Westside Apartment Developments: Is Howell Mill Rd Ready to Handle Increased Traffic?
A look at three apartment developments on the westside along with additional construction coming to the area of the already heavily traversed Howell Mill Road.
Westside Development: Can Howell Mill Road Handle It?
Last Fall, Walton Communities broke ground on a 4-story, 250-unit apartment project at the intersection of Huff Road and Foster Street across the street from the Goat Farm Arts Center and behind the Westside Provisions District. In the background is a crane being used to build a nearby 7-story building with 197 apartments and 11,000 square feet of retail space.
Photos (12)
Photos
It’s the Midtown Patch Question and Picture and of the Day all rolled together as we take a look at development activity along Howell Mill Road on the westside of Atlanta.
The pictures consist of two projects currently under construction and a third that looks to break ground this year. Plus, a shot of an additional construction project coming to the area near Howell Mill and Huff Road.
First up is about a 3-acre property bounded by 9th Street, 8th Street, Brady Avenue and Howell Mill that is currently home to chef Ford Fry’s very popular The Optimist restaurant that opened last spring.
Perennial Properties, which would like to deliver the project by Fall of 2014, has proposed a mixed-use development with 230 apartments and 9,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space wrapped around a multilevel parking deck.
The re-development will add to the 12,000 square feet of existing restaurant and retail/loft office space at the property. Talk is that a new restaurant, possibly featuring Latin-inspired cuisine from Fry, would front Howell Mill at the 9th Street corner.
A few blocks north at the Howell Mill/14th Street intersection, construction crews began work in last Fall on the Elan Westside Apartments project. The apartment project is part of a larger development project known as ‘169 14th Street’ that will ultimately see a joint venture between Prudential Real Estate Investors and Greystar Real Estate Partners deliver a 7-story building with 197 apartments and 11,000 square feet of retail space in late Summer or Fall of 2013.
Also in the last few months about a block west, Walton Communities broke ground on a 4-story, 250-unit apartment project at the intersection of Huff Rd. and Foster Street across the street from the Goat Farm Arts Center and behind the Westside Provisions District.
And there will be further construction between those two developments in 2013 as Westside Provisions District will be expanding at the north end of the shopping and dining district near Huff and Howell Mill. That’s where the freestanding Osteria del Figo restaurant building that for many years served as a liquor package store, will be demolished.
The building removal will make way for expansion including approximately 14,000 square feet of additional retail space, mezzanine spaces and outdoor areas, 95 new parking spaces, a newly graded and paved parking lot, improved driveway aprons, and improved exterior lighting in the north end parking lot.
But can and will Howell Mill Rd. be able to handle all this development? In late November, a sinkhole on the bridge on Howell Mill near Huff caused on-again, off-again road and lane closures for about a week while crews did repairs.
This stretch of Howell Mill regularly is snarled with afternoon rush hour traffic, especially northbound from 10th Street to Collier Road. Spotty sidewalks and the lack of bike lanes also contribute to the traffic congestion on the westside.
Howell Mill traffic congestion isn’t good, but with the addition of these developments to the area, is it about to get a whole lot worse?
Do you make efforts to avoid the area during high volume traffic periods? What will it take for traffic to get better in the area? Share your thoughts and comments in the space below.
Bryan
9:25 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
Maybe this will prompt MARTA to start a new bus line. Maybe connecting Atlantic Station, West Midtown, and the Huff Rd/Blandtown area using 17th Street, Northside, 10th Street, Brady Ave, Howell Mill, Huff, and end at Marietta Blvd. That would be a pretty short route and would cover a lot of apt and condo buildings and could take you into Midtown to the Arts Center Station.
Dave Miller
9:35 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
As a neighborhood resident, I love that the west side is growing and know it will just help my property values inch back up. And these new projects help me bide my time wondering if the NW Beltline projects will ever come to fruition. however I'm skeptical about any consideration on how the roads will handle this.
Huff is already to be avoided getting from Marietta Blvd to Howell Mill because all of the apartment construction on huff there has already destroyed the roads, There didn't seem to be any accountability on the developers to fix the roads they broke in putting in their complexes (Alexan Metrowest). Heading south on Howell Mill and trying to take a left onto 10th is tricky enough as it is, and thats a main way to get into town.
Chris H
11:42 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
Don't expect any Beltline development on the Westside anytime soon. At least not in the next 10 years. A lot of that area is still active rail corridor and the Beltline does not own the right of way in that section. I think the better bet will be the expansion of the downtown streetcar up Marietta Street into West Midtown. In the meantime there really should be a push for better bike infrastructure. Its still pretty deadly to bike around there.
Carl Holt
7:39 am on Monday, January 21, 2013
Extend the downtown streetcar north along marietta street, Howell mill road, east along 17th street to arts center station.
ChadK
8:05 am on Monday, January 21, 2013
I'm 100% for the streetcar coming up Marietta street. And Howell Mill can be saved... although not easily I admit. HM needs to be widened from Marietta to 14th and there seems to be enough space if you steal a little here and there (except for maybe near The Optimist).
In regards to traffic, a light and pedestrian island would be great at Brady. So would a green arrow light at 14th turning into WPD. We desperately need a green arrow turning from 10th onto Northside too (I see at least 2 accidents a month from my balcony).
Not in the area we're covering, but a planted median from 75 to Defoor would prevent all the cutting across that makes that area a parking lot.
Can we have a Westside Wishlist??? This has been my neighborhood of 10+ years and I have a LOOOOONNNNNGGG list.
ash
10:11 am on Thursday, January 24, 2013
I just do the same thing that everyone else does: cut through all the residential areas and parking lots to avoid actually driving Howell Mill. Great, huh?
Scott Chalk
4:10 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
Defoor from Howell Mill is now backed up all the way to Collier. Howell Mill at Westside provisions is backed up all the way to 8th St. The city continues to turn the other cheek and let developers do what they want so they can get paid. I am all for progress on the westside. I believe in it and think it's great for the city, but there needs to be some checks and balances about this stuff in conjunction with the DOT. Right now it just feels like a free for all. Quality of life is of major importance as we welcome more people into our neighborhoods.
Alice Pickett
2:49 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
My current pet peeve is the corner of Howell Mill and Collier. I was so in hopes that McDonald's renovation would not include an exit into Collier at a blind spot in the road, but no, it is now back. OK, I too am guilty of cutting through Underwood and I do feel badly about it, but Huff is impossible as is HM from Huff to Collier. Back to McDonald, I do not think a drive though should be allowed on this part of Howell Mill. We have great weather here. Just get out of the car. Maybe this and some other tweaks would help alleviate the traffic on HM and discourage those of us that cut through neighborhoods, but know its not a good practice.
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