Fresh Loaf

NEIN Residents raised powerful pink slips to show opposition to Beltline's plan for Northeast Atlanta

After months of heated meetings, sitdowns and redesigns, Neighborhood Planning Unit F members on Monday night hoisted pink Post-It notes of disapproval in the air and voted overwhelmingly to reject the  Beltline’s proposed vision for Northeast Atlanta.

Armed with legal opinions, mocked-up photos and fact sheets, residents of Morningside, Piedmont Heights and Virginia-Highland packed the Hillside Facility on Monroe Drive to exercise their Maynard-given right and weigh in on the hot-button issue.

In doing so, residents joined several other neighborhood associations in opposition to the plan. Monday night’s final vote tallied 99-7, with four residents abstaining. Beltline officials were visibly discouraged.

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The Atlanta Regional Commission yesterday said that metro Atlanta experienced its slowest year in growth since 1990. Between April 2008 and April 2009, only 24,700 people moved to the 10-county metro area. (That’s after years of averaging more than 77,000 new residents each year.)

Atlanta, which had seen an average of 7,400 residents flock to the city every year since 2000, added only 3,400 new residents.

“We’re definitely seeing the impact of the recession,” Mike Alexander, chief of ARC’s Research Division, said in a press release. “We experienced slower growth in all 10 counties and in the City of Atlanta. Even so, Atlanta continues to lead the region’s growth.”

There’s a little bit of good news, though, something that’ll at least put a smile on the faces of smart-growth aficionados and urban planners. The ARC last week voted to extend its award-winning Livable Centers Initiative program until 2012. Created in 1999, the program offers grants to local governments to plan and design walkable communities where once there had been just cars and congestion.

It was expected to run out of funds and go into limbo late last year, but the $3 million promise of cash means metro residents might have a better chance of seeing blasé suburbanscapes turned into enjoyable places once the economy recovers and development begins anew.

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Percentage of Georgia adults who qualify as obese: 28

Percentage of Georgia children age 10-17 who qualify as obese: 37

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for adult obesity: 14

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for childhood obesity: 3

Number of the top 10 most obese states that are in the South: 8

Percentage of national health care costs associated with chronic disease, much of which can be traced to obesity: 70

Percentage by which a metro Atlantan is less likely to become obese if that person lives in a walkable neighborhood: 7

Extra number pounds of pounds the average person packs on when he or she lives in a pedestrian-unfriendly city: 6

Atlanta’s rank, out of 40, on a recent list of pedestrian-friendly cities: 22

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia Tech, Heartland Institute, Smart Growth America, Trust for America’s Health, WalkScore.com

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Beltline has secured a purchase option on segments highlighted above in red

The Beltline and Georgia Department of Transportation have agreed that key railroad tracks owned by the state agency will indeed be part of the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit.

GDOT Commissioner Vance Smith and Atlanta Beltline Inc. CEO Terri Montague announced today the agencies have struck a deal over a two vital segments of railroad tracks in Southwest and Southeast Atlanta.

The set of tracks in Southwest Atlanta stretch more than three miles from Allene Avenue to Lena Street. The other segment, which is much smaller, runs from Wylie Street to Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown.

According to the agreement, Beltline officials have exclusive claim on the properties until June 30, 2012. Until then, ABI will lease the segments and prepare them for public use — think hiking tours, urban sightseeing, etc.

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Beltline Arboretum

Trees Atlanta has selected local artist David Landis to create the first piece of public art for a planned arboretum, or tree museum, along the Beltline.

Once completed, the arboretum will circle the entire 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, and be one of the largest tree museums in the United States.

Landis was selected from a field of 20 applicants. His sculpture, which will be inspired by residents’ memories of trees and the historic West End community, will represent the first of 14 tree and plant collections along the smart-growth project.

Trees Atlanta says the sculpture will be designed to be a “landscape in motion” and will be installed in the West End’s Rose Circle Park early next year. The work is made possible by a grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

Landis, who created the Butterfly Pavilion at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, has also shown work in Minneapolis, Albany, Ga., Toulose, France and throughout the metro region. A graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia State University, he’s also taught at the latter and Dunwoody’s Spruill Center for the Arts.

