Last week, Midtown Patch posted an updated rendering of the 131 Ponce de Leon Avenue mixed-use project currently under construction in Midtown.
Today, Patch is providing an updated rendering of the parking deck for the $63 million high-rise, 100 6th Street, that broke ground last month in Midtown along Juniper Street between 6th and 7th streets.
When Patch was first to post renderings last spring, followers of the project were quite critical of the placement and look of the parking deck that will accompany the 23-story, 320-home high-rise apartment project from Novare Group and Batson-Cook Development Co.
In the time since, the developers have added retail frontage the entire length of Juniper and 6th, and street-level retail turning the corner at Juniper and 7th into a linear park and dog park on 7th.
In doing so, Novare voluntarily set back its four-story parking deck to create a green space. The original plans submitted included a pocket park at the corner of 7th and Juniper, but that park was later replaced with a 1,860-foot retail space at the corner.
The project will now boast six street-level retail spaces – three each on 6th and Juniper streets – totaling 10,610 square feet.
Other certain aesthetics have been incorporated to the parking deck design including architectural finishes, uplights, screens, and greenery that will be allowed to grow up the side of the parking deck on 7th for a neighborhood amenity.
“We did go back through and looked at the parking deck again on Juniper and made some changes,” Novare President Jim Borders told Patch. “We got the city planning staff involved in it, too. We broke it up in different colors; put in some pre-cast panels that are brick. We want it to look good, we don’t want it to look bad.”
The deck itself will offer 426 residential parking spaces.
According to Novare, it is the thinking of many contractors and architects that due to mechanical ventilation, sprinklers, shoring, extensive evacuation, de-watering and poured-in-place construction required among other things, underground decks are infeasible in the opinion of many developers.
See Also:
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/print-edition/2013/02/15/juniper-street-aims-to-be-citys.html
"Developers know what they're doing economically" I'm sorry...what!? I'm pretty sure Novare has given back multiple buildings, and aiding in the failure of Corus bank in the process, making it clear that they have no clue about what is going on economically. What they know is non-recourse debt, and how to build a really crappy building that yields out for a couple of years. "Part of the reason that there aren't as many 8-10 story buildings is because the developers don't see as much of a payback for the price of the land" No, Novare doesn't see as much of a payback for the price of the land. There are a lot of other developers out there that would love to build to the multiple/IRR that an 8-10 story mid-rise would provide them, but this city continues to let Novare run the show - despite their degradation of the future of this city. Short term returns = long term consequences.
As far as Vianen's link- there's nothing really creative or architecturaly impressive about a facade that's a literal translation of "greenwashing" like the linked one. Would you say that the One Atlantic's parking deck is architecturally impressive - after all it does have some neo-Gothic ornamentation to screen the facade, but does it architecturally impress? The updated designs do show more consideration for addressing the pedestrian zones- which isn't required but at least there are changes being made.
Also what makes this site worthy of becoming a landmark? Why can't good design be inherently great but not require winning design awards in order to become a landmark? There are a lot of opportunities to have landmark buildings anchor Atlanta's skyline along the Midtown Mile and I don't think this site is dictating that kind of development. Also- underground parking doesn't work well in Atlanta for a number of reasons. For one, it requires mechanical ventilation which is very expensive, plus the costs to go below grade are nearly exponential with every level. Much of Atlanta's Downtown and Midtown areas sit on a granite ridge.
Also, I might have to be curious and amenable to hearing more about what Urbanist said here. Midtown land is expensive, but it's not *that* expensive for such a large market. Land is more expensive in downtown Austin! Besides, is anyone to believe that the land represents anything more than 10-12% of all-in costs to put up these buildings here in Atlanta? (not to mention the tax credits Novare received for both Skyhouse and 100 6th) The fact remains that Atlantans demand way too much for so little. You can't attract renters here without granite counters, amenities and concierge...but you can't charge appropriately high rents either because the job market sucks (it's no Boston, Raleigh or Dallas). Novare found a way to do this...value engineer the hell out of design/construction and replicate. 77 12th is going to be much more expensive with its only slightly superior design. If residents could just accept the fact that location should be "enough" for these $2 rents, then maybe a developer will spend more money on the design of the building and less on the interior features...and include less parking. And maybe we can start to see that 8-10 floor infill. For now, I'm at least happy that more residents will be moving to Midtown...hopefully they'll walk around and patronize local businesses so that a retail environment can get going!
I'm not a certified public planner, but I also know that you don't need to be one to recognize how destructive much of this development is. Jane Jacobs is a testament to that. I'm not an architect, but I work with them on a daily basis, and know that if I asked them to design something that fit within the Novare box, they'd laugh in my face. I know precisely how developers secure funds, because part of my business is providing those funds. I'd fund an elevator to the moon before I'd fund a Novare project. I get that Novare's projects are "business"...what you're neglecting is that it's bad business, particularly for the city of Atlanta. Unfortunately, for the future of Atlanta, the city isn't doing a damn thing to attempt to stop this bad business. So yeah, I gripe a lot, because watching Atlanta grow is like watching a promising athlete overdo it on steroids until they just become a hulking mass of dysfunctional and useless muscle.
You would think that all these super-smart know-it-all people would put their money where ther mouths are and develop some fabulous, architecturally significant, uber-pedestrian friendly and innovative designs that would make Atlanta the envy of every metropolis in the western world. I mean, it has to be easy to do if everyone is such an expert on it.
When, exactly, was the last time Novare approached you about funding a project? Oh right, never, because you dont control near the amount of money required to make you even a blip on Novaire's radar. Go back to your rental in Atlantic Station.
They never have. Likely because they know smart money doesn't play well with terrible developers. We've put funds into projects significantly larger than what Novare does, so it's certainly not a resources issue...