Damn, I wish I had time to write more about this. Stupid day job. Maybe I’ll write a column about it this weekend.
The gist: Wayne Mason wanted to build massive condos on land along Atlanta’s Beltline, some of which would have cast a shadow over Piedmont Park, and donate a chunk of land for green space. Atlanta wanted more green space and smaller/less dense condo buildings. Neither would budge. Compromises, including a complicated land swap deal, were suggested and rejected. Mason walks away, leaving the future of the land and the project’s viability in doubt.
The big question is “what now?” Does Mason hold on to the land and let it rot out of spite? Does he sell it off to another developer, and if so, whom, and how will they deal with the city’s specifications? How will the various theoretical scenarios affect the future of the project?
There are also questions of whether Atlanta and the area’s limosine liberals were boneheaded for giving Mason as hard a time as they did because Mason built his fortune on ugly sprawl. Or whether their grievances were legitimate, partially or totally (the shadow over Piedmont Park sounds really unattractive versus transit doesn’t work without density).
Supposing Mason sells the land, will the city be more willing to give in to developers’ wishes next time? Supposing he doesn’t, what will happen in that corridor?
Thoughts?
I went to the recent city council committee hearing where Roy Barnes, Wayne Mason’s lawyers and planners, and neighborhood activists were pitching their points. I didn’t speak at that hearing, mostly because I was just not in a mood to make enemies.
But if I had spoken, I would’ve said something like, “You’re all being idiots! All of you!”
And it’s true. Nobody there had an argument that was remotely valid. Except one brave soul who stood up to say, “We need tax base. We need density.”
Roy Barnes, in his speech, did little more than confirm every stereotype about himself. The neighbors talked about “upholding the promise” of the Beltline, which was a load of bullshit. Mason’s planners did a good job of laying out a high-density, car-oriented (not transit-oriented) plan that was otherwise well-intentioned.
What disappointed me the most were the people working for Mason. They were clearly giving up much of what they stood for in their previous professional lives as planners, affordable housing advocates, and smart growth advocates.
They were all being stupid.
I’ve been following the beltline since the news first came out years ago and I hate to see it killed like this. For all the bitching this city does about traffic… an original and plausable idea like this shouldn’t be allowed to die just because there are going to be highrises and pissed off neighbors. Density and transit is what it’s about!
Just read the AJC article today. What I find surprising is the Mayor’s office apparent inaction. This doesn’t sound like Shirley Franklin. There has to be more to this story. If the beltline collapses, Mayor Franklin’s legacy could be somewhat tarnished.
Knowing what I know about Shirley Franklin, the inaction sounds very much like her. This was just one of those times she couldn’t translate her inaction to creating a “blue ribbon panel.”
I don’t understand why people are so opposed to density. For all the bitching about what we’ve got now… don’t they want it to change into something that’s actually sustainable?
I think it will be ironic when Gwinnett County has more new highrise towers in places that weren’t previously zoned for highrises than Atlanta does.
Not knowing that much about the history of Atlanta’s development (particularly the ’70’s/80’s) I can only guess that the massive sprawl outside of DeKalb/Fulton may be a function of the stubborness of Atlanta officials and residents past, and maybe less of a reaction to it than is commonly believed to be.
Chicago has an awesome new waterfront park area with a beautiful ampitheatre which gives free concerts nearly every night it’s warm enough to be outside - it’s also surrounded by (old) business towers and (new) highrise condos, some costing millions of dollars per unit. And you know what, I never noticed the shadow.
If this clues you in, Chris, Atlanta’s slogan back in the early 80s was “The city with no limits.”
Perhaps Mason could have marketed the shadow as shade. There are worse things than a shady park on a blistering Georgia summer day.
Yeah, seriously. I welcome as much shade as possible in the summer!
And you know, the more I think about the “shadow” claim, the sillier it sounds. Having lived in NYC, I gotta say, I never noticed any “shadows” - and if there’s one place you’d expect to have them, NYC is it.
Washington Square Park was sunny, yet shady. A perfect place to sit and read.
Yea…and one additional point…I’m not sure about this but I think the sun moves throughtout the day. Check it out. This means that the shade only stays in one spot for at most, an hour or so. This community, especially ITP folks, screeches endlessly about sprawl. Well…the alternative is urban density. It would also give you enough riders to build out a quaility mass transit system. This is about a worthless, visionless, cowardly mayor sucking up to the NIMBY crowd nearby. Someone should buy her a spine.
If Atlanta plans on surviving (and I think it will), there will be high rises along Piedmont Park. It’s inevitable. Growth is too high to keep that from happening. The question is: will there be a Beltline next to those high-rises or not?
Right now Not - because the same people who felt like they owned exclusive rights to Piedmont Park during the parking deck debate still feel like they own the park. Maybe it’s because we let them win the parking lot debate.
But here’s where I feel the real stumbling block for the Beltline is: racial politics. The Beltline will benefit mostly new residents. The politicians are beholden to the current residents, not future ones. And because in Atlanta, Black people vote for Black politicians and White people vote for White politicians, if the racial makeup changes, the politicians change. Any Atlanta politician knows that voting for the Beltline is like potentially voting themselves out of office.
a - the BeltLine isn’t “done” because Wayne Mason doesn’t want to do a project on it. It has hit a snag, but it isn’t “done”. As a last resort, the city could simply sieze the land with eminient domain. I suspect they would prefer to do something different, but the BeltLine isn’t “done” because one man doesn’t get his way.
b - the criticsm of the neighborhood groups is a little deserved, but there are several problems that I’ve noticed.
For one, the area in question is pretty white - this one isn’t a racial thing.
One of the biggest promises of the BeltLine that has united the city is that it connects otherwise separated areas and can bring some new life to distressed areas. It bridges the racial divide in that regard.
For all the complaining about intown folks being so screechingly horrible to deal with for development, I’d like to point out Inman Park Village. Here, a developer worked with the neighborhood to develop a plan that the neighborhood could live with, and it is very dense. It isn’t a high rise, because that wouldn’t work in the area. But that area is going to be INCREDIBLY dense. There are two large apartment complexes, new single family homes, lots of townhomes, new condos, and eventually a supermarket with decked parking all planned or under construction in the area around Dad’s Garage, Sotto Sotto, etc.
Intown folks are okay with density when it is done in a way they are comfortable with. I think that is their right as residents and as the folks who worked very hard for many many years to make these areas desireable again. Smart developers can do very well in the city. Wayne Mason just misjudged things. (See the comment regarding his car-oriented development) Sure, some are going to be opposed to everything, but that isn’t particular to intown folks.
Sorry if there are no paragraphs, the formatting doesn’t seem to be previewing any.
A few years ago, Mr. Mason bought some land off “relatives” in DeKalb Co. near the Gwinnett border, for approx. $1.4 mil. He sold it to DeKalb Co. for their Park & Greenspace Bond Iniative later, later that same day, for almost $3mil. Some would say he “flipped” the property. Some may say his previous campaign contributions to elected officials in DeKalb….well, ‘ya get the point. No one should ever, ever feel sorry for Waynie.
Creative Loafing: “Protecting the Beltline”
It’s been three weeks since the mega-developers who proposed two condo towers overlooking Piedmont Park decided to walk away from the deal, throwing a serious wrench in Atlanta’s ambition to build a loop of transit and trails circling the city.
Did the Beltline negotiations actually fall apart because the city screwed up? Or did the city have no choice but to turn the Masons down?
Find out at atlanta.creativeloafing.com :
Protecting the Beltline