Beltline and community officials will celebrate Landis’ selection on Thursday, July 9 at 7 p.m. at the Hammond House. The event is free and open to the public.

This post has been altered to fix a typo of the artist’s name.

(Screenshot courtesy of Trees Atlanta)

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Have you been itching to tour one of the country’s largest smart-growth projects? One that might transform the city and cost an estimated $2.8 billion? You’re in luck, my friend!

On Friday, man about town Angel Poventud, whom you might remember from  our recent Happy Issue, will lead  morning and evening Beltline tours that will cover some northern and southern parts of the project.

Poventud’s started a Facebook page with information about the two urban hikes. Included are details about the trail routes and recommendations about what to wear or bring on the two tours.

After the jump, some details about the morning and evening excursions for those who haven’t caved in and joined the social network site.

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Beltline officials on Monday will provide residents of Southeast Atlanta a chance to offer their opinion on how they want to move around the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit. Officials will also show them how they’ll move.

The meeting, the first of five Environmental Impact Study workshops, will be held at Trees Atlanta at 6:30 p.m. It will reportedly include a Google Earth animation that will take people on a virtual tour of the project’s path. Beltline officials will take citizen input on the how the trail and transit paths should be aligned, where station stops should be located, and what type of transportation — light-rail, streetcar, etc. — they think should be used.

The meeting is scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m. Click here for directions to Trees Atlanta. A list of the remaining workshops follows after the jump. To download a flyer that includes all the workshop dates and locations, click here. (Warning: PDF)

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Decatur Metro has the news!

On Thursday April 16th, New Urbanist extraordinare, Andres Duany, will open his three day SmartCode workshop in Decatur with a free talk about Smart Growth principles from 5:30p-8p at Holy Trinity Parish (515 E. Ponce de Leon Ave).

A book signing will follow the event.

Duany never disappoints, so come see what’s sure to be an entertaining romp through the principles and benefits of smart growth.

Entertaining, indeed. Duany recently envisioned five “senior living” sites in metro Atlanta as part of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Lifelong Communities Initiative. In typical Duany fashion, the acclaimed New Urbanist ended up re-imagining not just the sites, but the surrounding areas, as well. (He even threw a gentle jab at the walkable wonderland east of Atlanta.)

If you can attend this event, it’s worth it. All the details are at Decatur Metro’s site.

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Brown Middle School students today will plant nearly 1,000 trees and shrubs to help build the Beltline’s “arboretum.” The 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit is planned to boast one of the country’s largest “tree museums” once complete.

From the AJC:

Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta Audubon Society are working with Brown Middle School to plant fig and black walnut trees, blueberry bushes and other bird-friendly trees and shrubs at the West End school. The project was largely funded by a $42,400 grant from TogetherGreen, a National Audubon Society program sponsored by Toyota.

Trees Atlanta spokeswoman Cheryl Kortemeier said the middle school is along the first piece of the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum, a one-mile path next to the abandoned train tracks. It is accessible from the school and Gordon White Park. Kortemeier said the arboretum’s theme for the West Connection is ethnobotany, or how trees and plants are used as medicine.

Residents who want to help out by mulching, watering and planting remaining trees can visit the work site on Saturday at 9 a.m. Contact Trees Atlanta for more information. To download the arboretum’s conceptual plans, visit the Beltline’s webpage on the project. (The plans, which are PDF files and located along the right column, are very large but incredibly resourceful if you’re a tree-loving Atlantan.)

(Image courtesy of Atlanta Beltline Inc. and Trees Atlanta)

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Andres Duany

The Atlanta Regional Commission didn’t ask Andres Duany to envision a mixed-use design for Gwinnett Place Mall when he visited the region in February. But he did anyway.

He imagined how the stereotypical shopping box out in the wilds of suburbia would look should our economy collapse. Residents would have safety in numbers, gathered in dense housing. They could raze the single-family sameness surrounding them and plant crops. They could erect a wall to protect them from the barbarian hordes. Duany even included a moat. Because that’s how badass Duany is.

Last month, the smart-growth guru and father of New Urbanism converged upon Atlanta with a team of urban planners to conduct a nine-day series of site-planning sessions.

