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This news is a few months old, but I didn't see anyone mention it so I'll post it. Apparently the new Sembler development Town:Brookhaven (next to Oglethorpe Univ on Peachtree) has signed a bunch of restaurants to open there:
As a soon-to-be resident of Brookhaven, I'm excited to see them eschew national chains in order to get local restaurants more exposure. Unfortunately gotta wait until 2009!
This news is a few months old, but I didn't see anyone mention it so I'll post it. Apparently the new Sembler development Town:Brookhaven (next to Oglethorpe Univ on Peachtree) has signed a bunch of restaurants to open there:
As a soon-to-be resident of Brookhaven, I'm excited to see them eschew national chains in order to get local restaurants more exposure. Unfortunately gotta wait until 2009!
Sounds very interesting. Sounds a lot like that development over in Smyrna where that Atkins Park is, too. I think in a vague sorta-kinda way people are trying to create "mini-me Atlantic Stations", which is what the Smyrna place is, and this sounds like. Still, they're the trend now and tend to do well.
I can't say I have a lot of regard for Sembler. They tend to go in and build stuff and hold public meetings, then disregard any and all concerns locals have about it (they did this in my neighborhood). But Atlanta is a "build it and they will come no matter what" kind of place when it comes to retail, so no doubt it'll still do well.
The Smyrna Market Village predates Atlantic Station by years and there are many other small towns developments that have been around. Atlantic Station is a bloated version of these things, just not done well...
The Smyrna Market Village predates Atlantic Station by years and there are many other small towns developments that have been around. Atlantic Station is a bloated version of these things, just not done well...
I always thought the Atlantic Station land should have been used for architecturally significant opera house (the Atlanta Opera House?) a large, well-planned city park (Opera House Park?) and with an architecturally significant bridge connecting the opera house and park to Midtown. The rest of the land (not much) would have been used for condos, townhomes, homes, apartments, and some office space/commercial (grocery store)...as extensions of Home Park and Loring Heights.
The commercial element of Atlantic Station should have been dispersed throughout Midtown and Downtown.
The Dillards on Peachtree Street (at 12th/11th)...Target in downtown somewhere...the movie theatre, etc...
A suburban shopping center (in reality that's what it is) built in the central core...not good.
...just my thoughts since I was a student at Tech back in the 90's.
I always thought the Atlantic Station land should have been used for architecturally significant opera house (the Atlanta Opera House?) a large, well-planned city park (Opera House Park?) and with an architecturally significant bridge connecting the opera house and park to Midtown. The rest of the land (not much) would have been used for condos, townhomes, homes, apartments, and some office space/commercial (grocery store)...as extensions of Home Park and Loring Heights.
.
I believe I read somewhere not long ago that most folks aren't aware that Atlantic Station is technically only about 50% complete. Apparently, there's more land that is owned by developers that hasn't had anything done to it (yet), so my guess would be maybe they're thinking or rethinking some stuff to go on it. Maybe they read these boards? Well, maybe not, but no doubt they're taking time to see what's happening with what's there NOW, to decide what to do with the rest of the development.
The only thing about the Brookhaven project I can see once I read up on it and saw the small mock-ups, is that Sembler is really stretching it when they say they want to create a "Virginia Highlands" type of atmosphere. Those drawings look nothing of the sort. Smyrna Marketplace - fine. The Avenues of East/West Cobb - yep. But Virginia Highlands? Um... no.
It's pretty much a cookie-cutter 2008 "live/shop/work" type of shopping center, basically. Made to look like a village, and they're starting to pop up here and there, and will pop up I'm afraid EVERYWHERE in the next few years. But hey, it's still something I guess.
Here's a photo of the Smyrna Market Village project which is I believe near the intersection of Atlanta Road and Spring Road in Smyrna...
And here is a larger development that is about 1.5 or so miles South of that same Market Village, also in Smyrna (but has the name "Vinings - something or other")...
The developers really messed up on this one above in my opinion. Rather than group the buildings into a "town square" or "main street" type of things, much of it faces the very busy East/West Connector, making it look and feel much more like just an overgrown/tall shopping center rather than a "village". I think Semblers project will look more like the structures do in this one - only from plans, they seem like they're going to lay them out in a smarter way.
Last edited by atlantagreg30127; 01-07-2008 at 09:41 PM..
I believe I read somewhere not long ago that most folks aren't aware that Atlantic Station is technically only about 50% complete. Apparently, there's more land that is owned by developers that hasn't had anything done to it (yet), so my guess would be maybe they're thinking or rethinking some stuff to go on it. Maybe they read these boards? Well, maybe not, but no doubt they're taking time to see what's happening with what's there NOW, to decide what to do with the rest of the development.
The only thing about the Brookhaven project I can see once I read up on it and saw the small mock-ups, is that Sembler is really stretching it when they say they want to create a "Virginia Highlands" type of atmosphere. Those drawings look nothing of the sort. Smyrna Marketplace - fine. The Avenues of East/West Cobb - yep. But Virginia Highlands? Um... no. It's pretty much a cookie-cutter 2008 "live/shop/work" type of shopping center, basically. Made to look like a village, and they're starting to pop up here and there, and will pop up I'm afraid EVERYWHERE in the next few years. But hey, it's still something I guess.
Yes, but the problem (and I think you probably think the same way) is that they are still, in essence, suburban shopping centers. One still needs to drive there, park, get out, etc. And the "naming" of these places...so suburban, so inaccurate...Town: Brookhaven...sounds like a mall/shopping center.
What we really need is for developers to retrofit neighborhoods and town centers step by step into true walkable communities, neighborhood centers, and town centers...a la Midtown, Village Green Smyrna (a real town center)...and the Crabapple and Birmingham districts in North Fulton (have you seen these areas?...Amazing!)
