> Area works to go from pass-through to settle-down city

> By KAREN HILL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
> Published on: 03/24/05

Chamblee has always been filled with the sounds of people going somewhere else.

It’s been that way in this northwest DeKalb County city of 9,522 people, tucked just inside Atlanta’s Perimeter, for almost a century, beginning with the doughboys whose training marches through nearby Camp Gordon are part of the soundtrack of World War I.

They were followed by Navy and Marine pilots who trained here before flying off to the far corners of World War II; the blue-collar workers who traveled Chamblee’s main drag, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, to the sprawling General Motors auto plant in neighboring Doraville; and the commuters from tonier suburbs driving through — or parking and taking a train at the Chamblee MARTA station — on their way to downtown Atlanta skyscrapers.

But these days, hammers are adding staccato accents to the steady rumble of cars and trains and planes in Chamblee, as a growing number of fed-up commuters and empty-nesters are calling the formerly pass-through city home.

Several townhome developments, with the brick and wrought-iron look of old money in an old city, are sprouting up in Chamblee, whose core is tucked just east of Peachtree Industrial, the beaten path of car dealerships, fading strip malls and fast food franchises that make up Chamblee’s better-known face.

Now the city is trying to present a different look. The turnaround began in 2001, when Chamblee received a $1.9 million grant to begin developing its “Mid-City District,” where the townhomes are being built.

Rachel Pero is one of the newer residents willing to gamble on Chamblee’s future.

“We feel like this may be the next Virginia-Highland. It’s nice and safe and clean,” said Pero, sitting recently with a friend in a new Italian restaurant that anchors one of the new townhome developments. Pero and her husband, Peter, grew up in north Atlanta but moved to Chamblee, where they own the Antique Factory, one of the dozens of antiques shops in town.

The townhomes under construction up and down Peachtree Road in Chamblee mean more neighbors, more community — and more business, Pero noted.

“We sell a lot of mid-century, ’50s stuff, and the lofts going in have the look of a lot of what we sell and buy. You can buy a loft and furnish it all in one day, all on the same road,” Pero said.

The influx of higher-end residential development is noteworthy in Chamblee. The city’s inexpensive housing and access to public transportation drew large numbers of immigrants in the 1990s. Chamblee’s foreign-born population increased to 64 percent in 2000 from 33 percent in 1990. During the same period, its white population fell from 54 percent to 45 percent.

That mix of old and new is part of the city’s emerging identity. Kara Paden, a co-owner of Slice Pizzeria, grew up in Chamblee. She said she was struck by the buzz of energy in town when she and partner Mario Gonzales were considering where to put their business. It opened in February, on the ground floor of Heritage Lofts.

“”They’re cleaning up, they’re getting grants, they’re making a new Chamblee and drawing people,” Paden said of city officials. “We’re just trying to get in on the ground floor before it gets huge.”

The city got seed money from the Atlanta Regional Commission through its Livable Centers Initiative. That initiative gives cities money to plan and build more pedestrian-friendly communities that encourage people to walk. The goal is to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion.

In Chamblee, ARC money translated into a chance to transform about 250 acres of forlorn industrial sites, many of them padlocked, into a small enclave of shops and restaurants, ringed with townhomes. So far, the plan has attracted five residential developments that have either built or plan to build 438 townhomes or apartments.

A planned commercial development on the site of a closed BellSouth office building will be anchored by a Wal-Mart SuperCenter, albeit one more discreetly cloaked than usual, with three-quarters of the parking underground and smaller retail shops rimming the development’s perimeter.

Chamblee’s approach has differed from the “not in our back yard” reaction that has sometimes greeted Wal-Mart elsewhere in metro Atlanta. City Manager Kathy Brannon said the retailing giant’s move to Chamblee has been relatively trouble-free.

That’s because no annexation or rezoning was necessary, she said, and the building guidelines for the Mid-City District already were in place.

Brothers Eric and Neil Johnson are building 25 townhomes near the Wal-Mart site, on land that had been a MARTA parking lot. Five have been sold and seven more are under contract to empty-nesters and young couples paying $320,000 for three-story homes, including two-car garages, Eric Johnson said.

Eric Johnson said he was impressed that Chamblee was planning its growth, unlike other areas where “there’s no control; it’s just rampant.”

When the brothers finish building the townhomes, they plan to begin work on a mixed-use retail development nearby.

