Pocket parks. Super-fast broadband. Walkability. These are features Midtown Alliance has been focusing on to encourage development in Midtown Atlanta, which you'll hear about duringBisnow's Future of Midtown event at the W next week. (Join us!)
Midtown Alliance CEO Kevin Green is one of our panelists, and tells us with more than $600M of new development freshly delivered or under way—including 131 Ponce de Leon Ave and Robin Loudermilk's Seventh project—walkability has become a "key differentiator," Kevin says. To that end, the Alliance has been building more than 14 miles of streetscape improvements with a focus on sidewalks and pedestrian ways. Since 2000, Kevin says these efforts have helped encourage more than $4B in new development in Midtown."With so many opportunities, I'm having a hard time putting my finger on a challenge," Kevin quips. But we felt it was our duty to remind him of some and hear his response.1) Streetcar: Will it eventually have a north-south route into Midtown (and construction like this along Peachtree Street)? "It's a question of when and not if," he says. "But I don't think when is going to come soon." He adds MARTA already serves the north-south transit route.
2) Support to allow nightclubs and entertainment venues 24-hour operation: "We've got a district that has a pretty vibrant nightlife, but I don't think a whole lot of good things happen after 2am."
3) Technology innovation: That's a big issue for Midtown Alliance. Already partnering with Georgia Tech to advance the Midtown's burgeoning innovation district, Kevin says the Alliance is also focused on opportunities for advanced broadband. As streetscape projects bury utilities, Kevin says they add space for future fiber upgrades. (Sign up here!)
