Northlake: the forgotten business district of metro Atlanta? (Marietta, Tucker: middle-class, insurance)

[kirkwoodhipster]

I was wondering: why do you guys think that Northlake did not take off in the same way Cumberland and Perimeter did? It really could be the northeastern version of Cumberland, location-wise. It has a location along the perimeter, a huge retail sector, and was developed around the same time as Perimeter and Cumberland. It is surrounded by high-quality middle-class housing. Yet, when I was in that area, it looked like the office component simply stalled. Anyone know why?

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by kirkwoodhipster

I was wondering: why do you guys think that Northlake did not take off in the same way Cumberland and Perimeter did? It really could be the northeastern version of Cumberland, location-wise. It has a location along the perimeter, a huge retail sector, and was developed around the same time as Perimeter and Cumberland. It is surrounded by high-quality middle-class housing. Yet, when I was in that area, it looked like the office component simply stalled. Anyone know why?

I actually wrote a little on this way back when:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/9121355-post22.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/9150734-post34.html


Here is some more information that may interest you:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/atlan...ut-down-3.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/9147416-post30.html




I think there are two reasons why Northlake is not a Perimeter or a Cumberland:

1. Poor marketing/not enough initiatives to help the area take off. It needed to start with the mall (it should be more upscale) and then that would spring forth more office development.

2. Relative proximity to Lenox and Perimeter. Almost like--those two areas/malls are relatively close by, why bother with Northlake?



*I still think Northlake has a lot of potential (see links above). It would be especially awesome if a light metro line is extended to/through Northlake from Lindbergh+Emory.

[BringBackCobain]

The timing was certainly right, as Perimeter, Northlake and Cumberland Malls were all built in the early 70s. One major difference is that both Perimeter and Cumberland are located at the junction of two major freeways (285 at 400 and 285 at 75) while Northlake is not. Ideally, Northlake should have been built at 285 at 85. But then it would loose the executive housing component, as that area (Doraville and Embry Hills) was already blue-collar by the early 70s.

As crazy as it sounds, I think MARTA or some sort of public transit is this areas only hope of redevlopment and densification.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

The timing was certainly right, as Perimeter, Northlake and Cumberland Malls were all built in the early 70s. One major difference is that both Perimeter and Cumberland are located at the junction of two major freeways (285 at 400 and 285 at 75) while Northlake is not. Ideally, Northlake should have been built at 285 at 85. But then it would loose the executive housing component, as that area (Doraville and Embry Hills) was already blue-collar by the early 70s.

As crazy as it sounds, I think MARTA or some sort of public transit is this areas only hope of redevlopment and densification.

Or it should have been built at 285 and 78--but North DeKalb Mall was already close by.


And a light metro line (as I mentioned above) would be great for the area.

[JPD]

In addition to Northlake being positioned right in between Lenox and Perimeter, it's owned by Simon Malls, which also owns Lenox. Simon is not going to try to attract higher quality stores to Northlake, because that would only decrease Tucker and Northlake residents need/desire to go to Lenox.

Simon has been an absolute failure at Northlake, as the retail offerings in the mall do not even come close to matching the needs/desires or buying power of the surrounding areas.

[arjay57]

Northlake has a whopping amount of business activity if you include Class A, B and C office space. 28 million square feet, and the lowest vacancy rate in town! If I recall there are a lot of insurance companies out that way. They just didn't go highrise.

The mall itself and the local retail and restaurant scene are very active too. A lot of those Decatur/Henderson area folks go there.

[kirkwoodhipster]

Thanks for all the responses! I actually meant more the entire business district, not really the mall. More, "why didnt Northlake become an edge city"? It just never took off the way Perimeter and Cumberland did. Those are really good responses. Are there any skyscrapers or even mid-rise office buildings around there? I don't see where all this office space is hiding.

[Caleb Longstreet]

Originally Posted by kirkwoodhipster

Thanks for all the responses! I actually meant more the entire business district, not really the mall. More, "why didnt Northlake become an edge city"? It just never took off the way Perimeter and Cumberland did. Those are really good responses. Are there any skyscrapers or even mid-rise office buildings around there? I don't see where all this office space is hiding.

Just some observations over the years. I lived in Tucker back in the early 80's and it was a beautiful place to be. Close to Northlake, nice quiet suburbs, easy commute to town, Stone Mountain, etc......after the booms, Northlake was kind of left behind. When you look at 2 corridors that really boomed, highways definitely come to mind but, look what was built out along the edge and beyond.

Cumberland has the I-75 corridor and Lockheed Martin/Marietta the city of to use as a co-anchor. Good or bad, quite a few people live there and the commute to downtown is not all that bad. Couple this with desirable East Cobb living, Kennesaw area to include the University and you get the point....20 miles of non-stop nice growth...

Perimeter....take that 30 miles North and it continues to be more of the same....

Northlake??? Well, old Lilburn, the towns that Hooker Barnes built, modest 3-5 story buildings, a dying GM plant close-by......just didn't have the fuel or highways to move it up the chain.....like the one person mentioned, those highways impacted it more than one might think.....shame too because if you go around the Tucker, Northlake, Henderson, Mercer University Area you can see it's still nice and has remnants of a time when it was more desirable. The drive along Briarcliff and Clairmont use to be one of the more pleasant drives in Atlanta. To be sure, there has been a large influx of retail but, I don't see it as a prime destination like it used to be. More residential than business as a feel....

[jpatlanta]

I don't think the area around the mall is doing badly at all. I often go there and if anything there seems to be more people and new businesses opening than a few years back. Other than Sears the Mall itself isn't any good though and lowers the tone.

[cabasse]

i've always been curious myself if century center is party of northlake, buckhead, or its own little district.

it and northlake do remind me of the cumberland area.