Auburn Executive Summary.Indd
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Central Atlanta Progress Atlanta Downtown Improvement District City of Atlanta EastsideEastside // AuburnAuburn FocusFocus AreaArea EXECUTIVEEXECUTIVE SUMMARYSUMMARY OctoberOctober 20042004 Prepared by: Eastside / Auburn Urban Collage, Inc. Prepared by: Urban Cooper Collage, Carry,Inc. in association URS Corp., with ZVA, ZHA, HPE, Verge Studios, Biscuit Studios and PEQ Cooper Carry, URS Corp., ZVA, ZHA, HPE, Verge Studios, Biscuit Studios and PEQ OVERVIEW / ISSUES Overview Sweet Auburn is the historical African-American heart of Atlanta, and Auburn Avenue is its Peachtree Street. In January through March of 2004, Sweet Auburn was studied as a part of the ‘Eastside / Auburn Avenue’ Focus Area, one of five such areas included in the “Imagine Downtown” planning and visioning process. An Eastside / Auburn Core Team of institutions, businesses, property owners and residents in the area was convened to review existing conditions, define issues for discussion, review plan products and prioritize implementation steps. In addition, one-on-one interviews were held with many of the stakeholders in the corridor and over 60 people participated in the Community Workshop held on December 9, 2003. Focus Area Context The Eastside/ Auburn Avenue Focus Area is located just east of Atlanta’s Central Business District. The Auburn corridor is approximately one mile long, anchored by a high-density commercial area around Peachtree Street on the west and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (NHS) on the east. John Wesley Dobbs Avenue and Edgewood Avenue form the northern and southern boundaries of the Focus Area, which is about six blocks at its widest point where in jogs along Gilmore Street to include a part of Grady Hospital. The aerial view on the next page illustrates the dominant institutional uses that flank the corridor. In addition to the King NHS and Grady, it includes a portion of Georgia State University, the southern part of Downtown’s Hotel District, and many small historic commercial establishments. The Downtown Connector bisects the corridor into two district subareas, creating a visual and psychological barrier. Sweet Auburn is inscribed in a larger neighborhood context unlike some of the other Imagine Focus Areas. While most of the recommendations in this report are focused on Auburn Avenue and its environs, the planning team took into consideration this larger context to understand the corridor within a greater framework to make the necessary linkages to other studies and plans. As an example, the proposed redevelopment of the Atlanta Housing Authority’s Grady Homes located just south of Focus Area directly affects any infrastructure and development recommendations made in this report. Likewise, the Old Fourth Ward, located just east of the study area, is a historic single-family neighborhood which includes the King birth home and the mixed-use lofts at Studioplex. The needs of the Old Fourth Ward were kept in mind throughout the process. Stakeholders / Dominant Issues Over the course of several weeks, one-on-one interviews were conducted with members of the Core Team to flesh out the most pressing issues affecting the Eastside/ Auburn area. The issues were organized in a matrix broken into seven categories, revealing hot discussion topics and areas of heightened interest and concern. Of the seven categories, economic development and historic resources were foremost in the minds of Core Team members. It was clear that Auburn Avenue represented a major cultural tourism destination to the stakeholders, but requires coordination and resources for the various small attractions to succeed. The presence of the homeless and panhandling activity deter tourists from walking between Peachtree and the King visitor center as well. Many stakeholders felt that Sweet Auburn needs to be economically self-sufficient, where new development and retail will not displace existing small businesses. Historic preservation was stressed over and over, with the intent that a balance must be struck between preservation and economic development. Overall, the stakeholders and Core Team saw the potential in Sweet Auburn for a diverse and thriving intown neighborhood with cultural depth on par with Harlem in New York or the U Street Corridor in Washington. Yet, they realized that it would take major moves and a concerted effort to make that vision happen. Eastside / Auburn Prepared by: Urban Collage, Inc. in association with Cooper Carry, URS Corp., ZVA, ZHA, HPE, Verge Studios, Biscuit Studios and PEQ 1 OVERVIEW / ISSUES The Focus Area The Eastside/ Auburn Focus Area bridg- es between Peachtree Street and the residential area of the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, with Auburn Avenue as its