Underground Atlanta redevelopment could hit $400M (Roswell, Newnan: purchasing, pool, corporate)

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Forhall

Downtown is supposed to be trending urban. A "cover all bases" cheaper grocery store could not work, because it would require a large footprint. In addition, if it was to be used for general large grocery trips for families, it would require a huge parking lot too. I don't think that's direction we should take with downtown at all. We don't need a huge Kroger/Walmart. Learn from what Fuqua did in Glenwood, a replica in Downtown would ruin it.

I think a specialty grocery would be great. It would be meant for grabbing small things, not main grocery shopping. Something like Dean and Deluca in NYC (but maybe a bit larger) would be perfect.

So it works for Publix in Midtown but wouldn't work Downtown. OK.
Nobody, especially me, is talking about a replica of what Fuqua did at Glenwood Park; God Forbid.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by cqholt

We need something everyone can afford.

agreed. "trending urban" doesn't mean gentrifying/becoming elite. nyc in the 80s is a good example; you had your rich areas of town and your low income areas of town but it was all urban and every neighborhood's retail reflected what people needed in the neighborhood. downtown residents are not buckhead residents. they need a regular grocery store.

[DJDeadParrot]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

downtown residents are not buckhead residents. they need a regular grocery store.

It, honestly, sounds like what is needed something like an ALDI.

[Forhall]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

agreed. "trending urban" doesn't mean gentrifying/becoming elite. nyc in the 80s is a good example; you had your rich areas of town and your low income areas of town but it was all urban and every neighborhood's retail reflected what people needed in the neighborhood. downtown residents are not buckhead residents. they need a regular grocery store.

The crime rate in the 80s in NYC was so high people were afraid to visit. It was literally called "The Killing Ground". The city reguarly logged 2,000+ homicides a year. These days it's about 200-300.

I don't think NYC in the 1980s is what we should be trying to emulate. And I do think downtown should gentrify.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by cqholt

We need something everyone can afford.

Originally Posted by joey86

A large grocery store doesn't have to be built like Glenwood, and it doesn't need a surface parking lot at all. There are plenty of larger grocery stores that fit well into urban locations. We've got a pretty big Whole Foods coming to Midtown at Icon.

With that being said, the people fixing up Underground have made it clear that they aren't going to have a "big box" grocery store. They are planning on having a small specialty grocer, and a medium sized national grocer. That doesn't rule out Kroger or Publix in a smaller footprint. Sprouts would be a good fit too, imo.

I don't think a "full-sized" grocer would be a good fit in the current buildings of Underground. But one would help people live their life in the neighborhood, if it were built into the base of a new large building, like the upcoming Kroger on Ponce. Having three grocery stores would be excellent for the neighborhood. I shop at four now: Kroger, Sprouts, Whole Foods and Sevananda. I live in Midtown and zero of those stores are within a reasonable walking distance.

Edit: Something like this rendering would work in a new building. I don't know the size of the rendered Kroger. A large grocer in a new building wouldn't need to take up all of the street presence either. There could be other retail spaces bordering the store.

Good, smart posts. Thank you.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Forhall

The crime rate in the 80s in NYC was so high people were afraid to visit. It was literally called "The Killing Ground". The city reguarly logged 2,000+ homicides a year. These days it's about 200-300.

I don't think NYC in the 1980s is what we should be trying to emulate. And I do think downtown should gentrify.

Why does Downtown have to become rich to become livable? And the idea that bryant was invoking 1980's Manhattan as a role model is ridiculous. He was clearly comparing it's demographic makeup as to what Downtown could be.
Downtown's future depends on its ability to support a large population of students and middle class workers.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by cqholt

We need something everyone can afford.

Originally Posted by bryantm3

agreed. "trending urban" doesn't mean gentrifying/becoming elite. nyc in the 80s is a good example; you had your rich areas of town and your low income areas of town but it was all urban and every neighborhood's retail reflected what people needed in the neighborhood. downtown residents are not buckhead residents. they need a regular grocery store.

Originally Posted by Iconographer

Why does Downtown have to become rich to become livable? And the idea that bryant was invoking 1980's Manhattan as a role model is ridiculous. He was clearly comparing it's demographic makeup as to what Downtown could be.
Downtown's future depends on its ability to support a large population of students and middle class workers.

Amen. Preach!

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by DJDeadParrot

It, honestly, sounds like what is needed something like an ALDI.

I love ALDI, that would be perfect for this location.

[Clayton white guy]

Not a fan of ALDI, the locations I have visited (Jonesboro, Fayetteville, Stockbridge) never seem to be very clean, have a strange, horrible smell, and sell a strange hodge podge of goods for sell that are NOT FOOD! You would think, given their average small footprint, that they would not give so much floor space to heaters, straw hats, garden tools, and frying pans.

Still, the smaller scales WOULD work. It is strange that so many on this forum, when they hear a "regular" grocery store can ONLY visualize a massive "Kroger City-Center" type of store with 100.000 plus square feet and acres of parking; one must only go a few miles north to Midtown's Tech Square district where they have a smaller scale Publix WITHOUT store front parking. Even the slightly larger version in the shopping center uptown in Buckhead across from Phipps Plaza would "fit".

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Clayton white guy

Not a fan of ALDI, the locations I have visited (Jonesboro, Fayetteville, Stockbridge) never seem to be very clean, have a strange, horrible smell, and sell a strange hodge podge of goods for sell that are NOT FOOD! You would think, given their average small footprint, that they would not give so much floor space to heaters, straw hats, garden tools, and frying pans.

Still, the smaller scales WOULD work. It is strange that so many on this forum, when they hear a "regular" grocery store can ONLY visualize a massive "Kroger City-Center" type of store with 100.000 plus square feet and acres of parking; one must only go a few miles north to Midtown's Tech Square district where they have a smaller scale Publix WITHOUT store front parking. Even the slightly larger version in the shopping center uptown in Buckhead across from Phipps Plaza would "fit".

Visit the new North Decatur ALDI.