December 2021 DRC Recap: One New and Two Returning Projects Conclude Exciting 2021 Development Year

Published: 12/15/21

The Midtown Development Review Committee (DRC) met online on December 14 to review three significant projects: (1) 887 West Peachtree Street, a 26-story office tower with a linear greenspace by Cousins Properties; (2) a 30-story office tower called “Stratus Midtown,” located at 80 Peachtree Place by Trammell Crow; and (3) the Rockefeller Group‘s 61-story mixed-use tower at 1072 West Peachtree Street.  Read more about these projects and the DRC's recommendations below:

887 West Peachtree Street

Cousins Properties, with architects HKS and Pickard Chilton, introduced 887 West Peachtree located between 7^th St. and 8^th St. The project is a new 26-story office tower with ~408,000 SF of office and ~14,000 SF of sidewalk-level retail. Retail spaces are provided at the northwest and southwest building corners with a shared lobby facing West Peachtree St. A podium deck is accessible from 8^th St. and via a raised bridge and existing alley to Cypress St. An existing one-story building at the northeast corner of the site will be converted to retail/restaurant use. A new central greenspace bisects the block with an accessible pedestrian connection. The DRC appreciated the building architecture and site design and central greenspace and offered the following recommendations:

• Reexamine the opportunity to provide additional accessible useable spaces within the central greenspace to the benefit of the retailers and the public.
• Consider allocating parking for future retail lease tenants.
• Reconfigure the sidewalk along 8^th Street to maximize pedestrian accessibility both for the sidewalk and into the building. This can include a planter box to resolve with grade challenges.

Next Steps: The DRC expects to receive updated plans for electronic review to confirm that these minor recommendations have been addressed.

80 Peachtree Place- Stratus Midtown

Trammell Crow, working with Duda Paine and HGOR, presented updates to their proposed mixed-use office project known as “Stratus Midtown.” The 30-story building has 464,000 SF of office above a parking podium. At street level, there is 8,900 SF of retail along 10^th Street, a 2,200 SF multi-purpose room on Crescent Avenue, and a 2,100 SF café facing Peachtree Place. As part of the project, Crescent Avenue would be modified into a pedestrian-friendly shared street in partnership with the Atlanta History Center. The committee appreciated the various modifications made since last month’s DRC. Detailed recommendations remaining included:

• Continue to coordinate the details of an improved Crescent Ave. in coordination with Midtown Alliance and the City of Atlanta.
• Provide consistent type ‘C’ streetlights along Crescent Ave. per the Midtown streetscape standards for public safety reasons.
• Install one or two pairs of additional street trees along Crescent Ave. more in line with the Midtown streetscape standards.
• Extend the outdoor patio space along Peachtree Pl. eastward toward the lobby to provide direct access to the café space with full ADA accessibility.
• Modify the Peachtree Pl. parking deck elevation with additional glass. Recommendations included bringing the building glass of the shaft down to the base level or bringing the spandrel glass of the parking deck westward. Either is intended to provide a better  façade across the street from the historic buildings on Peachtree Pl.

Next Steps: The DRC expects to receive updated plans for electronic review to confirm that these recommendations have been addressed.

1072 West Peachtree Street

Brock Hudgins and TVS Design, on behalf of Rockefeller Group, presented updated plans to redevelop the southwest corner of 12^th and West Peachtree St. (the site of the US Post Office). The 61-story tower includes 350 market-rate apartment units and 212,000 SF of office above a parking podium with 6,600 SF of ground-floor retail. The committee was delighted at the progress made since the presentation in November. Minor DRC recommendations remaining included:

• Recess the entry vestibule and doors near the vehicular drop-off area to assure fully accessible walkway from West Peachtree St. to the rear of the building.
• Confirm ADA spaces and accessibility at the vehicular drop-off area and the small parking area at grade behind the building.
• Allow for unique tenant branding and signage for future retail tenants facing West Peachtree St.
• Consider dramatic underlighting the overhang along both 12^th St. & West Peachtree St.

Next Steps: The DRC expects to receive updated plans for electronic review to confirm that these minor recommendations have been addressed.

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