Walmart at Lindbergh? (Atlanta, Smyrna, Vinings: construction, bus, moving)

[arjay57]

They said on the news that the zoning committee was passing it on to the full council with no recommendation. So I guess we will see if the city will stand its ground or throw urbanism under the bus.

It would be a shame for them to cave in after all the talk about making the ATL more walkable and less car dominated.

If they do, you have to wonder where the next mega parking lot/big box will go. This one is adjacent to the Beltline -- will they put them at other stops or next to the streetcar?

It sounds like the Congress on New Urbanism isn't very happy about it:

As advocates for livable, walkable, truly urban communities centered on transit and
shaped by an open and inclusive process, we are gravely concerned about the proposal and the
precedent it could set.

For nearly 40 years the City of Atlanta has been a leader in community-based planning. Starting with the
creation of the NPU system in 1974 and followed by four decades of area planning, the City has
demonstrated the benefits of engaging neighborhoods in shaping their future. Our organization
commends the City for this longstanding commitment. Through the process of education, listening,
visioning, and implementation, urban planning concepts have come to the fore citywide. Words with
specific, definable meanings such as walkable, mixed-use and urban, are now used and aspired to in
dozens of Atlanta neighborhoods and are hallmarks of the city's fastest growing areas.

It is with this in mind that we believe the Lindbergh proposal would represent a step backwards if
approved. While the proposed site plan is clearly not consistent with any recognized principles of good
urban design or transit oriented development (including those established by the Congress for the New
Urbanism), we recognize that design specifics are always subject to change as projects move forward.
What concerns us more is the precedent that this disregard for the sound planning would represent.
While it is not perfect, the current SPI 15 is the result of one of the most extensive planning efforts ever
undertaken in the City of Atlanta. Following on the heels of a drawn out rezoning for Lindbergh City
Center, the 2001 TSADS and ensuing SPI 15 were created to avoid future battles and proactively plan for
Lindbergh as a model transit-oriented development. The process brought together property owners,
residents, and other to envision and codify the future for Lindbergh.

***

With this history in mind, we ask you to carefully consider the negative ramifications for both the
Lindbergh area and Atlanta’s public planning process if the rezoning and CDP amendments are approved,
which we believe represent an unsettling deviation from the vision of the TSADS, an assault on good
urbanism, and a disregard for the public process and the public trust. The Lindbergh area must be
allowed to realize its potential as a true transit-oriented district – one that is not discarded for the sake of
short-term gain that benefits a few individuals. Your denial of these requests would make this possible.

http://savelindbergh.org/wp-content/...etter2-_2_.pdf

[JoeTarheel]

Maybe they'll open a new Walmart at Five Points next...they could just tear down those old-timey buildings along Broad and Walton Streets and build a huge parking lot. Yay Walmart!

[Adric]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Looks like the ARC is not too hot on this project.

Unsettling quote from that article:

More than one BuckheadView source, who have been close to the negotiations of the proposed development at Lindbergh, claim that Mayor Reed promised Walmart he would help the company establish other locations in the city when it agreed to take over the former Publix site at Historic Westside Village.

I really like Mayor Reed and all that he's done for Atlanta but not this. Did Reed give Walmart permission to pretty much open anything they want anywhere they want? I don't like this at all.

I'm not against Walmart opening shop here, though traffic is already shot to hell here and this would only worsen it. I'm against the development it's going in. If the development looked like the one in DC or Denver or Long Beach, I'd say sure. If they are following zoning codes then a business should have the right to set up shop anywhere they like. This just seems like they're throwing those out to the wind though and pulling in a favor from the mayor to save them a few bucks on the short term (because Walmart is such a poor company ya know) even though it will permanently affect the surrounding areas for worse.

[AcidSnake]

I wouldn't be surprised if the big box sprawled Wal-Mart development plan gets forced through the city council without much of a fight.

Historically speaking, wealthy interest groups in Georgia always tend to get their way far too often. Look at how Corporate taxes in this state have been lowered to the point of insanity. Look at how Arthur Blank is seemingly able to extort at least $500,000 in tax money out of Atlanta for some bullcrap stadium that will likely lose its luster in 10 years or less and will not pay for itself.

No one is going to really put up a fuss on this. I highly doubt that there will be any meaningful protest from the latte-sipping lounge crowd, that's for sure.

People tend to care more about their own backyard and where their kids go to school or who their kids go school with, than they do about good growth & development in metro Atlanta. Good urban design simply don't evoke those types of powerful emotions down here in the south, like the aforementioned issues.

And I bet that's how Mayor Reed and the city council sees this situation. It's hard to fault them for seeing things this way because after all, Georgia is a pro-big business state, and dissent against the egregious actions of big business often get crushed fairly quickly & overwhelmingly.

Be prepared to say "Hello there big box Wal-Mart. Welcome to your new Lindbergh home!"

Originally Posted by Adric

Unsettling quote from that article:



I really like Mayor Reed and all that he's done for Atlanta but not this. Did Reed give Walmart permission to pretty much open anything they want anywhere they want? I don't like this at all.

I'm not against Walmart opening shop here, though traffic is already shot to hell here and this would only worsen it. I'm against the development it's going in. If the development looked like the one in DC or Denver or Long Beach, I'd say sure. If they are following zoning codes then a business should have the right to set up shop anywhere they like. This just seems like they're throwing those out to the wind though and pulling in a favor from the mayor to save them a few bucks on the short term (because Walmart is such a poor company ya know) even though it will permanently affect the surrounding areas for worse.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

No one is going to really put up a fuss on this. I highly doubt that there will be any meaningful protest from the latte-sipping lounge crowd, that's for sure.

Well, there's huge blow-back from the NPU's, the Buckhead/Midtown neighborhoods, MARTA, the ARC, and many others. They've been raising Cain.

However, if the mayor and city council want to ignore all that and cave in to Walmart's demands....well, what are you gonna do?

[arjay57]

Wal-Mart's intown expansion facing more opposition - Atlanta Business Chronicle

[arjay57]

I see where APAB has weighed in with a resolution in support of the NPUs and opposing the rezoning.

Apparently both Zoning and CDHR declined to make a recommendation, so it will be voted on by the full council on Monday.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by Adric

I really like Mayor Reed and all that he's done for Atlanta but not this. Did Reed give Walmart permission to pretty much open anything they want anywhere they want? I don't like this at all.

Between this and his support of the new Georgia Dome, I'm really not loving this guy right now.

I would bet though that the deal to put a Walmart in Vine City came with some negotiation. I wish he would rather go back on his deal with mega-lo-mart that the deal the city had made with it's citizens.

[mattee01]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Between this and his support of the new Georgia Dome, I'm really not loving this guy right now.

I would bet though that the deal to put a Walmart in Vine City came with some negotiation. I wish he would rather go back on his deal with mega-lo-mart that the deal the city had made with it's citizens.

I personally hope he gets voted out asap! Between this thing with zoning, plans to give money to already rich sports stars so they can get a shiny new stadium, and trying to make himself look good by making the already @sshole like APD even worse and crack down on the stupidist of stuff while there are REAL criminals doing REAL bad stuff that he lets the county deal with.

I really dislike this man, but I fear unless he has a black opponent who happens to challenge him as a democrat, nothing will change...though most likely with someone else fitting those describtions, it likely still wont anyway.

[RandyWatson13]

Wal-Mart YOLO