Atlantic Station, Atlanta
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Atlantic Station is a neighborhood on the northwestern edge of
Midtown Atlanta Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown for short, is a Urban area, high-density commercial and residential neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used ...
,
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,
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comprising a retail district, office space, condominiums, townhomes and apartment buildings. First planned in the mid-1990s and officially opened in 2005, the neighborhood is located on the former brownfield site of the Atlantic Steel mill.


History

Atlantic Station is located on the site of the Atlantic Steel mill, which opened in 1901. The steel mill was nearly closed in the mid-1970s, but it remained nominally operational primarily to avoid the huge costs it would have required to remediate the
soil contamination Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activit ...
present after years of operation. Developer Jim Jacoby, who also redeveloped
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's Marineland, began putting the project together in 1997 when his company became the property contractor of the land. The redevelopment of the land into what is now Atlantic Station was financed largely by private
investment Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...
, but was heavily supplemented by a special
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district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
to pay for city tax bonds for
public utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...
(
street A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...
s,
sidewalk A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English, South African English), or footpath (Hiberno-English, Irish English, Indian English, Australian English, New Zealand English) is a path along the side of a road. Usually constr ...
s, and sewers). The development was originally planned to include of retail, office, residential space as well as of public parks. Its size encouraged the
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to award the neighborhood its own ZIP code: 30363. The project design was led by US architect, John Clark while working at Development Design Group Inc. (DDG), based in
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. Atlantic Station was designed with energy efficiency in mind and many of the buildings are LEED certified. Additionally, the project was developed to help mitigate
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and reduce
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by allowing many more people to live and work within
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distance of most everyday things they need, with many alternative transportation options nearby. The proposed BeltLine transit/ greenway project is expected to pass within a few miles of the development. In October 2003, the very first residents moved into the development. The 17th Street bridge was completed in January 2004 and the first round of retail establishments opened in October 2005. Atlantic Station received the EPA's 2004 Phoenix Award as the Best National Brownfield Redevelopment, as well as the
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's 2005 America's Best New Development Projects listing. In July 2005, a pre-dawn fire completely destroyed a large wood-frame residential building under construction. Two days later, it was ruled
arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
after a major investigation. In addition to the destruction of the 65-unit Element building, which was only framed-in at the time, another 80 inhabited units at the Art Foundry across Mecaslin Street had damage to the facade, including scorching, broken windows, and melted miniblinds. At least five million dollars of damage was done to the buildings, 18 cars parked on the street were destroyed and another 7 were seriously damaged from the intense heat. In a joint venture, North American Properties Atlanta, founded by Mark Toro, and CB Richard Ellis Investors closed on the purchase of Atlantic Station's retail component on December 31, 2010. Toro and the NAP management launched a social media blitz, attended community meetings and real estate symposiums to openly discuss challenges, such as crime, and invite feedback. Toro's vision to transform Atlantic Station included new retail, new restaurants, better parking and a renewed effort to make Atlantic Station a destination for in-town residents. On October 1, 2015, Atlantic Station's retail core was officially sold to Hines Interest Limited Partnership with an unnamed joint financial partner. On the night of November 26, 2022, several people opened fire in the Atlantic Station neighborhood. One person was shot and killed, while five others were injured.


Layout

Atlantic Station comprises three distinct areas that are lined along 17th Street between the Downtown Connector and Northside Drive, the District, the Commons, and the Village. The District is where most of Atlantic Station's retail and office space is located. Opened on October 21, 2005, it was constructed in the style of an outdoor mall, with choices of shopping, dining, and a 16-screen Regal
movie theater A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...
. Above the retail levels is an additional two to three stories of condominiums. With the 7,200-space parking garage underneath, the shopping area is pedestrian-friendly and many of the surface level streets are often closed off for special events. The southwest corner of The District is home to the 26-story, TWELVE Hotel and Residences Atlantic Station, which was completed in December 2005. In addition, townhomes constructed in 2004 line 16th Street one block south of The District. The District's office space is located along the six-lane 17th Street Corridor, and is home to the 22-story tall 171 17th Street, known as the
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Building and completed in 2004, and the 17-story 201 17th Street, completed in 2007. Developed by AIG Global Real Estate, 171 17th Street was awarded the silver certificate in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Core and Shell Development program. 171 17th Street became the first-ever LEED Silver-Core and Shell certified high-rise office building, and the first high-rise office building in Georgia to receive any LEED certification. The 25-story BB&T Tower at 271 17th Street was completed in 2009, becoming Atlantic Station's tallest office tower. 271 was designed by tvsdesign and built by Brasfield & Gorrie. The Commons is home to many low-rise
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
s,
apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...
s, townhomes, and a large man-made stormwater retention pond that is located within the median of 17th Street. The Village is located on the westernmost portion of Atlantic Station, along 16th Street, and comprises an
IKEA IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...
store that opened in 2005, as well as two apartment complexes.


