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Old 05-02-2017, 06:13 AM
 
2,302 posts, read 2,969,424 times
Reputation: 3013

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Quote:
Originally Posted by LovinDecatur View Post
"Way better than Gwinnett's malls" is surely damning with faint praise.
With the possible exception of Northlake, I don't know a mall in the metro that is more out of sync with the market that it serves. Bland and visually uninspired, and yet to its' south is Vinings, to its' southeast West Buckhead, to its' east East Cobb. A golden opportunity squandered; why management hasn't really taken the bull by the horns here is a mystery to me, except they're simply not willing to make the needed investment to attract a more exciting retail mix.
I can only imagine the excitement that the opening of a Costco would bring to the customers frequenting Lenox Square or Phipps Plaza. To me, a Costco's presence is tantamount to putting a mall on life support; look at North DeKalb's desperation to bring one in.
Yes, I do believe that the Cumberland district has every reason to be optimistic. They simply need a mall (or some other form of retail center) that's worthy of its' metamorphosis.
Every successful shopping area doesn't have to be ultra high-end. Cumberland Mall is usually packed on the weekends. It appears to have a decent niche, attracting middle to lower income earners and young people. Vinings Village has some nicer middle-of-the-road stores like Banana Republic and Ann Taylor, if Forever21 is not your boat. There are still non-millionaires who live near Cumberland and I do not begrudge their having a decent place to eat, buy stuff and hang out. Woe is to those who have to drive the extra 4 miles to Buckhead Village when they are desperate for a Hermes.

And why is Costco a sign of desperation? That Costco has been there a while and it serves a wide area as people will drive for miles for a Costco.
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Old 05-02-2017, 06:30 AM
 
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,364 posts, read 43,832,144 times
Reputation: 16578
Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlJan View Post
Every successful shopping area doesn't have to be ultra high-end. Cumberland Mall is usually packed on the weekends. It appears to have a decent niche, attracting middle to lower income earners and young people. Vinings Village has some nicer middle-of-the-road stores like Banana Republic and Ann Taylor, if Forever21 is not your boat. There are still non-millionaires who live near Cumberland and I do not begrudge their having a decent place to eat, buy stuff and hang out. Woe is to those who have to drive the extra 4 miles to Buckhead Village when they are desperate for a Hermes.

And why is Costco a sign of desperation? That Costco has been there a while and it serves a wide area as people will drive for miles for a Costco.
Costco is great; I simply find their presence in a mall that serves a relatively upscale area rather incongruous. Better to have located them on the other side of I-285.
And really, what is holding Cumberland Mall together outside of Costco and its' restaurant mix? The retailers inside mostly look like candidates for next year's Retailer Casualty List.
And why shouldn't Cumberland make more of an effort to draw high-end retail $$$ away from the Buckhead juggernauts? In the retail world, that's where the margins are, and you certainly don't have to work nearly as hard to generate revenue/sq. ft.
Honestly, CM looks like little more than a necrotic appendage to a Costco and food court to me these days.
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Old 05-02-2017, 06:39 AM
 
Location: Kirkwood
23,726 posts, read 24,731,164 times
Reputation: 5702
Quote:
Originally Posted by whodean View Post
Retail in general is suffering throughout the country.

The Cumberland submarket is on fire.
https://www.citylab.com/work/2017/04...ltdown/524868/
  • Ease land-use restrictions
  • Ease land-use restrictions
  • Think corner stores, not big boxes
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Old 05-02-2017, 06:47 AM
 
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,364 posts, read 43,832,144 times
Reputation: 16578
Quote:
Originally Posted by cqholt View Post
https://www.citylab.com/work/2017/04...ltdown/524868/
  • Ease land-use restrictions
  • Ease land-use restrictions
  • Think corner stores, not big boxes
In short, think anything that will offer the customer a sensory experience that the internet cannot.
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Old 05-02-2017, 09:32 AM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
9,830 posts, read 7,190,769 times
Reputation: 7773
I'd like to see Cumberland and the Galleria both get the NAP Colony Square overhaul redevelopment treatment.

Take the roof off, put some pedestrian-oriented streets in there, and generally modernize, as if they were being built new now. Make them like Avalon or the Battery. Mixed use. Add some residential towers on top of the retail at Cumberland and Galleria.

The 20th century style indoor mall is dead and dying, but the Avalon-type stuff is super popular.

Also I'd like to see Akers Mill Square (my favorite spot in Cumberland) get residential towers and office towers, replacing the big box stores, at least 2 of which are currently empty with no tenants.

