Georgia State Panthers purchase Turner Field for $22.8 million (Atlanta, Auburn: transplants, crime)

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Forhall

So I'm confused about something. I thought it was great that the field would be gone and turned into housing and retail to help gentrify that neighborhood...But GSU is keeping it a field. What are they doing differently than the braves?

They are going to be putting students there. There will be housing and, at some point, retail. Instead of abandoned when there are no events, it will have people there all the time. It will also serve to better connect downtown to the area as it will be continuous development.

I think it was probably the only way their football program would survive long term. Being in the giant Falcon's stadium didn't tie the team to the school.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by bu2

They are going to be putting students there. There will be housing and, at some point, retail. Instead of abandoned when there are no events, it will have people there all the time. It will also serve to better connect downtown to the area as it will be continuous development.

I think it was probably the only way their football program would survive long term. Being in the giant Falcon's stadium didn't tie the team to the school.

It also preserves Olympic Stadium in some form.

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by bu2

They are going to be putting students there. There will be housing and, at some point, retail. Instead of abandoned when there are no events, it will have people there all the time. It will also serve to better connect downtown to the area as it will be continuous development.

I think it was probably the only way their football program would survive long term. Being in the giant Falcon's stadium didn't tie the team to the school.

Not just students. They are also building market-rate single family homes and townhomes to put up for sale to the public. It will be a great mix of student housing, normal housing, retail, and academic buildings. They are also talking a lot about the streetcars, so I wonder if they will be putting in funding for transit or if they will be waiting for the city. I think the mix is key though, because it keeps people there at all times, even when the school has a break. Very excited for this development!

[cqholt]

Here’s your first look at what the area around Turner Field could become under a redevelopment plan by Georgia State University and the private development team of Atlanta-based Carter and Oakwood Development.

Among the initial features:

Carter and its private partners are in the process of acquiring more than four acres and about eight buildings along Georgia Avenue that will be restored starting this year with neighborhood retail, potentially including local restaurants and a coffee shop.
Also this year, the private development team plans to start construction on a 850-bed private student housing complex along the Downtown Connector near The Ted and a 200-unit apartment project with ground-floor retail at the northeast corner of Georgia Avenue and Hank Aaron Drive. The student housing complex will take two years to build, while the first apartment project will take about 18 months.
Sections of the site plan envision later phases to include larger office buildings to woo potential corporate expansions and relocations. The development partners also envision space for the region’s burgeoning startup scene.
Carter and its private partners are in the process of acquiring more than four acres and about eight buildings along Georgia Avenue that will be restored starting this year with neighborhood retail, potentially including local restaurants and a coffee shop.
Also this year, the private development team plans to start construction on a 850-bed private student housing complex along the Downtown Connector near The Ted and a 200-unit apartment project with ground-floor retail at the northeast corner of Georgia Avenue and Hank Aaron Drive. The student housing complex will take two years to build, while the first apartment project will take about 18 months.
Sections of the site plan envision later phases to include larger office buildings to woo potential corporate expansions and relocations. The development partners also envision space for the region’s burgeoning startup scene.

Turner Field redevelopment could look like this

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Turner Field redevelopment could look like this

That looks great and all, but there's only one set of tracks in that picture. I'm surprised they didn't use the Current Streetar livery, though I have no idea if that's what's going to be run in this area since MARTA's apparently going to own it. Also, that is a really fat Westin tower...

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

That looks great and all, but there's only one set of tracks in that picture. I'm surprised they didn't use the Current Streetar livery, though I have no idea if that's what's going to be run in this area since MARTA's apparently going to own it. Also, that is a really fat Westin tower...

See quote from article

His firm and Georgia State will also be heavy advocates for extending light rail to the site from downtown under the recently approved MARTA sales tax initiative. A line that would connect downtown to the Beltline down Hank Aaron Drive is one potential project on the MARTA expansion list.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

See quote from article

I did see that! I look forward to it, and I realize that they've used the current livery in other renderings. I hope they pitch in some funding along with that advocacy.

[tikigod311]

Looks like one of those sweet wireless streetcars too.


I wonder if the area is going to feel weird incomplete. It sounds like what is planned will take very little of the wide open parking lots up.

[primaltech]

That sure doesn't look like Summerhill. Achieving the nice looking scene in that rendering would be a monumental task. But I'm definitely all for that level of ambition, as long as it's followed through on.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Looks like one of those sweet wireless streetcars too.


I wonder if the area is going to feel weird incomplete. It sounds like what is planned will take very little of the wide open parking lots up.

Did you really expect them to build everything in one phase?