What's wrong with Atlantic Station? (Atlanta: places to eat, discount, suburban)

[ATLTJL]

Nairobi's definition of urban just doesn't really sound very appealing to me at all anyway.

So if he doesn't consider AS urban, I'd say that's a win for AS.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

I'm not trying to force anyone to see things the way I do, regarding the Target and IKEA being there. Y'all don't see them as a problem, but I do.

I don't know anyone who's crazy about them.

In my opinion, the Target is not a disaster. However, they certainly could have given it a more urban treatment by simply pulling it up the street. There's a nice urban Tar-jay in Buckhead and something like that would have been great in Atlantic Station.

As to IKEA, they seem to sort of a non-urban force unto themselves. All their stores that I've seen are built the on same model as Atlantic Station -- a free standing blue building set back back from the road, with long driveways and approaches. Must be some corporate policy.

All in all, Atlantic Station is a solid new urbanist development. It creates a grid and puts the parking below grade. Uses are mixed, and buildings are brought to the street and constructed to zero lot lines. The office towers, hotel and highrise condos are super.

My biggest critique of AS is that many of the lowrise apartments and condos look insubstantial. I wish they'd been built more like Inman Park Village, Glenwood Park or many of the lowrise rise developments in Buckhead, Brookhaven and Sandy Springs. I assume they were aiming for a lower price point, but unfortunately it shows.

[JPD]

I can't decide which thread is more annoying, this one or the one in which MDAllStar keeps whining about the GWCC.

Guess what, Nairobi, Target is the type of store that people these days like having access to, and most people like green space.

As for the Edgewood Retail District, it's not that "hipster urbanites" think it's so great. What you might not realize is that before it was built, you had to drive many miles to get to the types of stores that are there. If you needed to go to Target and Lowe's, that would have been a several hour long outing for intowners. So Edgewood, while it has it's major flaws, is a LOT better than what used to be there (a derelict parking lot).

[arjay57]

By the way, all this stuff about what is urban and not urban and whether one is better than the other is a matter of opinion. Personally, I don't care for big box style development, but I'm sure there are many folks who think it is awesome. There's always plenty of free parking, with room left over for motorhome overnighters.

It's the same with almost every element of design. Some people like their streets arranged in grids, others prefer curving roads and cul-de-sacs. There are fans of walkable communities, but there are others who get apoplectic over having sidewalks crammed down their throats. Some love the bus, others are quite happy to spend their entire lives without getting on one. Some like quaint old houses placed close together, others want one that's brand spanking new on a big lot with plenty of elbow room.

Different strokes for different folks.

[ATLTJL]

What you might not realize is that before it was built, you had to drive many miles to get to the types of stores that are there. If you needed to go to Target and Lowe's, that would have been a several hour long outing for intowners.

Really? Because according to Google maps, there is a Lowes in Chamblee that is 10.3 miles away from the one at Edgewood. All you have to do is cut through Morningside and a bit of Buckhead to get there.

I mean, I understand that Atlanta's urban dwellers CAN and DO walk ABSOLUTELY everywhere, but on those extremely rare occasions where they do have to drive, they do understand that modern fuel combustion automobiles travel at more than 10 miles per hour, don't they?

And even that is only if you have your heart set on Lowes. If all you need is home improvement, you do understand that there is a Home Depot on Ponce near Monroe, right? Along with a bunch of other big box retailers?

But it's also a "suburban" development, with big stores and surface parking. So I really can't figure out if it should be lauded for bringing the stores that people need to them or derided for not making all the stores tiny and squishing them right next to each other and providing no parking.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Really? Because according to Google maps, there is a Lowes in Chamblee that is 10.3 miles away from the one at Edgewood. All you have to do is cut through Morningside and a bit of Buckhead to get there.

I mean, I understand that Atlanta's urban dwellers CAN and DO walk ABSOLUTELY everywhere, but on those extremely rare occasions where they do have to drive, they do understand that modern fuel combustion automobiles travel at more than 10 miles per hour, don't they?

And even that is only if you have your heart set on Lowes. If all you need is home improvement, you do understand that there is a Home Depot on Ponce near Monroe, right? Along with a bunch of other big box retailers?

But it's also a "suburban" development, with big stores and surface parking. So I really can't figure out if it should be lauded for bringing the stores that people need to them or derided for not making all the stores tiny and squishing them right next to each other and providing no parking.

Those stores are approximately the same age as the Edgewood shopping center, so your point lacks merit.

[K-SawDude]

Holy crap this is awesome!

Atlantic Station to host Atlanta Tennis Championships | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta

Not sure how the logistics will work out here, but this is a HUGE get for Atlantic Station. This is one of the pro events on the men's tour during the lead-up to the US Open.

[ATLTJL]

Fine, there was a Home Depot on Sidney Marcus where The Dump now is for years. I don't know when they built it, but it was OLD, so I assume it was there for a very long time. There was also a K-Mart there.

That's even closer than the Lowes in Chamblee, which has been there since at least 2002. I don't know when they built Edgewood, I think it was around 2005 or 2006, wasn't it?

The point is, intowners have had access to big box retailers for a long time. It might have been a bit less convenient for them, but it wasn't a several hour long outing. It's not like they had to go to Cherokee county or down to Peachtree City.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

The point is, intowners have had access to big box retailers for a long time. It might have been a bit less convenient for them, but it wasn't a several hour long outing. It's not like they had to go to Cherokee county or down to Peachtree City.

If you read what I wrote, you'd know that I said Lowes AND Target. So, if you had to go to both of those stores (or any two big box stores) in one outing, it could have quite easily taken you several hours to do this prior to Sembler building their retail centers at Ponce and Edgewood. As it is now, people living on that side of town can go to Target and Lowes (or any number of other bix box retailers) easily and quickly.

I wasn't arguing with you. On the contrary, I was siding with you against Nairobi's bizarre tirade. My points were ONLY that it's much easier and quicker to make a big-box run now than it ever used to be for people in these neighborhoods, and that Edgewood Retail, for whatever faults it might have, is much better than a rotting parking lot.

[ATLTJL]

Ah, that makes sense! I see what you're saying now.