Memorial Drive site of new developments

March 9,2018

Source: Doug DeLoach, Atlanta Business Chronicle

In 2016, Atlanta Business Chronicle reported on a trending urban development area along Memorial Drive running east from the downtown connector to Moreland Avenue. 

“As much as $1 billion in new investment is planned within a half-mile of Memorial, according to real estate observers,” the article stated. “In the works are new apartments, shops, restaurants, offices and even a music venue for the corridor surrounded by coveted neighborhoods including Grant Park, Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown.” 

Today, the trend continues. New commercial, residential and retail projects are proposed or already open on almost every corner and parcel of land along what was just a few years ago an aging industrial corridor.

Helping to shape the look and feel of this transformative development is an organizational initiative called Memorial Drive Atlanta, the offspring of Imagine Memorial, a 2014 study commissioned by Atlanta City Council member Natalyn Archibong. The study, conducted by graduate students in Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning and led by former Atlanta Planning Commissioner Michael Dobbins, was inspired by community voices. 

“The residents living on and near Memorial Drive frequently complained about congestion, speeding vehicles, missing and broken sidewalks, and overall unsafe conditions,” said Archibong. “They wanted and deserved a corridor that was safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and generally less vehicle-centric.”

Read the complete article at the link above.