Revitalizing Neighborhoods: Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward

[Metro Jacksonville]

Revitalizing Neighborhoods: Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward



Metro Jacksonville visits a redeveloping inner city Atlanta neighborhood: The Old Fourth Ward.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-oct-revitalizing-neighborhoods-atlantas-old-fourth-ward

[Bill Hoff]

If there was ever a comparison to SPR in Jax, that's it. The description & hx reads the same, just a smaller level....switch some of the names and you'd never know. I used to live not far from there as a child. Very cool to see it blossom (obviously I haven't visited in some time).

[simms3]

Correction: MLK Historic Site is more so in Sweet Auburn/Edgewood District, which you included here in this thread, but nobody considers that remotely O4W.  In fact, arguably the old Sears building is in Poncey-Highlands, not O4W (but we're getting really extreme up here with defining neighborhoods...who's counting?)

Beltline is now pretty much open through there and CROWDED (had a sort of soft opening this past weekend with a big Streets Alive event where all the local streets were closed to vehicular traffic and live bands played along the Beltline).  Also in addition to JT's project at Ponce City Market (2.1 million SF, mix of multifamily, retail, office, public space...was there for a party last night), the following are now UC as of the past week:

Bohemian House O4W (BOHO), 276 units, North American Properties


Somerset, 228 units, Perennial Properties


AMLI O4W II, 300 units (pic is of current structure, which will likely be mimiced), AMLI



Below are some summer photos I took of the area, people walking on Beltline before even open or finished (myself included):

Skate Park


Random infill:






Crossing over Ponce (now finished):


Same (will have bike ramp down to Ponce on this side when finished...and wide bike lanes on Ponce):


$180MM being poured into Ponce City Market (2.1 million SF former Sears warehouse and City Hall East):




One of the city's most popular restaurants Two Urban Licks is in building on right (can't see it here), it opens up to Beltline and features bocce ball and a view for its patrons:






Inside PCM from a recent tour I did:


My firm will be moving here in 2014 along with other major tech/research firms:




All of the following view is now UC with 3 projects:





Some really old photos of O4W Park.  You didn't touch on this, but the whole purpose of the park was to prevent flooding.  It was built in conjuction with the closing of the old Sears building, which was completely flooded on 1st two levels.  The park acts as a gian reservoir when it rains, and it just so happens to connect to the Beltline and enhance the neighborhood.  It's also a self sustaining park (solar powered, rain collection, recycled materials, etc etc...all Beltline Parks are this way).









Park lights:













From Roof of Ponce City Market on the Eastside by city_simmons, on Flickr

Masquerade Nightclub...an old 19th century mill:

[thelakelander]

Correction: MLK Historic Site is more so in Sweet Auburn/Edgewood District, which you included here in this thread, but nobody considers that remotely O4W.  In fact, arguably the old Sears building is in Poncey-Highlands, not O4W (but we're getting really extreme up here with defining neighborhoods...who's counting?)

I was just going by the City of Atlanta's definitions. 



http://174.37.215.145/government/planning/o4w.aspx

I was wondering about that but evidently Sweet Auburn/Edgewood was an original part of the 4th Ward as well.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_annexations

[thelakelander]

Beltline is now pretty much open through there and CROWDED (had a sort of soft opening this past weekend with a big Streets Alive event where all the local streets were closed to vehicular traffic and live bands played along the Beltline).

How long is the completed segment of the Beltline?  I'll have to remember to ride it the next time I'm up there.

Some really old photos of O4W Park.  You didn't touch on this, but the whole purpose of the park was to prevent flooding.  It was built in conjuction with the closing of the old Sears building, which was completely flooded on 1st two levels.  The park acts as a gian reservoir when it rains, and it just so happens to connect to the Beltline and enhance the neighborhood.  It's also a self sustaining park (solar powered, rain collection, recycled materials, etc etc...all Beltline Parks are this way).

It appeared to be a reservoir.  Do you know how much it cost and how was it funded?