It can be done.
What Atlanta must have, however, for this to happen? 1) Comprehensive transportation planning and implementation (I'm talking everything...commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail that runs like heavy rail, streetcars/trolley, express buses, buses, taxis, shuttles).
2) And before the transportation part...(just hear me out)...metro wide incorporations. What I mean by this is that within the metro area, there should be no unincorporated areas. Counties should only provide services like libraries, schools (if city doesn't have), sheriff dept., and few other services. The cities and towns would provide police, fire, etc.
Incorporating would require the expansion of existing cities (including Atlanta) and the creation of many new cities. For example in West Cobb, you could have the cities of (starting south and going north) Austell, Powder Springs, Macland, Lost Mountain, Due West, Mars Hill, Acworth, and Kennesaw. Another example (East Cobb) the towns of (starting in the south) Chattahoochee Plantation, Mount Bethel, East Marietta, Shallowford Falls, Sweat Mountain, Sandy Plains, Blackwell, Noonday, etc.
The new towns/cities would create new town centers from scratch at designated crossroads (just like Smyrna's Village Green, Crabapple, Birmingham). Example in East Cobb, the city of Sandy Plains would develop its town center/square/mainstreet/green at the in the Sprayberry retail district.
OK...enough for now. Tired of writing. Can discuss more later.
Do you really think given the decades-old track record of lack of cooperation among the varied cities in the metro area, that those you listed would even consider merging into larger mega-towns? Heck the last Mayor of Powder Springs almost came to blows with the Mayor of Austell and filed lawsuits over varied projects. Kennesaw doesn't like Marietta. Everyone hates Mableton. It would never fly. Old South politics runs deep. It'll take a few more decades before that thins out.
For the record regarding transportation, Smyrna is toying with the idea of a trolley-like thing that would run on lines in these developing shopping zones. Going from one end to the other, connecting varied shopping center zones with perhaps a couple of public parking lots along the way. While these trolley lines would not actually connect to anything like MARTA, they would perhaps eliminate locals that live near those shopping areas from getting in cars and zig-zaging back and forth among the stores and restaurants, so could lower traffic in those specific areas. Keep in mind that this is in the talking stage and like a lot of talk, it may never really come to be.
Rumor: Rumor has it that along the area of the East/West connector and Austell Road, they're buying up a lot of land in a 1.5 mile stretch to start a similar project area such as those in the photos above.
Getting back to Brookhaven though - I used to live there years ago back when the MARTA station first opened. Retail was limited to that one shopping center across the street from the station, and the Suntrust Bank. While I'm sure the Sembler project won't be exactly fresh and completely innovative, it's still a boost for the local area. I'm not sure it's close enough to the MARTA station though that it would encourage people to walk from the station to the project, however.
Do you really think given the decades-old track record of lack of cooperation among the varied cities in the metro area, that those you listed would even consider merging into larger mega-towns? Heck the last Mayor of Powder Springs almost came to blows with the Mayor of Austell and filed lawsuits over varied projects. Kennesaw doesn't like Marietta. Everyone hates Mableton. It would never fly. Old South politics runs deep. It'll take a few more decades before that thins out.
For the record regarding transportation, Smyrna is toying with the idea of a trolley-like thing that would run on lines in these developing shopping zones. Going from one end to the other, connecting varied shopping center zones with perhaps a couple of public parking lots along the way. While these trolley lines would not actually connect to anything like MARTA, they would perhaps eliminate locals that live near those shopping areas from getting in cars and zig-zaging back and forth among the stores and restaurants, so could lower traffic in those specific areas. Keep in mind that this is in the talking stage and like a lot of talk, it may never really come to be.
Rumor: Rumor has it that along the area of the East/West connector and Austell Road, they're buying up a lot of land in a 1.5 mile stretch to start a similar project area such as those in the photos above.
Getting back to Brookhaven though - I used to live there years ago back when the MARTA station first opened. Retail was limited to that one shopping center across the street from the station, and the Suntrust Bank. While I'm sure the Sembler project won't be exactly fresh and completely innovative, it's still a boost for the local area. I'm not sure it's close enough to the MARTA station though that it would encourage people to walk from the station to the project, however.
Actually, I do understand about Old South politics (and Georgia's antiquated county, anti-city system), and I think it would be very difficult, very near impossible...but I won't say never. Atlanta's problem is that we have a major world city spread out on a rural way of governing. Johnson Ferry Road is not Marietta.
If Dallas can do it (incorporation throughout), we should be able to as well.
About Broohaven...I do think the faux live/work/play are better than the parking a lot in front shopping "sin"-ters...it's just that we have to work towards making real connectivity.
Atlanta can forge a new way of doing things.
Oh, the incorporation plan wouldn't include any mega-towns except Atlanta.
One day, when I have more time...I going to post a comprehensive idea (with some detail) and see how people respond. Dare to dream.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127
And here is a larger development that is about 1.5 or so miles South of that same Market Village, also in Smyrna (but has the name "Vinings - something or other")...
No, that second development is John Wieland's One Ivy Walk development.
Quote:
The developers really messed up on this one above in my opinion. Rather than group the buildings into a "town square" or "main street" type of things, much of it faces the very busy East/West Connector, making it look and feel much more like just an overgrown/tall shopping center rather than a "village".
Keep in mind that most of the units in One Ivy Walk are in the blocks behind the units facing the street and are shut off from the outside with gates. It's actually Cumberland Parkway there, not the E/W Connector, but that's really semantics since the two roads are the same more or less (South Cobb is the name change point). They are very nice units from what I understand, many of them with their own elevators, etc. I drive by them every day.
Last edited by rcsteiner; 01-07-2008 at 10:59 PM..
Reason: Added detailed map link for One Ivy Walk
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