Duany’s team focused on five sites in metro Atlanta as part of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s initiative to prepare for the coming surge in the metro region’s aging population. In 2030, the commission says, one out of five adults in metro Atlanta will be over the age of 60. They’ll need a place to live. For people with limited mobility, the 40-story isolation towers we’ve stuck them in for the last few decades aren’t cutting it. The metro region’s sprawlish character isn’t hospitable for someone who can’t drive to the doctor, pharmacy or store. Simply put, the way things are right now, metro Atlanta isn’t prepared to accommodate many of the same people who helped build their communities.

Duany’s group aimed to see how the public and private sector can work together to change that. And for a wonk like me, it was a thrilling concept. After the jump, pretty pictures and lots of basic details.

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Beltline, Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak officials have until tomorrow afternoon to update the U.S. Surface Transportation Board about the fate of the Decatur Belt, a strip of abandoned rail in Northeast Atlanta which all sides say they need to control for very different rail projects. (Here are some maps of the project and area in question.)

Late last week, residents of several at-risk neighborhood organizations — including Poncey-Highland, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward — asked Amtrak and GDOT to scrap their plans for commuter or intercity rail running along the Decatur Belt. (Click here to read their Word Document press release.) While all the agencies promised to work together to try and resolve the issue, they’re keeping mum on how things have progressed. On Tuesday, Mayor Shirley Franklin told U.S. Congressman John Lewis the sides are still negotiating. Nonetheless, keep checking back for updates about the story.

In other Beltline news, some areas of the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit that would require rezoning are scheduled to be discussed — and possibly voted on — by the Atlanta City Council’s Community Development and Human Resources Committee on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m.. Included are project areas near Old Fourth Ward, Grant Park, Northwest Atlanta, and others.

A full list of the areas follows after the jump. If you want to get involved, stop by City Hall or contact your councilmember.

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1. East Atlanta neighbors stand up against crime (Ken Womack’s eavBuzz.net helps folks monitor their ‘hood — in real time.)

2. GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans fired (Chief of beleaguered transit agency later tells CL her sob story.)

3. Piedmont Park residents not cool with tunnels under Atlanta (But the rest of the city thinks they’re pretty awesome.)

4. Smart-growth guru smacks Atlanta (Andres Duany is to Atlanta what Toby Young is to overcooked fish.)

5. Strip-club arson case gets seamy (How could it not?)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Duany

Last week, acclaimed New Urbanist Andres Duany visited metro Atlanta to design several mixed-use sites for the Atlanta Regional Commission. He was deliciously brutal in his criticism.

“If Decatur’s great, it’s only in the absence of anything better.”

— Duany rips into the Atlanta neighborhood that the audience claims to be the most walkable.

“The only reason Atlanta isn’t mortified by its urban sprawl is because of its landscape. This the best-looking urban sprawl in the country.”

— Duany claims the region’s low-rolling hills help mask the dumb-growth.

“You have [massive parking decks] all over Atlanta. Who the hell wants to drive to the 15th floor? You feel like a loser even if you find a parking space.”

— Duany says the city’s parking decks should never be taller than five stories.

“Your streets are fantastically dangerous. And it isn’t the muggers. It’s the motorists used to driving fast.”

— Duany points out that the city isn’t safe for pedestrians.

Note: Now that I’ve been provided with maps and designs, I’ll be writing more later in the week about Duany’s presentation and plans. He’s got a lot of interesting ideas for metro Atlanta — Toco Hills and Grant Park, in particular.

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Ryan Gravel

The Beltline Partnership, the fundraising and public awareness arm of the $2.8 billion project that imagines Atlanta circled by parks, trails and transit, has new board directors.

Most prominent among those, especially for people who keep their eyes on smart growth and transit projects in the city, is Ryan Gravel. An urban designer who envisioned the Beltline as a graduate student at Georgia Tech, Gravel now works at local architecture firm Perkins + Will. He’s become more engaged with the Beltline since the Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak unexpectedly announced they want to use tracks near Piedmont Park for a commuter-rail project, putting the project in jeopardy.

