Comments From My Recent Condo Tour in Brookhaven & Midtown (real estate, foreclosures)

[LynnHarris]

I went on an “informal” condo tour yesterday with two of my neighbors and three co-workers, which consisted of properties in Midtown and Brookhaven. I thought it would be interesting to share some of their comments with the group.


1010 Midtown: the majority loved the location, floorplans and features – however, many were concerned about the Club Reign opening (news does travel fast doesn't it:-), and if it would have a negative impact on the immediate surrounding community.


Plaza Midtown: thought the location was great, liked the floor plans, however, some thought there were too many foreclosures in the building and that it attracted more of a young party type crowd.


Luxe: most thought this building had the best location by far, which included its close proximity to Piedmont Park, MARTA and restaurants – the only negative was that a few felt the prices were little high in terms of square footage.


Village Brookhaven: this was also a favorite by the group, because of its walking distance to shopping and office space. The downside for some was that it was not as convenient to the Brookhaven MARTA than some of the other nearby communities.


Town Brookhaven: didn't get an opportunity to view any of the nearby condos, however, most of the group was excited to hear about the new Greenwise Publix that is scheduled to open April 21st.


While I thought the condos listed above all had some really great qualities, I was actually more attracted to some of the “no-name” older brick condo buildings located on Piedmont between 12th and 14th streets – go figure :-).


As of this time however, my favorite condo unit is the one I saw last week in the Palmer & Phelan buildng, which is located across the street from the Midtown MARTA station. In my opinion that is one of the best locations in the city.

[ATL Urbanist]

Such a shame that it isn't easier to walk to MARTA from that Village Place Brookhaven. I'm in that area often during the week and I've been impressed with the development overall, but the way the sidewalks end before you get to the MARTA station (leaving no safe pedestrian route on that busy Dresden Rd) is just bizarre. I'm hoping they'll fix that and get a nice walking route in.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATL Urbanist

Such a shame that it isn't easier to walk to MARTA from that Village Place Brookhaven. I'm in that area often during the week and I've been impressed with the development overall, but the way the sidewalks end before you get to the MARTA station (leaving no safe pedestrian route on that busy Dresden Rd) is just bizarre. I'm hoping they'll fix that and get a nice walking route in.

I know a lot of people don't like the bus but it seems like it would only be about a 2 minute hop to the station.

And, yeah, they do need to improve the sidewalks. I walked down to the old tag office once (don't know if it's still there) and the route was less than optimal.

[midtown mile girl]

Maybe you could negotitate prices at Luxe if you fell in love with a unit. It may be time to get a real estate agent from the Midtown area and see units in older buildings, like Hanover and Colony Square, Ansley Terrace, Reid House, etc. Take a friend with you and have fun!

[ATL Urbanist]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I know a lot of people don't like the bus but it seems like it would only be about a 2 minute hop to the station.

And, yeah, they do need to improve the sidewalks. I walked down to the old tag office once (don't know if it's still there) and the route was less than optimal.

And that's the double whammy -- the MARTA bus line that goes in front of this development on Dresden was canceled last year due to low use. So you can neither walk safely nor ride a bus to the train station from this otherwise very nice, mixed-use development in Brookhaven.

My wife and I were considering putting this development on our short list of re-location options, but the fact that I'd have to drive back and forth to a train station that is only 1/3 mile away just seemed too ridiculous.

[EDIT: oops! I was wrong. A sidewalk on one side of Dresden, though unpleasantly narrow at one stretch, does in fact extend to the Brookhaven MARTA station.]

To the OP: I second Midtown Mile Girl's recommendation of Ansley Terrace on 15th street. We toured that one when scouting condos and I thought it was a really nice building with a great location.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATL Urbanist

My wife and I were considering putting this development on our short list of re-location options, but the fact that I'd have to drive back and forth to a train station that is only 1/3 mile away just seemed too ridiculous.

I guess it's possible to walk to the station if you use the sidewalk on the west side of the street. However, it is a couple of blocks and Dresden is a busy street.

[ATL Urbanist]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I guess it's possible to walk to the station if you use the sidewalk on the west side of the street. However, it is a couple of blocks and Dresden is a busy street.

For some reason I was under the impression that the sidewalk ended on both sides of Dresden. After your comment, I looked it up on Google Street View and realized I was wrong -- the sidewalk extends all the way to the station on one side (though it narrows to something more akin to a curb at one point -- unpleasant, but certainly usable). I'll edit my previous comments so I don't spread misinformation. Thanks for the tip.

[arjay57]

There's no denying that area needs a major streetscape overhaul. There's a sidewalk but it's not very inviting.

[LynnHarris]

If it weren't for the MARTA situation, that would almost be a perfect location. I really like the floorplan and layout...as well as all the convenient restaurant locations and other services.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by LynnHarris

If it weren't for the MARTA situation, that would almost be a perfect location. I really like the floorplan and layout...as well as all the convenient restaurant locations and other services.

Well, it's a 10 minute walk to the station, and there are sidewalks. The stroll is not exactly a beautiful one at the moment but it's hardly as if you're passing through a perilous area.

If DeKalb County (or, more likely, the private property owners) would update the streetscape in that two block stretch, that area would be awesome. I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen in the not too distant future.

There are already a number of plans in the works.

Projects

DeKalb takes initial steps toward Peachtree streetscape | Reporter Newspapers