A parking capping Ga. 400 between Peachtree and Lenox roads is still just a concept. But a major skyscraper proposed for Buckhead’s business district has already had its design tweaked to plug into the future park as an amenity.
In a March presentation to the Special Interest District 12 zoning Design Review Committee, developers of the mixed-use skyscraper at 3354 Peachtree Road showed an updated design that shifts buildings around to create a “plaza” – a combined driveway and pedestrian way – that gives walking access to the adjacent park.
The plan, by a team that includes Buckhead-based Regent Partners, is the first to formally include the park over 400 as a design element. That’s exciting for Jim Durrett, executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, which is funding the design stage of the park.
Durrett recently joined the board of a separate nonprofit that is raising funds for the $200 million to $250 million park and made a pitch to the Buckhead Business Association for its support at an April 4 breakfast. He said the nonprofit, known as POG 400, is raising funds to hire a director and lay the groundwork for a major capital campaign for the park itself.
POG 400 also recently announced a new board chair, Jay Gould, a Buckhead resident who is president and CEO of the Midtown-headquartered flooring firm Interface, Inc. He replaces founding board chair Barbara Kaufman.