GE representatives to tour Atlanta soon as part of HQ search (Harlem: 2014, house)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It just north of the congestion caused by the Grady Curve and it is where 85 and 75 merge.

Traffic is part of it but there's also the herd mentality that prevails in commercial real estate.

A developer puts up a tower in a formerly remote location (e.g., the IBM tower on 14th Street or Tower Place in Buckhead), and then seeks to create the buzz that this is the new "in" location. "This area (fill in the blank) is on fire!"

Another developer or two jumps in and soon the stampede is underway.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Traffic is part of it but there's also the herd mentality that prevails in commercial real estate.

A developer puts up a tower in a formerly remote location (e.g., the IBM tower on 14th Street or Tower Place in Buckhead), and then seeks to create the buzz that this is the new "in" location. "This area (fill in the blank) is on fire!"

Another developer or two jumps in and soon the stampede is underway.

Not everywhere, why didn't Northlake explode as am edge city then?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Not everywhere, why didn't Northlake explode as am edge city then?

Not every venture will be a home run, cq, but that's often how the momentum builds.

Northlake has actually been pretty successful, though. It probably has 10 million sf of office space and tons of retail.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Not every venture will be a home run, cq, but that's often how the momentum builds.

Northlake has actually been pretty successful, though. It probably has 10 million sf of office space and tons of retail.

You just said in your previous post that a developer creates a buzz and others jump in, but that did not happen at Northlake. Curious as to what the vacancy rate is in that submarket.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

You just said in your previous post that a developer creates a buzz and others jump in, but that did not happen at Northlake. Curious as to what the vacancy rate is in that submarket.

According to Brannen Goddard, Northlake has 18.6 million sf of office space and a 13.7% vacancy rate.

It's a relatively small market for Class A space, but it's very popular with middle of the road businesses who aren't concerned with a "marquee" presence.


2d Quarter 2015 Atlanta Office Market Review

[chiatldal]

Downtown needs more nightlife, and art related stuff it would be more attractive at least to people.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by chiatldal

Downtown needs more nightlife, and art related stuff it would be more attractive at least to people.

I think it does have that, but it needs the other stuff to balance it out.

For instance, I went to something called the human circus or something like that which I could best describe as not artsy fartsy but eclectic. There was quite a good menu for food, a nice rocker serving drinks, a west indian dj on the patio, paintings for sale, people sketching the contortionists, bad parking, something I'm still not clear of going on across the street, etc. Oh, and a clean restroom to be shared by all.

Can't say I didn't have a good time, but I did have to chuckle at one point because there was without question a whole lot going on. I think downtown is rife with places like that and even places on the higher end of the spectrum, but it has to have the other stuff too for it to be livable.

[ElleKaye]

Downtown is kind of like a broken Bourbon Street mixed with the CBD. Since Buckhead gave up its party district for retail, it could be revived in Downtown. It looks like a better fit.

[AtlantaIsHot]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

I think it does have that, but it needs the other stuff to balance it out.

For instance, I went to something called the human circus or something like that which I could best describe as not artsy fartsy but eclectic. There was quite a good menu for food, a nice rocker serving drinks, a west indian dj on the patio, paintings for sale, people sketching the contortionists, bad parking, something I'm still not clear of going on across the street, etc. Oh, and a clean restroom to be shared by all.

Can't say I didn't have a good time, but I did have to chuckle at one point because there was without question a whole lot going on. I think downtown is rife with places like that and even places on the higher end of the spectrum, but it has to have the other stuff too for it to be livable.

Downtown Atlanta is filled with life, but it (and Atlanta in general) have always lacked one big thing for city life. Twenty-four hour activity is one of the keys to urbanity. In NY, you can go out at 3:30 in the morning and buy a toilet. Lots of places remain open all the time. Now, that is the extreme end of the spectrum and few cities can come close to NY. However, other cities have achieved some semblance of late night life. Restaurants and bars open really late. Stores open late. People going into and out of cafes and hotels late. When you have people on the streets and in the shops, cafe's, and hotels at all hours it reduces vagrancy and crime. The vagrancy and crime hold Downtown back. This is purely anecdotal, but many professional people have told me they felt more unsafe in central Atlanta than they did anywhere else due to panhandling, crime, drug dealing, homeless people pooping in the bushes, etc. We may morally be required to do something with these people to prevent them from freezing to death, but it doesn't have to be smack in the middle of downtown.

If Atlanta could clean up and liven up, it might stand a chance at attracting GE or some other big corporate entity.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by chiatldal

Downtown needs more nightlife, and art related stuff it would be more attractive at least to people.

It does have nightlife, see Edgewood Ave in Sweet Auburn.