east-west spine. Some of the major elements include: The Hotel District Auburn’s proximity to the largest concentration of Downtown hotels helps reinforce its future as a strong tourist destination, but connections and attractions need improvement King National Historic Site The center of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, Ebenezer Baptist Church and the other landmarks of the District get an average of 650,000 visitors a year Institutions and Housing Georgia State University and Grady Hospital are major players in the future of the Auburn corridor, especially with GSU plans for new student housing in the vicinity; the redevelopment of Grady Homes will also provide a range of new housing The Issues Matrix One-on-one stakeholder interviews and open forums with the Core Team produced the set of priority issues listed in the matrix below: Several mixed-use developments planned; keep sense of history; preservation requirements challenging; Eastside Land Use Tax Allocation District (TAD) an asset; continued development ‘jump-started’ with early projects; redevelop NHS parking Untapped market at King NHS (65,000 tourists per year); existing viable businesses along Auburn; new retail coming Economic at Grady Homes and Auburn-Glenn; protect ‘mom-and-pop’ stores while attracting new retailers; cultural tourism Development a missed opportunity; ‘Sweet Auburn’ story unknown; major African-American museum missing; Auburn as ‘Urban Main Street’ Grady, Auburn-Glenn will add new housing; Atlanta Overlook a problem; Overlook / Wheat Street Gardens redevel- Housing opment candidates; tradition of affordable housing; gentrification is an issue; GSU plans for Beaudry Historic/Natural Retaining historic character very important; NPS negotiating on SCLC; Fire Station 6 to be museum; new John Lewis Civil Rights Center in Haugabroooks home; culinary school idea for Casino; renovation planned for old Atlanta Life; Resources more effort to put new uses in historic building Bus traffic a problem; potential for a NHS / Downtown shuttle; pedestrian - vehicular conflicts on Boulevard; Auburn Transportation primarily a pedestrian street; high speeds on Piedmont; interstate ramps problematic; Decatur / Hilliard intersection dangerous Social/Community Panhandlers / homeless deter visitors; liquor sales encourage panhandling; branch library in question; Walden Middle Services as School of Excellence; independent leadership committee needed Equal emphasis on Edgewood and John Wesley Dobbs; facade funding available; Auburn has residential, com- Urban Design mercial halves; Auburn / Hill intersection a ‘center’; area under interstate a problem; CODA streetscape in disrepair Eastside / Auburn Prepared by: Urban Collage, Inc. in association with Cooper Carry, URS Corp., ZVA, ZHA, HPE, Verge Studios, Biscuit Studios and PEQ 2 EXISTING CONDITIONS: LAND USE & ZONING Existing Conditions Analysis Each focus area was subject to an initial physical analysis before convening the Core Team. The analysis utilized GIS information derived from Fulton County tax records and the City of Atlanta, as well as new information and verification provided by field surveys. The intent of the analysis was to provide the Core Team with a compact picture of the area from which to begin a discussion, and to determine strengths, weaknesses, assets and liabilities in the physical environment that may not be apparent to the Core Team. The analytical maps, along with the list of stakeholder issues, became the staring point for the public consensus-building process during Charette Week. Land Use Land uses in the study area vary drastically in terms of use, density and character. The study area is made up of 337 parcels covering approximately 165 acres of land. The land use analysis is a result of a windshield survey, compiled using the City of Atlanta’s parcel level database. Residential uses are dominated by two aging multifamily apartment complexes which occupy over 20 acres in the study area. Additionally, two senior high-rises, provide affordable housing within the corridor. Single family houses and duplexes are concentrated along John Wesley Dobbs Avenue east of the Downtown Connector. A small number of mixed-use buildings with predominately residential uses are scattered throughout the study area. Commercial development varies from high density to single storied commercial establishments. Smaller office and retail establishments are mostly located along Auburn Avenue and Edgewood Avenue. Located between these high and low rise offices are 5 – 10 storied office complexes. Three large parks contribute about 10 acres of land within the study area – each providing a unique opportunity for recreation in Downtown. Institutional uses dominate the corridor, such as Grady Hospital and Georgia State University. Institutional uses