Retail

Current tenants include Athleta, The Athlete's Foot,
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Official Team Store,
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Official Team Store,
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, Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works, Cellairis, Dermalogica,
Dillard's Dillard's, Inc. is an American department store chain with approximately 267 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The company a ...
, DSW, Earth and Sky Creations, Express, The Eye Gallery, Fab'rik, Francesca's, Gap, H&M, Icing,
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, IT'SUGAR, Jos A. Bank, Journey's, Kate's, Kinnucan's, LA Fitness, Loft, Lush Nail Bar, Old Navy, Publix, Regal Cinemas, Target, Tervis,
Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing and beauty products, beauty retailer. Founded in 1977 by a Stanford graduate student and his wife, Roy Raymond, Roy and Gaye Raymond, the company's five lingerie stores were sold to Les Wexner i ...
, West Elm, and Z Gallerie.


Restaurants

Current restaurant tenants include Atlantic Grill, BGR The Burger Joint, California Pizza Kitchen, Bantam & Biddy, Great American Cookies, Kilwins Chocolates & Ice Cream, NaanStop, The Pig & the Pearl, Subway, Yard House, Salata, Gyu Kaku, Poke Bar, Envegan, and Allora.


Attractions

The Premier Exhibition Center at Atlantic Station is currently home to the exhibit '' Bodies: The Exhibition''. Atlantic Station is home the Atlanta Open men's tennis tournament every summer. The event is an ATP 250-level tournament.


Millennium Gate

Adjacent to the Commons pond is the Millennium Gate, an $18 million arch intended to celebrate peaceful accomplishment, with special attention paid to Georgia's rich history and people. The Millennium Gate opened July 4, 2008. As of 2008, it is the largest classical monument to have been dedicated since completion of the Jefferson Memorial in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Hugh Petter of ADAM Architecture was commissioned by the National Monuments Foundation to work alongside National Monuments director, Rodney Cook Jr., to develop the initial concepts into the final architectural design. The design is embellished with a sculptural allegory by Alexander Stoddart, telling the story of peaceful accomplishment over the last 2000 years. It houses of gallery space, featuring traditional and modern exhibits. Collections of artifacts and family histories contribute to exhibits showcasing the pioneering and philanthropic spirit behind the development of Atlanta. Other exhibits include a recreation of the 1928 Rhodes-Robinson House foyer located on West Paces Ferry Road and a recreation of Thomas K. Glenn's office. Mr. Glenn, the late chairman of
Trust Company A trust company is a corporation that acts as a fiduciary, trustee or agent of trusts and agencies. A professional trust company may be independently owned or owned by, for example, a bank or a law firm, and which specializes in being a trust ...
bank, in the 1930s ran Atlantic Steel, previous owner of the land that is now Atlantic Station. Glenn's family is among the project's supporters. The Millennium Gate has been greeted with puzzlement regarding its purpose, and it has been criticized by Modernists for its historic references. To this, New York sculptor George Kelly responds that "People are more drawn to tradition. It's the scale of it, it's the warmth of it. The word is beauty." Because of its proximity to the
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furniture store, some observers have given it the nickname "Arc d’Ikea." The Gate's exhibits are open to the public. The rooftop penthouse, Foyer gallery, and Oval Lawn are available for weddings, conferences, and other events by booking only. The Millennium Gate also serves as a
museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
, but is only open to the public by appointment.


Transportation

The primary roadway access to and through Atlantic Station is an extension of 17th Street constructed by the developers. As part of the project, the
Georgia Department of Transportation The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a li ...
erected the yellow 17th Street bridge over the I-75/85 Downtown Connector expressway that separated Atlantic Station and the Home Park residential neighborhood from the rest of Midtown. Controversy developed at the time of construction not only because of the bridge's unusual yellow color, but also for GDOT's insistence that the bridge and street meet suburban highway standards. Indeed, the bridge is eight lanes wide, and the enormous right-of-way afforded to 17th Street east of the bridge lacks street parking and utilizes an unusual arrangement of placing street trees and lamps at the edge of the adjacent buildings' property lines instead of against the street. Motorcycles are not allowed. The section of the Street west of the bridge consists of four through-lanes of traffic, in addition to a
bus lane A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, generally to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway completely dedicated for use by buses, whilst ...
, bike lane, and turning lanes in each direction, also lacking street parking. Access to public transportation is provided via a free shuttle that runs every 5–15 minutes to the Arts Center MARTA rail station and MARTA bus routes 37 and 94 which also serves the Arts Center Station pass through Atlantic station. GRTA Xpress buses have am and pm drop off and pick up spots as well as Cobb Linc bus make stop only outbound to art center. A railroad line runs along the northern border, but passenger service on the Crescent (Amtrak) is available only at the Peachtree Station in Brookwood, one walking mile away. In April 2011, the city of Atlanta submitted a grant application seeking $22.5 million to relocate that station to the Atlantic Station community. Shuttle service is also provided by Lanier Parking Solutions, for
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students in the student apartments, the Flats. Despite the pedestrian-friendly arrangement of much of the eastern section of the project, parking is inexpensive (first two hours of deck parking is free) and easily available in underground parking decks; indeed most visitors arrive by car.


References


External links

* *
Official Millennium Gate website
{{Shopping malls in Georgia (U.S. state) Shopping malls in the Atlanta metropolitan area Neighborhoods in Atlanta Buildings and structures in Atlanta Mixed-use developments in Georgia (U.S. state) New Urbanism communities Edge cities in the Atlanta metropolitan area Ersatz downtowns