Ray Weeks, the partnership’s founding chairman, is stepping down now that his term on the board has ended. He will continue to serve as one of the organization’s chief fundraisers. Weeks is succeeded by AGL Resources CEO John Somerhalder.

The partnership’s roster includes some of the city’s biggest business names. Since its founding, the organization has been vital in securing private funds to help pay for some of the public-works project’s costs.

Full release, with details of who’s joined the board, after the jump.

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The hardest part about making progress in metro Atlanta is fixing the mistakes of its past — namely, the sprawl created in part by an auto-dependent lifestyle and cheap land stretching out in all directions.

Thankfully, the Atlanta Regional Commission has some idea of how to turn that sprawl into walkable and livable areas — places you actually want to be.

Today, the commission announced several new sites for its Livable Centers Initiative, an award-winning program that funds planning studies for cities and counties to help retrofit sprawl-afflicted areas. The two closest to home? The Donald Lee Hollowell-Veterans Memorial Parkway Corridor in Atlanta and Cobb County and the North Druid Hills Road Corridor in DeKalb County.

More details from the commission about those sites after the jump.

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You know that whole Beltline dispute? The one in which the Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak basically told Beltline officials that they’d have to make room in Northeast Atlanta for a commuter rail line? Officials from the agencies and departments involved met this morning and had what I’m sure was a very interesting sitdown. They’ve requested the federal government give them 30 days so they can try and resolve the dispute as a group.

So sayeth a joint statement from the agencies:

Atlanta – A meeting of officials from key organizations including the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Beltline, Inc., Amtrak, the Atlanta Regional Commission, MARTA and the Transit Implementation Board along with staff from Congressman John Lewis’ office was held today to discuss the critical issue regarding plans for the Northeast Beltline Corridor (“Decatur Street Belt”) and future options for multi-modal passenger terminals (MMPT).

The overarching goal of the meeting was to share information, communicate directly, discuss alternatives and seek out viable solutions for an amicable outcome that is in the best interest of our customers. To that end, the Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta Beltline Inc./ Atlanta Development Authority, Amtrak and Norfolk Southern have agreed to formally request that the Surface Transportation Board issue a 30 day stay of their proceedings in this matter in order to work towards a common solution that accommodates the Beltline vision, intercity and high speed rail in the region.

During this time, a technical team will work to investigate the potential alternatives. An Executive Team will also work to develop a final agreement between all of the parties.

All of the organizations involved acknowledged the importance of the Beltline project to the City of Atlanta and the region. Each recognized the common goal to provide much needed regional transportation options for the residents of and visitors to the City of Atlanta which have a profound effect on the economic future for the entire state of Georgia.

After the jump, exclusive video of Beltline officials confronting the GDOT Beast about its plans.

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RAIL RALLY Beltline supporters say Amtrak, GDOT's plans jeopardize Beltline

When it comes to the future of public transit in Atlanta, there’s good news and there’s bad news.

The good news: After decades of bowing at the throne of roadbuilders, the Georgia Department of Transportation says it’s finally taking off the kneepads and getting serious about train service that would connect Atlanta to other cities in the Southeast.

The bad news: Thanks to an unexpected tiff between GDOT and city of Atlanta officials, the Beltline — the transformative 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit that would one day circle the city — might be in jeopardy. That’s because the train service that GDOT is suddenly embracing would have to run on or near the proposed Beltline tracks. What’s more, Piedmont Park, the city’s most iconic greenspace, might have to be severed by a heavy-rail route in order to accommodate GDOT’s vision.

Last week, CL first reported that GDOT — working in tandem with Amtrak — threw a wrench in Beltline officials’ plans for light-rail, trails and additional green space near Piedmont Park. Just as Norfolk Southern, the current owner of the tracks in question, was about to surrender them to the city, GDOT and Amtrak stepped in and halted the proceedings. Those two agencies now say the tracks in dispute are vital to their own vision for commuter rail.

“Simply put, because of GDOT’s boorish behavior and AMTRAK’s willingness to play along, the future of the city of Atlanta is at stake,” Mayor Shirley Franklin wrote in an urgent letter to U.S. Congressman John Lewis to seek his assistance.

