AZ2 Lofts - 130 Arizona Avenue 30307 - Know Area? (Atlanta, Decatur: leasing, condominium)

[mibtp]

Hi, I am thinking of buying or leasing in this complex. Can anyone tell me what the AREA is like? I would do a lot of walking at night with my dog.

Also, any insight on the complex? What you think of it?

I will be working from home, so location is no problem. But I do want to be close to downtown, mid-town, things to do, etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Patrice

[dr.funk]

I would recommend you check out the area during the day AND night. The building is located in the Edgewood neighborhood, which is transitional. Edgewood and neighboring Kirkwood have been going through gentrification but crime - mostly home/car burglaries - are up in the area lately - probably due to the economy.

The condos are near Candler Park, which is one of the more desirable intown neighborhoods. You'd be near some cool restaurants and a MARTA stop and a short drive from downtown, midtown and other interesting areas.

[mibtp]

Thanks for the heads up. I actually have to pick a place without visiting it. Scary. So I have to do as much research as possible before leasing.

P

[LovinDecatur]

The area around there is pretty industrial and not very walkable. I agree with dr.funk's assessment of Edgewood. There are other loft options on the north side of DeKalb Avenue (mostly right on the avenue) that have better access to walkable neighborhoods and the Little 5 Points district.

[ecoguy79]

I actually disagree, I think it is very walkable neighborhood. There is actually a bike trail in that area (although I dont know exactaly where it is, but it is very close to the lofts). I looked into moving to AZ lofts a few years back, it is nice.

Another convenience that you have is that you are about a mile from a shopping center that has a target, a Kroger, and a lot of other conveniences.

I live less then a half mile from there. As far as crime, it is fairly low (you are in large metropolitan city), the good thing about that particular street is it is a dead end street, which equates to very low traffic.

One potential problem of living off of Arizona Avenue is the daily commute from Dekalb Avenue. It can take some getting used to. It is multidirectional throughout the day. The most annoying part is trying to make a left onto Arizona while heading east into the city. There is no turn lane and no way for anyone to get around you on the right-hand side of the street. During the early afternoon in late morning it is not that bad, but during rush hour it can become a problem.

But that is really the biggest annoyance that I can think of. All in all I think is a nice place to live.

I hope that helps, good luck.

[seabornj]

We actually own a condominium at AZ2 and have two dogs. It's a very dog friendly place. Walking dogs on Arizona Avenue and the surrounding areas is pretty safe. Most people walk down Arizona by the soccer fields and then over to the bike path behind it. If you are out there at 1:00 am you would probably need to be careful, but that's true of anywhere in Atlanta. The Arizona Lofts dog park is very safe though..it's secure and well lit.

Getting onto Dekalb Avenue in the morning is not a problem but trying to turn left (heading west) off of Dekalb Avenue can be a problem...there's no turn lane so you have to wait for others or make them wait for you. It's a breeze if you are going east on Dekalb though.

You can walk to Candler Park which has about four good places to eat. Decatur is about two miles away, Va Highlands is about three miles, and Midtown is about 4 miles away. You are also near Oakhurst and East Atlanta so there's a lot to do. The bike path goes right by Arizona Avenue and you can take that into Midtown or all the way out to Stone Mountain.

AZ2 has a lease restriction right now and it is pretty much full, but if you are interested in buying there are some great deals right now. Most re-sellers are listing well below what they paid. Good luck.

[mibtp]

Thank you guys and gals for your comments!
Patrice

[greg_atlanta]

You should be OK as long as you have an anonymous/boring car (very clean inside, no rubbish to hide potential treasures).