So the end goal picture of Cumberland would be 4 mixed use areas (Battery, Galleria, Akers Mill, Cumberland), all connected to each other with bridges, and then all connected to a commuter rail station.
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Old 05-02-2017, 09:47 AM
 
Location: St Simons Island, GA
23,364 posts, read 43,832,144 times
Reputation: 16578
Quote:
Originally Posted by primaltech View Post
I'd like to see Cumberland and the Galleria both get the NAP Colony Square overhaul redevelopment treatment.

Take the roof off, put some pedestrian-oriented streets in there, and generally modernize, as if they were being built new now. Make them like Avalon or the Battery. Mixed use. Add some residential towers on top of the retail at Cumberland and Galleria.

The 20th century style indoor mall is dead and dying, but the Avalon-type stuff is super popular.

Also I'd like to see Akers Mill Square (my favorite spot in Cumberland) get residential towers and office towers, replacing the big box stores, at least 2 of which are currently empty with no tenants.

So the end goal picture of Cumberland would be 4 mixed use areas (Battery, Galleria, Akers Mill, Cumberland), all connected to each other with bridges, and then all connected to a commuter rail station.
Now you're talking.
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Old 05-02-2017, 09:56 AM
 
10,974 posts, read 10,816,726 times
Reputation: 3435
Quote:
Originally Posted by primaltech View Post
I'd like to see Cumberland and the Galleria both get the NAP Colony Square overhaul redevelopment treatment.

Take the roof off, put some pedestrian-oriented streets in there, and generally modernize, as if they were being built new now. Make them like Avalon or the Battery. Mixed use. Add some residential towers on top of the retail at Cumberland and Galleria.

The 20th century style indoor mall is dead and dying, but the Avalon-type stuff is super popular.

Also I'd like to see Akers Mill Square (my favorite spot in Cumberland) get residential towers and office towers, replacing the big box stores, at least 2 of which are currently empty with no tenants.

So the end goal picture of Cumberland would be 4 mixed use areas (Battery, Galleria, Akers Mill, Cumberland), all connected to each other with bridges, and then all connected to a commuter rail station.
Love to see that too! Cumberland needs walkable inter-connectivity and transit connections if it is going to thrive in the future. Developments with little walk-able core need to also engage surrounding streets, not turn their back on them.
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Old 05-02-2017, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Kirkwood
23,726 posts, read 24,731,164 times
Reputation: 5702
Quote:
Originally Posted by primaltech View Post
I'd like to see Cumberland and the Galleria both get the NAP Colony Square overhaul redevelopment treatment.

Take the roof off, put some pedestrian-oriented streets in there, and generally modernize, as if they were being built new now. Make them like Avalon or the Battery. Mixed use. Add some residential towers on top of the retail at Cumberland and Galleria.

The 20th century style indoor mall is dead and dying, but the Avalon-type stuff is super popular.

Also I'd like to see Akers Mill Square (my favorite spot in Cumberland) get residential towers and office towers, replacing the big box stores, at least 2 of which are currently empty with no tenants.

So the end goal picture of Cumberland would be 4 mixed use areas (Battery, Galleria, Akers Mill, Cumberland), all connected to each other with bridges, and then all connected to a commuter rail station.
Why build expensive ped bridges, when Cobb Pkwy could just be more peds friendly? Removing peds from the street does nothing to make the area more walkable, it just allows cars to go faster thru the area therefore reducing the ped friendliness.
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Old 05-02-2017, 11:56 AM
 
10,974 posts, read 10,816,726 times
Reputation: 3435
Good point CQ. Ped bridges will just get Cumberland going more towards the 1980s downtown Atlanta type of "vibrancy" that did little to help (and likely hurt) the bleed out of downtown Atlanta that it is only just starting to repair. Good street presence is really how areas can stand out.
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Old 05-02-2017, 12:59 PM
 
Location: Seattle, WA
9,830 posts, read 7,190,769 times
Reputation: 7773
Yeah, yeah. I don't disagree, but that ship has long sailed. The pedestrian bridges already exist, over 41 and soon to be over 285. 41 is more highway than road, now, anyway. That monstrosity is a lost cause for peds.

The only thing I would advocate for that doesn't exist at this point, is if the commuter rail station ever gets built (which is a full grade below the street level), I would seriously advocate a pedestrian underpass under Cumberland Blvd, with stairs to the platforms on both sides of that road, so peds no longer have to cross at that busy spot right there (especially now since they're widening it by a lane.)

And then I would advocate for an improved pedestrian crossing experience between the Galleria and Akers Mill Square and Cobb Energy. (The current solution isn't terrible, but could be improved.)
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