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U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, has requested AMTRAK President Joseph Boardman work with city and regional planners, officials and residents to resolve the “Decatur Belt” dispute between the federal agency, the Georgia Department of Transportation and Beltline officials.

Lewis says AMTRAK’s actions “have the potential to unnecessarily disrupt one of the most important public benefit projects that the City of Atlanta has undertaken in recent memory.” He adds that “these combined actions are not the model of a productive and healthy local, State and federal partnership with the shared goal of revitalizing transportation services in Metro Atlanta.”

Download a PDF of the letter here.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Transit Implementation Board Chairman Eldrin Bell was not about to let that agency’s inaugural meeting today turn into a boxing match between the City of Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Much to the disappointment — or relief? — of those involved, Bell didn’t allow the two sides to argue whether light-rail or heavy-rail should run along several miles of unused railroad tracks near Piedmont Park. GDOT and AMTRAK argue that the tracks are the only viable options if transit advocates want to see commuter rail and a long-planned downtown terminal. Officials for the Beltline, the planned 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, say there are alternatives and that commuter rail drastically alters the design that planners, neighborhoods and developers have crafted for the area.

Bell said he’s hesitant to discuss the Beltline’s future unless all the stakeholders were in the room.

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From the Beltline Network:

RALLY TO SAVE THE BELTLINE

LET’S SHOW HOW MUCH THE PEOPLE SUPPORT ATLANTA’S LIGHT RAIL, TRAIL, PARK, ARBORETUM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE!
THIS SATURDAY, January 31, 2009, 2:00PM
MEET ALONG THE BELTLINE TRACKS AT THE INTERSECTION OF 10TH AND MONROE IN MIDTOWN

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…but it would be problematic for them to do so on the Beltline property in Northeast Atlanta that’s become a bone of contention for the city, the Georgia Department of Transportation and AMTRAK.

In 2005, Beltline visionary Ryan Gravel and Friends of the Beltline Inc. issued a study that examined how the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit may be affected by the various rail lines circling Atlanta. (Download the study PDF here.)

In regards to the “Decatur Belt,” the 3.5-mile segment that runs from DeKalb Avenue to Ansley Mall, the study says:

use of this line for the commuter rail network is problematic for the following reasons:

• The original alignment of the Decatur Street Belt with the main line into downtown Atlanta was broken by the reconfiguration of Hulsey Yard and the construction of the elevated East MARTA line and King Memorial Station.
• Use of the Decatur Street Belt puts Amtrak trains through residential areas and Piedmont Park, crossing surface streets at Monroe Drive, Irwin Street and DeKalb Avenue.
• The Decatur Street Belt is too narrow south of Freedom Parkway for the Belt Line and Amtrak to share right-of-way with separate tracks.
• Shared use of the tracks themselves in this corridor would be difficult due to topographic and physical constraints.
• Any shared arrangement would make the Belt Line much less desirable by eliminating greenspace and permeability and by increasing safety concerns, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists.

The group proposed several recommendations, including tinkering with the Brookwood station where AMTRAK currently stops. One of the biggest challenges the Beltline will face is actually connecting the rail segments that will create its spine and shape.

If you’re a transit lover and want to know more about the current dispute, as well as the project’s other connectivity challenges, this study is well worth a read.

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Decatur Metro notes yesterday’s AJC article about Nadege Adam and Jude Valles, a couple who’ve overextended themselves when it comes to home ownership. With credit now tight and the housing market in disarray, the couple now faces skyhigh payments.

Here’s what Decaturite noticed:

But the number that caught my eye in the article wasn’t their $419,000 Smyrna home that costs $100,000 less than it did a few years ago. Suburb declines are well documented at this point. Personally, I was struck by the condo at “Twelve” Atlantic Station, which was purchased for $387,000 in 2005-6 and is now worth $150,000 less.

This is the Atlantic Station that everyone (including the AJC) touted as the new wave of smart growth development. Massive, single developer cities that could do no wrong as long as they threw a bunch of residential and commercial in the same general vicinity. Atlantic Station was so awesome because it had its own zip code and organized mommy stroller walks. Yeah well, the economy may have played a part in exacerbating this problem, but a 39% decline in home values is nothing short of damning market critique of this project, which shows that all smart growth (just like everything else) isn’t created equal. You can’t cut corners, you can’t overestimate demand, and I personally believe you can’t build a town from scratch and expect it to compete with areas that have developed over time.

