Chapter 4 ~ Atlantic Station Atlantic Station is a $2 billion project for an in-town, mixed use community. The 138 acres will be a highly dense blend of residential, commercial and retail spaces. Being built on the site of the previous Atlantic Steel Company, Atlantic Station is an environmental redevelopment and the largest urban Brownfield redevelopment in the country.  The vision of Atlantic Station is to create a "live, work and play" environment where one would live in walking distance to everyday needs; from work to shopping to entertainment. Atlantic Station is the national model for smart growth and sustainable development. It is a community of mixed use that will include middle-income housing, up-scale housing, restaurants, theaters, businesses and retail. Pedestrian traffic will be promoted by wide boulevards with trees bordering the road along with sidewalk cafes and parks. With 3.0 to 4.0 million square feet of residential, 2.0 to 2.5 million square feet of retail, 5.0 to 6.0 million square feet of offices, 1.5 to 2.0 million square feet of high tech labs, and 1.0 to 1.5 million square feet of hotel space, Atlantic Station will provide homes for 10,000 people, employment opportunities for 30,000, and shopping and entertainment for millions more.  A new 17th street bridge is being constructed that will help reconnect midtown to the west side of I75/85. This bridge is being designed for not only the automobile but also mass transit, bicycles, and pedestrians. Because of the high levels of pollution in Atlanta, there is an ordanance that does not allow the expansion of the road system; this would include the building of the 17th street bridge. Because of the environmental benefits that Atlantic Station will bring (decongestion of other roads connecting the east and west sides of the interstate, reducing the amount of polloution emitted by the automobile by creating an area where people can walk to and from work, etc) this was able to be bypassed. The bridge will be one end of the main road through the development. This road will continue on and connect Atlantic Station on the west to Northside Drive. There will also be a major connection to Atlantic Station by way of State Street in the south. To allow people to get in and out of the development a few things are being done. There is to be a mass transit system that runs through Atlantic Station connecting to the MARTA system; this includes buses a light rail line. Also, the Georgia Tech Stinger system is supposed to have a bus that makes a route to and from Atlantic Station to help promote the use of the development by Tech Students. Along with the mass transit there will be a large parking deck for those who are unable to or would rather not use the public transit. Atlantic Station wants to create a very pedestrian friendly development there for they are limiting the number of surface parking spots available along the roads. Therefore the parking deck will hold the majority of development's 7,300 parking spaces below the eastern most portion of the property. During the day a large portion of the parking deck will be devoted to use by the businesses while in the evening and on weekends those same spaces will be open for commercial retail use.  Atlantic Station has been organized into 3 major areas of development; the "Town Center," "The Commons," and "Tech Village." Town Center is the heart of the development running along the eastern side of the property and bordered by the interstate. Town Center will consist of one million square feet of open-air retail and entertainment, including six mixed-use retail buildings with entertainment, shops a large theater, and restaurants. There will also include six million square feet of office space in mid-to high-rise office buildings, 150,000 square feet of loft office space, 200 two-story loft apartments directly above retail shops and restaurants, and over 200 townhomes and single-family.  The Commons is a mix of apartment buildings, town homes and high-rise condominium towers that will provide close proximity to Atlantic Station's Retail and Office Districts. At the center of The Commons is a park and fountained lake that will be the community 'focal point' for concerts, festivals and evening walks. Tech Village will be the location of a Wal-mart along with lofts and apartments. This district will also hold the High Tech offices and is envisioned as a 24 hour facility that many students will inhabit. |
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