News
GULCH GAMES
January 6, 2011
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| Yesterday, we dropped by a meeting to find out who's in the running to be the master developer for the downtown site popularly known as "The Gulch." The Georgia DOT meeting was to unveil its plan to find, evaluate, and eventually enter into a partnership with private developers to build what officials call a multi-modal "campus" that will serve a host of transit lines, from MARTA rail and bus to an eventual streetcar network, and even the much hoped for regional high-speed commuter rail lines. | |
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| We spoke with Hines' Kurt Hartman, who tells us GDOT's plan for this property seems much like what the firm is doing in Milan, Italy, with a more than 2M SF mixed-use transit hub called Porta Nuova (pictured above). Hines will submit for the project, Kurt says. | |
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| The meeting GDOT HQ at One Georgia Center in Midtown was the first step toward transforming 110 acres around the Richard B. Russell Federal Building downtown—including The Gulch parcels (property map above). GDOT's Selena Helms, who's heading up the committee that will choose a master developer, says initial proposals from prospects are due Jan. 10, with finalists notified by Jan. 21. The committee—made up of members from the City of Atlanta, Central Atlanta Progress, Georgia Regional Transportation Agency,MARTA, GDOT and the Atlanta Regional Commission—will decide on the private development partner by June 20. | |
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| "Just getting to this particular day is a real milestone," says CAP's A.J. Robinson. "This is a big, impactful project that will affect many, many people in the state and region for generations." | |
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| GDOT's Erik Steavens says the expanded scope of the property allows for a "campus" feel to the project and gives more development opportunities for a developer, instead of just a single structure: "You got several critical ideas, some that are current, some that are future. We need you to dream and think about 50 years from now." |
