6B BUSINESS CHRONICLE JANUARY 17-23, 2020 DOWNTOWN MARKET REPORT

The CPD is bounded by Drive and Baker, Luckie, Marietta and Latimer Streets.

BYRON E. SMALL LUCKIE MARIETTA Centennial Park District established downtown BY DOUG DELOACH Bounded by Centennial Olympic Park “To keep this wonderful area vibrant R CENTENNIAL PARK Contributing Writer Drive, and Baker, Luckie, Marietta and and a place where people want to visit DISTRICT AT A GLANCE Latimer Streets, the CPD now includes more than once, we have to continuously Th e area downtown formerly known as the Georgia World Congress Center R Since the 1996 Olympic Games, $2.4 reinvest in the area,” Handy said. the Luckie Marietta District has been (GWCC), SkyView Atlanta, the Center billion has been invested in the area The CPD advisory group functions rebranded as the Centennial Park Dis- for Civil and Human Rights, the Col- immediately adjacent to Centennial in part as a marketing arm. Among its trict, a 501(c)(6) organization under the lege Football Hall of Fame and Mer- Olympic Park. recent deliverables are a colorful map of auspices of Central Atlanta Progress cedes-Benz Stadium. Among the attrac- R Another $417 million worth of the district, a website and a social media (CAP). An eight-member CPD advisory tions, entertainment venues and retail projects are under construction or in program. In 2018, the CPD published a the pipeline, including 4,000 hotel committee includes major property own- shops are the Children’s Museum of rooms. magazine-style restaurant guide with full ers, along with representation from the Atlanta, the Tabernacle and Cigar Times. menus and content explaining the history R The CPD will add residents over the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau Restaurant options run the gamut, from next few years with the construction and attributes of the district. (ACVB). themed bistros and haute cuisine to brew of Post Centennial (438 units) and In 2020, the CPD is working with a In 2007, David D. Marvin, president pubs and ice cream parlors. Generations Atlanta (336 units). creative design company to determine of Legacy Ventures, gathered togeth- Around 3 million hotel room nights the scope and cost of a place-making er a small group of property owners and are booked annually in downtown Sources: Central Atlanta Progress program, which will include signage and stakeholders associated with Centennial Atlanta, according to the ACVB. In the and Centennial Park District gateways. Olympic Park to discuss pooling resourc- last couple of years, the usual clamoring Th ose involved in the CPD compare es to attract more visitors. At the time, has been boosted by two major sporting how the area could be to those marked the blocks surrounding the park were events, the NCAA College Football Playoff ments. Concurrently, renovations to Cen- in similar cities. home to CNN Studios, Georgia Aquari- Championship and the NFL Super Bowl. tennial Olympic Park such as new bike “In the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, um, Omni Hotel, World of Coca-Cola and Th is April, the trend continues with tens paths, along with enhancements to the they use streetlamps and gateway arches Phillips Arena (now ), of thousands of college basketball fans GWCC campus including pedestrian spanning the street, which let you know along with various hotels, restaurants attending the NCAA Final Four at Mer- pathways, are contributing to the CPD’s when you have arrived and left the dis- and entertainment venues. cedes-Benz Stadium. vision of a more walkable downtown trict,” said Marvin. “We’re already using “Coming out of the Great Recession, With 4,000 hotel rooms either under environment. fairly low-cost but eff ective light pole the goal was to positively diff erentiate our construction or in the pipeline, develop- “Th is area needed revitalization back banners, similar to what you see in the assets around Centennial Olympic Park ment in the CPD appears to be keeping when opened, which Miami Arts district.” as a terrifi c, amenity-rich place for visi- up with demand. has proven to be a catalyst for improve- Once a cost and timeline are estab- tors to land,” Marvin said. “Th e attractions, events and venues, ment and investment,” said Joseph J. lished, the CPD will secure funding for Out of the ensuing discussions which represent a necklace around Cen- Handy, president and COO of the Geor- the project with the goal of completing emerged the Luckie Marietta District, tennial Olympic Park, are authentic or gia Aquarium. implementation by the end of 2021. Like referring to the area’s two main boundary homegrown and have developed organ- Since the aquarium opened in 2005, other CPD projects, the place-making streets. Th e now-CPD is rich in amenities. ically over time,” said Marvin. “Th is isn’t nearly $1.7 billion in new investment program is exclusively member-funded. “Th ere are few places in the world that a themed, Disney-esque recipe.” has been completed around Centen- “Due to the positive economic impact have the collection of restaurants, attrac- Th e CPD expects the area’s resident nial Olympic Park, according to CAP. we have exerted,” said Harof of Ruth’s tions and hotels we have in the CPD, many population will grow with the comple- Another $417 million worth of projects Chris, “it would be nice to see some gov- of which are unique to Atlanta,” said John tion of Post Centennial Park (438 units) are under construction or queued up for ernment funding to help us promote and Harof, CIO of Ruth’s Chris Steak House. and Generation Atlanta (336 units) apart- groundbreaking. develop the district even further.”