Midtown Eyesore To Be Redesigned As Inclusive Green Space By N.Y. Architect: The Atlanta Deal Sheet
A storied New York design firm has been tapped to create an urban oasis on a 4-acre Midtown lot that has been the graveyard of developers' hopes throughout the 21st century.
The Midtown Improvement District and the Midtown Alliance hired New York-based design firm Field Operations to draw up concepts, renderings and cost estimates for the creation of a park at 98 14th St. in Atlanta, the vacant 4-acre site next to the 1180 Peachtree office tower.
The design firm's notable works include New York’s High Line, Navy Pier in Chicago and Waterfront Seattle.
The improvement district purchased the site in May for $46M.
Field Operations will explore ideas for the urban park, including an expansive tree canopy, a performance stage and pavilion, art installations, food spaces and walking paths, according to a press release.
Midtown Alliance said in a press release that it plans to exhibit concept renderings and offer preliminary cost estimates by spring.
In the short term, Midtown Alliance will install a temporary lawn for pop-up events ahead of the FIFA World Cup games in Atlanta in 2026.
Multiple developers have tried and failed to build their own ambitious projects on the site.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra proposed building a music hall there in 1999 and tapped a celebrated Spanish architect to design it. The design, with a price tag exceeding $300M, would have included a 300-foot arch.
But the ASO saw fundraising lag for the project, and it was already running yearly operational deficits. It ultimately walked away from plans at the site in 2006, opting instead to stay put at the Woodruff Arts Center.
New York developer Olympia Heights Management bought the site from the symphony's parent organization in 2014. The developer unveiled plans for a three-tower project, including one that would have risen 60 stories — a project much more ambitious than it had ever undertaken.
Plans were revised multiple times, then ultimately downsized to a single luxury condo tower called No2 Opus Place.
Olympia Heights graded the site and developed a $3M sales center, which remains there to this day.
In 2023, Olympia Heights lost the parcel to foreclosure to its lender, a partnership between Benmark Capital and Atlanta-based Peachtree Group.
After purchasing the site in May, Midtown Alliance picked Field Operations following a three-month search involving nearly 50 firms.
Sarah Astheimer, partner-in-charge with Field Operations, pledged a design that would transform the space into a Midtown asset.
“Our goal is to create a new kind of public experience for Atlanta – a dynamic, inclusive space that reflects the unique character of Midtown,” Astheimer said in a press release.
ASSIGNMENTS
Newmark’s Stewart Thrash and RJ Zurak have been tapped to market 415 S. Broad St. in Downtown Alpharetta for sale or lease. The four-story, 38K SF office building was previously the headquarters for DataScan, which built the facility in 2018.
Newmark said the property will be vacated in the second quarter.
“DataScan has made the city aware they are not renewing their lease at 415 Broad Street in Downtown Alpharetta,” Alpharetta Director of Economic Development Charlie Jewell said in an email. “It is our understanding their intent is to remain in the city, though they have not disclosed a new location.”
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Skanska has begun deconstructing the Five Points MARTA Station canopy for the first phase of the redevelopment of the 144K SF transit hub. In its place, Skanska plans to build a 32K SF mass timber canopy with three new pedestrian entrances.
DEVELOPMENT
Affordable housing developer Pennrose, in partnership with Mercy Care, broke ground on the second phase of the McAuley Station mixed-income project, adding 97 affordable apartment units restricted to those 55 and older.
The project is rising next to the Mercy Care campus in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta and is expected to deliver in April 2027.
The first phase of McAuley Station, with 170 mixed-income units, opened last year.
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Electrical equipment manufacturer Socomec plans to open a new $10M facility in Suwanee, bringing 300 new jobs to the area, Gov. Brian Kemp announced last week.
Socomec’s new facility will be housed at an existing 356K SF warehouse at 2935 Shawnee Industrial Way and is set to begin operating in the first quarter.
Georgia Department of Economic Development Assistant Director John Soper led incentives negotiations.
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LaGrange Cricket Holdings LLC broke ground on the LaGrange Cricket Stadium, a 10,500-seat stadium next to the Great Wolf Lodge resort an hour north of Atlanta, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.
The LLC is associated with the founders of DAS Cricket Academy in New Jersey and the NJ Blackcaps professional cricket team, according to the ABC. The stadium is set to be completed in 2027.
LEASES
AMX Logistics inked a 20K SF lease for the 10th floor of Interlock Tower for its corporate headquarters, bringing 200 jobs to West Midtown.
Foundry Commercial’s Phil Costabile and Lawrence Gellerstedt represented the logistics company.
Partners Real Estate’s Aileen Almassy and Will Porter represented the landlord, SJC Ventures.
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Savi Provisions will move forward on a second location for its Azalea Fresh Market store at 2080 Campbellton Road in a former Super Giant grocery store at the Campbellton Plaza shopping center.
The gourmet grocery operator plans to spend $1.2M building out the 17,500 SF location.
PERSONNEL
Zach Chandler has joined Peachtree Group as a senior vice president of strategy, tasked with expanding the firm’s government lending platform, including for programs backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Chandler was previously senior vice president at Thomas USAF Group, an originator of USDA and Small Business Administration loans.
