Civic Center Development

Home  /  Civic Center Development

2020: FWW (Fourth Ward West) is trying to get information from Atlanta Housing (Authority).

2018: FWW Meeting Notes: Monday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Southface Institute
Presentation given by:
Charles Ford: Finance Project Manager 404-817-7380
Howard Grant: VP Community Govt and External Affairs 404-817-7220
Site https://www.atlantahousing.org/

1-Atl Housing is developing the Civic Center along with 6 other projects across Atlanta.
2- CLEAR CREEK REMEDIATION in the parking lot from 2018-2019

CLEAR CREEK REMEDIATION was done because Dekalb Avenue marks the Eastern Continental Divide  https://atlbuildings.com/eastern-continental-divide/ — starting from  Dekalb Ave where the divide begins, water gravitates through Old  Fourth Ward and surrounding neighborhoods, eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. In the early days of the 1950’s and 60’s city planners were not very clued in about water shed. The Civic Center Parking lot was/is a huge impermeable surface that slid tons of water towards Pine Street. The rental housing community 251 North had to abandon the lower lying apartments because of this early lack of information about water shedding.

Whats going on in 2018-2019 (with all the digging) is a 4 million gallon vault to provide an unnatural water shed. They were going to do the same thing at Old Fourth Ward Historic Park, also Clear Creek. Some creative architects like Tom Dalia got on board and a more natural solution became reality which everyone loves. Sustainable and enjoyable, Old Fourth Ward Historic Park also remediates the Clear Creek flow into the Gulf of Mexico.
Atl Housing apparently got on this tank idea years ago and as a government organization didn’t have the where-with-all to rethink it. Most likely the contractor just wanted to do what they knew how to do and make some money. Doing something sustainable, beautiful and integrated into the human and physical environment like Old Fourth Ward Historic Park was too much effort.
If “Clear Creek” is googled it is fed by many neighborhoods. Another Atlanta Parks Clear Creek Remediation project being done a little more sustainably is on the SE corner of Blvd and Blvd Place.

From:https://www.atlantahousing.org/developers-property-owners/developers/
GOAL: Residential/Commercial/Retail/Civic

Overall goal for the site is a minimum of 30% affordable housing
Estimated 420 units to be developed by AH, of which 280 units would be affordable to low-income households

 

Site of 17 Acres composing the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center built-in 1968 by architectural firm Robert and Company. It is a contemporary and neighbor of John Portman’s downtown buildings: the Atlanta Merchandise Mart (1961) Peachtree Center Tower (1965) and Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel (1967).

PAST: This was late 1960’s urban renewal. Suburban flight was beginning, not to reverse until the late 1990’s.  The closed and dystopian street facades of urban buildings in the USA of the 1960’s -1970’s express the fear developers felt towards the post-Civil Rights urban environment. It’s purpose was to replace the houses composing Buttermilk bottoms,  the area where Atlanta’s maids and gardeners resided.   HERE is a pictorial history of the Civic Center and other auditoriums in Atlanta and where the above photos have their origins.
PRESENT: HERE (mid-page) is a rundown of some activities concerning the Civic Center building, which is on the Preservation Watch List.
Two Community planning sessions have been held and Beyer Blinder Bell is retained to do the planning  (they are also doing the planning and construction for the Colony Square revitalization with local architects Lord Aeck Sargent, which is why they were hired by Atlanta Housing).