Atlantic Station land once eyed for commuter rail now on the market
June 20, 2008 at 12:58 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsThis could prove interesting.
A little bird flew upon thine window and tipped me about a piece of property near Atlantic Station owned by the State Road and Tollway Authority. The nearly 6-acre parcel of land sits across the street from the IKEA store and is sure to make developers drool.
It’s also been eyed as a key stop along the planned commuter-rail network that would spider from downtown Atlanta. (This particular route juts toward Athens.) Before Gov. Sonny Perdue’s time, AIG Real Estate sold the land to then Gov. Roy Barnes’ administration for below market value.
Earlier this month, SRTA designated the land as “surplus” property and the State Properties Commission listed the parcel on its website. It will begin accepting bids July 10. A commission spokesperson says the agency is not obligated to accept any of the offers. So maybe they’re just sticking their toe in the water.
If you’re a forward-thinking developer who understands that people want to live and work close to transit options, this photo to the right is probably just as appealing as water to a parched man in the desert. It’s near the Beltline, you’ve got a Publix a couple of blocks away, located near a bustling neighborhood and separated from Downtown only by 3,235 lanes of interstate. Commuter rail isn’t exactly the speediest service to connect people to downtown, but it’d be nice to have some rail serving Atlantic Station.
Deals like these usually involve sealed bids, with the highest offer, regardless of planned use, usually the one being accepted. Let’s hope whoever purchases this property keeps the train in mind.
You don’t need a lot of room to build a train stop for folks, but a solid transit-oriented development would be a nice addition to the area.
(Photo courtesy State Properties Commission)
June 20th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Great find Thomas! And thanks for pointing out the connection with the resurrection of commuter rail. I currently work in the Emory/CDC area, and I could totaly see catching the train to Atlantic Station for lunch.
By the way, thanks for all your efforts. Yours has been some of the best reporting in this town for some time.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
The credit should go to the little bird that flew upon thine window, et, but thank you for your kind words. I truly appreciate it. Take care and enjoy the weekend.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Also, note that it’d be more apt to say the property is near Atlantic Station. That’d still be a bit of walk to the shops.
June 20th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
it would quickly become the “in between classes” GSU hang out spot
June 21st, 2008 at 11:46 am
What makes you assume that rail is coming to the site just because it is for sale? I think that if it is being sold by the State, that they are giving up on the idea of rail, perhaps even helping to kill it.