project: BLUEPRINT MIDTOWN
date: 1998 – ONGOING
location: ATLANTA, GA
client: THE MIDTOWN ALLIANCE
contact: SHANNON POWELL, VICE PRESIDENT
In 1997, the Midtown Alliance embarked upon Blueprint Midtown, a comprehensive and proactive planning/visioning exercise for Midtown, a critical and diverse section of downtown Atlanta. Now that the vision for a diverse, mixed-use, pedestrian friendly urban district has been established, Urban Collage is assisting the Midtown Alliance in implementing the vision.
To help guide ongoing and rapidly accelerating development in the area, Urban Collage assisted in preparing the Blueprint Midtown Design Standards. The illustrated standards seek to create an attractive and functional public environment, protect historic resources and establish architectural guidelines for site planning, building design, signage and parking. The Design Guidelines formed the basis for creation of the Midtown Special Public Interest District (SPI), a new zoning ordinance for Midtown adopted by the City of Atlanta in December of 2001.
A concurrent and related work effort in Midtown is directed at enhancing the public environment through new open spaces, plazas, and streetscapes. Urban Collage continues to assist the Midtown Alliance as the program planner for the Public Improvement Program.
Implementation Highlights:
- Over 10.7 million square feet of office space;
- 9,100 new residential units;
- 855,000 square feet of new retail space;
- 1,700 hotel rooms;
- Addition of over 1.5 million square feet of cultural institutions
- Over 1.7 billion in private investment underway;
- Construction underway for part of the $40 million in expected funds over the next five years for streetscape enhancements and open space initiatives;
- Adoption of SPI -16 And SPI- 17, largest rezoning in Atlanta history.
