By Ann Boutwell
The annual Downtown Development Day event on Nov. 10 at AmericasMart hosted by Central Atlanta Progress offered a progress report and honored those who had helped the city center meet its goals.
CAP President A.J. Robinson presented a new to 10 list of redevelopment opportunities for Downtown, including:
- Atlanta Constitution building
- Medical Arts Building
- Palms Hotel/Thrift Car Rental site
- Roof of the Five Points MARTA station
- Methodist Center
- 222 Mitchell St.
- Rufus Rose House
- Wheat Street Garden Site
- Old Norfolk Southern Headquarters
- The Gulch area near CNN Center.
A full listing of each property and other information can be found at AtlantaDowntown.com.
Georgia State University‘s seventh President Dr. Mark Becker was the guest speaker at the event, and said two things are driving Georgia State students. “The first is academic excellence and the second is downtown Atlanta.”
On Aug. 12, Georgia State opened a new, 87,000-square-foot dorm exclusively for freshmen with a dining hall on the ground floor that is available to the entire GSU community. Currently, about 3,000 students live on campus, and there’s a waiting list of 700 more. The first football game in Georgia State history will be played Sept. 2, 2010 at the Georgia Dome.
Downtown Atlanta residents and business leaders applaud the handsome new look of 20 vendor kiosks now open in Woodruff Park along Peachtree Street. The kiosks have a retro, almost Parisian look and sell a variety of goods.
Central Atlanta Progress also awarded the first annual Downtown Atlanta Economic Impact Award to Cousins Properties for purchasing the 191 Building and choosing Downtown Atlanta as its new corporate headquarters.
At less than 25 percent occupancy at purchase, Cousins’ drive has pushed the 191 building to 76 percent occupied with 26 new tenants, many of whom were previously not in Downtown.
With a mission to revitalize the Phillip Johnson landmark, Cousins bet on bringing businesses back to Downtown. They invested $9.1 million in enhancements including canopies over the entrances, new restaurants (such as Bistro 191 and Il Mulino), lobby renovations, and the eco-friendly Resolution Fitness club.