Well put. Be sure to check out the comments as well. (On Decatur Metro, I mean — the comments on the AJC’s article are, as usual, mostly just displays of ignorance and racism.)

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Remember Decatur Court? The mixed-use development proposed for the Wachovia building near downtown Decatur? The one that concerned nearby residents because they feared it would tower over their properties and not have enough parking to handle the new residents and workers?

Our dear friend Decaturite brings word that a consultant brought in to mediate talks between the developer and residents is giving it another look on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6:30-8:30 at City Hall. The development’s also shrunk a wee bit.

In an e-mail from Otis White of Civic Strategies that Decaturite posted:

We are convening a meeting about the 315 W. Ponce project on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 at Decatur City Hall. The meeting will be in the City Commission Room.

Background: A group of neighbors has been in direct talks with the 315 W. Ponce developer since our Oct. 15 meeting, and these talks are continuing. The developer presented a revised plan to this group in response to issues identified at the Oct. 15 meeting. While neighbors recognized the concessions being made by the developer, they identified problems with the new proposal. In response, the developer revised the original site plan that reduced the number of units from 218 to 160 units and eliminated the need for a parking variance.

Emphasis added. To check out the rest of White’s e-mail, head over to Decatur Metro.

(Screenshot from JLB Partners)

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The Atlanta Regional Commission’s innovative program to help local communities benefit from the spot-planning blunders of their pasts has garnered the organization the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Smart Growth Achievement Award.

Since 1999, the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program has helped local communities design vibrant “town centers” where residents can live, work and play. Local governments apply to the commission for grants that pay for planning studies. To date, more than $141 million has been allocated.

Sounds mundane, but it’s actually cool. The program has sparked the interest of planning organizations across the nation as regions are finally trying to figure out how decades of sprawl can be retrofit to create town centers, increase areas of activity, and rethink transportation corridors. Think of it as making sense of exurban eyesores and annoyances. Or turning jalopies into Jaguars. Alliteration abounds!

The commission says the initiatives also help kickstart economic development while benefiting public health and the environment. The idea: More walkable communities encourage people to drive less and get around on their feet. This in turn reduces congestion and improves air quality while bringing people closer to their shopping needs and workplaces. And it’s been working:

Since the first LCI grants were awarded in 2000, more than 84,500 residential units, 20 million square feet of commercial space, 12,000 hotel units and 40 million square feet of office space are either planned, under construction or complete in these areas.

There’s a problem, however: This year marks the last the funds are committed to the program.

EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson presented the award to Dan Reuter, the commission’s land use division chief and LCI program manager, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

For more info on LCI’s, visit the ARC’s website.

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Memorial Drive’s fast-moving metamorphosis from industrial eyesore to a neighborhood with amenities continued last week after the Atlanta Regional Commission stamped its seal of approval on a 10-acre development that would feature a much-needed grocery store.

The project on the corner of Memorial Drive and Pearl Street would add 71,000 square feet of retail, 12,000 square feet of office space and 350 housing units to the area. It also requires the demolition of the Atlanta Dairies building.

Atlanta-based developers Brand Properties wouldn’t return calls about the project. Judging from site plans submitted to the commission, however, the $65-million project’s layout would be similar to that of the nearby Edgewood Shopping Center on Moreland Avenue — except more compact and a bit friendlier to foot traffic. It features storefronts along the streets surrounding a parking deck and courtyards.

It’s an ambitious endeavor at a time when financing is tight and housing is a gamble. But it’s also a development that regional planners say is smart for Memorial Drive — a close-to-downtown thoroughfare that’s seen land prices escalate as more people want to live closer to the city.

“Kind of the easiest way to think of it is ‘Paris-style’ density — four stories with ground-level retail,” Dan Reuter of the commission says. “It’s similar to what you find in Chicago, San Francisco and even New York City. It provides a good concentration of people in an area that can support retail.”

For the project to proceed, the city must rezone the property. If things go according to plan, the developers estimate the project will be complete in June 2010.

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