[simms3]

You need to email me on your next visit.  I live here

If there was ever a comparison to SPR in Jax, that's it. The description & hx reads the same, just a smaller level....switch some of the names and you'd never know. I used to live not far from there as a child. Very cool to see it blossom (obviously I haven't visited in some time).

No.  No comparison.  Grant Park is Springfield's comparison, and for SFR rehabs Inman Park housing area is also a good comparison, and there are others, but they are still rundown areas that Springfield can't look "up" to.

[simms3]

Beltline is now pretty much open through there and CROWDED (had a sort of soft opening this past weekend with a big Streets Alive event where all the local streets were closed to vehicular traffic and live bands played along the Beltline).

How long is the completed segment of the Beltline?  I'll have to remember to ride it the next time I'm up there.

Some really old photos of O4W Park.  You didn't touch on this, but the whole purpose of the park was to prevent flooding.  It was built in conjuction with the closing of the old Sears building, which was completely flooded on 1st two levels.  The park acts as a gian reservoir when it rains, and it just so happens to connect to the Beltline and enhance the neighborhood.  It's also a self sustaining park (solar powered, rain collection, recycled materials, etc etc...all Beltline Parks are this way).

It appeared to be a reservoir.  Do you know how much it cost and how was it funded?

1) 2.2 miles I think.  You can pretty much walk/bike about 75% of the 22 mile length at this point, but the "Eastside Trail" from Piedmont Park through Inman Park is more or less complete with wide bike patch and above grade road crossings.  You also captured a photo of the PATH's Stone Mountain/Freedom Trail (the first urban bike path with "2 lanes" in Atlanta...it is connected to the Eastside Trail now so intown residents can essentially bike to Stone Mountain 15 miles out if they so wish).  Other improvements will include bike ramps down to major thoroughfares like Ponce where bike lanes will soon be created.  Of course LRT is coming much later, but TSPLOST would have put LRT on this route and others within 3-4 years.

2) From http://www.h4wpc.com/

After the unveiling of the BeltLine in 2004, the small group’s timeline escalated toward greenspace preservation, as the area began to attract the attention of developers. Property control was clearly the most difficult obstacle. Nearly half the proposed park was in the control of likely supporters, but several critical pieces were not. The group recognized that a supporter willing to bring major resources to the table was desperately needed.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) was approached a few months later. Because so much advance diligence and disposition information was compiled about Historic Fourth Ward Park by the PAC, TPL’s decision to be supportive was fostered. Consequently, in 2005 TPL’s first four allocations made for the future park were its first purchases made for all of the Atlanta BeltLine. By the end of 2005, TPL had secured almost ten acres.

As this was taking place, Mayor Shirley Franklin formed the BeltLine Coalition, and the TAD funding was passed at year’s end. This enabled the as-yet-unnamed Park to be slated as the first new Atlanta BeltLine park.

During 2005 and 2006, the group reached out at the neighborhood level and strategies were discussed with the Neighborhood Planning Units on how to combine greenspace with a higher density urban neighborhood. A list of development standards was crafted that would support a “quality of life” focus, specifically how properties should interface with the proposed park. This marks the beginning of how City policy began to be affected toward a more sustainable community.

By 2007, the small group grew to include twelve development entities whose properties lie in both the Old Fourth Ward and Poncey-Highlands neighborhoods. A dues-paying coalition was formed called the Park Area Coalition (PAC). Several of the original participants of the small group still played strong leadership roles, while the park design was consistently refined and altered to reflect the changing ownership and redevelopment plans by each developer as they came on board.

Over the last half of 2007, the PAC worked closely with Atlanta BeltLine Inc. (ABI) to devise an updated plan that reflected both the neighborhood’s and the PAC’s wishes, and the current realities of available properties and funding. Since the group had been working on the park for four years, it had a clearly defined vision and a successful plan that everyone could support.

After a visit from the PAC, the Woodruff Foundation pledged $8 million for land acquisition for the Park, the combination of which would allow a first phase of 10-15 acres to be completed in the next 2 to 3 years.