Visions for Vacancies: Royal Orchid

Welcome to another edition of "Visions for Vacancies," where we visit a local vacant commercial building and ask you what you'd like to see go in that space.

Today, we’re at the Midtown Promenade shopping center and the space that for the last 18 years housed Royal Orchid. That was until last month when the Thai restaurant closed its doors for good.

Don’t concern yourself with things such as setback regulations and other zoning issues the city has to deal with. We want to know that if it were up to you, what would you like to see there? What would be the best use for the community in this space adjacent to and across from ?

And while we’re here, would you like to see some parking improvements come to this anchored shopping center that can at times be a parking nightmare, especially on weekend evenings?

Would you like to see a connection between the Midtown Promenade, which is located near Piedmont Park on Monroe Drive, and the Midtown Place shopping center off Ponce de Leon Avenue where The Home Depot is?

It's unlikely to happen for now, as the two property owners don’t want to be overwhelmed by cut-through motorists looking to avoid the busy Monroe/Ponce intersection. But at this stage, would even a pedestrian staircase on the embankment that separates the two centers help the overall traffic flow?

Help could come via the Atlanta BeltLine someday, as its Master Plan calls for 8th Street to be extended through both properties over to Ponce. Maybe then the two properties could be rebuilt to provide a better fit.

What do you think?

About this column: In highlighting vacant buildings in Midtown, we aim to help residents take a proactive role in planning and building their community. We'll take your feedback to public officials and property owners, to inform their decisions about future uses. Know of a vacant building we should highlight? Email hunt.archbold@patch.com.