I used to work with their former security director around 2000-02, and he told me that he left Underground because some city councilmembers were telling his bosses to "ease up" on kicking out loiterers.