“To build a town center, a community . . . there’s nothing like it,” Eric Johnson said.

Building
Articles / dBNews Atlanta
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 02:39:28

Sixteen additional homes are now available for sale in Downtown Atlanta’s historic Healey Building. The Healey Building, built in 1913, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located in the heart of the Fairlie-Poplar District, the exterior of the Gothic Revival stone building features two-story columns and arches. The lobby has a brass revolving door and a magnificent rotunda and atrium, where two restaurants and an art gallery are located.

“I love the building,” says Jay Tribby, who is both a resident and Executive Director of VSA Arts of Georgia, which has a gallery in the lobby. “This isn’t really just a building; it’s a community,” he says. “It’s a little something different.”

The one- and two-bedroom homes feature ten-foot ceilings and eight-foot windows with breathtaking downtown views. Standard luxury finishes include crown molding and wide plank hardwood floors. Gourmet kitchens include stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and cherry cabinetry. Tiled baths have jetted tubs and separate showers.

The building is located in an area with offices, sidewalk cafes, coffee shops and a newsstand just steps away. Philips Arena, Underground Atlanta, the Georgia Dome, the World Congress Center, the Atlanta Public Library and several art galleries are within easy walking distance, as is Centennial Park, where the aquarium and the new World of Coke are being built. It’s right around the corner from The Rialto, as well as the new home of The Theatrical Outfit, a professional theatre company in its 28th season. It is also convenient to Georgia State University.

“I work at Georgia State so by the time I get downstairs in the morning I’m at work already,” says Georgia State professor and Healey Building resident Ly Bolia. “It’s a two minute walk to MARTA so it’s just a couple of minutes to Lenox or to the airport.”

The Healey has a large rooftop terrace, fitness center and conference room. A guest suite with two queen sized beds is available for out-of-town guests. Intrusion alarms have been installed in each home, and valet parking is available.

Most of the building was renovated into condos and sold two years ago, but one commercial tenant held onto its long term lease. That lease has recently expired, and the space has been renovated into an additional 16 condos, which are now available.

Association fees include basic satellite TV, high speed Internet connections, a 24 hour security/concierge desk, maintenance, water, sewer and liability coverage.

Prices start in the $180s. The owner will pay two percent toward closing costs when buyers use their preferred lender. The Healey Building is located at 57 Forsyth St., Atlanta, GA 30303. For more information, call 404-222-9808.

By DAVID PENDERED
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/28/05

Atlantic Station is taking shape as a mini-city as workers complete the shells of buildings for shops and residences in the focal point of the new neighborhood in Midtown.

This area is called the District, and when viewed from the Downtown Connector, it still looks like a project in early stages. Construction cranes dominate the skyline to the west of the SouthTrust building, which is the high-rise office tower that this spring will be reflagged as the Wachovia building. Wachovia purchased SouthTrust last year.

But construction has occurred quickly.

The 21-story SouthTrust building was started two years ago this month, and its first occupants arrived in April 2004. The tower’s groundbreaking coincided with the start of the 17th Street bridge over the Downtown Connector. Work started on the retail component in June, and its grand opening is scheduled in October. The first residents moved into Atlantic Station in October 2003.

Progress of the District can best be seen from 17th Street. Insulation-clad exteriors have been raised for a Regal movie complex, a Dillard’s department store and a Publix grocery. The Novare Group has built several floors of a high-rise that will be both a hotel and condo. The buildings are to be connected by broad walkways topped with pavers.

Condos are being built above six buildings in the District. The Lane Co. is building 303 lofts that are to be ready for residents in about a year. Lane says potential buyers have signed a waiting list for the development called ATL Lofts. Prices are still being determined, but Lane is certain they will start in the $300,000s.

These residences are an important part of the live-work-play concept that underpins the government’s support for Atlantic Station. The federal and state governments supported the 17th Street bridge in part because Atlantic Station is expected help improve the region’s air quality by reducing the need for car trips to get around. Atlantic Station concentrates development instead of spreading it over a large area that invites shoppers to drive from one big box center to the next.

The condos are right in the middle of the lifestyle complex and a short distance from the SouthTrust tower and other planned office buildings.

This project will be Lane’s fourth residential project at Atlantic Station. Lane also built the element and Art Foundry condos, and the rental apartments called Park District. Beazer Homes built the townhouses that can be seen from the Downtown Connector on the southern fringe of Atlantic Station.