GM Plant in Doraville, Georiga Goes On The Market!

Sean....Yes the infamous Taraus Plant in Hapeville closed....I think a couple years ago. It too is being redeveloped, but as office space due to it's close proximity to the runways at Hartsfield Jackson Int'l Airport.  Wouldn't want to live that close to an airport!

Timothy, Art and Jared:  Thanks for carrying on your conversations here on my blog! As a property owner in Doraville, I've many opinions about the GM site. None of which I have a problem voicing.

1) The City of Doraville has failed miserably at managing this situation. I stand to be corrected, but I don't think the City Council has ever passed the necessary zoning to protect this site to be a mixed use development. I attended an impressive meeting where a group of students from GATech presented a master plan for the site the "reconnected" the current "city center" (Park Avenue) with the GM site. It included options for a small multi-purpose arena type venue, altho I think that would be an issue with the current BrandsMart and the new shopping center next to it. Not sure. It called for preserving the current GM Adminstration building and turning it into the City Hall and other such offices. Keep in mind, the City of Doraville occupies the best developable land in Doraville next to the MARTA Station with a jail, city hall, library and city court buildings. A poor use of the land, at best. If economic times were different, the city should entertain a proposal with any developer to purchase this property in exchange for new facilities for the above mentioned buildings.

This piece of property is far better than Atlantic Station in that there is a mass transportation component that did not and does not exist at Atlantic Station. Couple that with the close proximity of Dekalb Peachtree, it could be a great business and residential center. But I would caution that it not be a development like Atlantic Station! That is certainly NOT a model development, and think that the GM site could put that development to shame if done right.

2) Doraville politics will be the downfall of the GM site. Petty bickering and stupidity will pervail, and Doraville will be left with a piece of crap on that site. Again, several years ago, I was involved in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the LCI (Living Centers Initiative) for Doraville. The City Council buckled under false information and cheated the residents and commerical property owners (both now and in the future) of a true city center. False information was circulated by a resident (who later became a City Council Member, then was voted out, and recently had an "meeting" with the Doraville Police....you do the math) that if any property owner allowed their property to be included in the Town Center, that they City could then condemn the property and take it for redevelopment. The law had already been passed but the State that this could not be done (i.e. Eminent Domain) Yet, the City Council buckled, took out all of the property  around the proposed Town Center, and left the current and future residents with city-owned land for our Town Center. Whoo Hoo!!! Can it get any more stupid than that?

At the same time, it was discussed about making Buford Highway more pedestrian friendly and eliminating so much surface parking in front of businesses. The idea was to bring the buildings to the street, and provide parking in the rear of the businesses, in some cases even being accomplished in a multi-level structure serving numerous businesses. Again, the City buckled to the current business owners, most of whom I might add do not live in the City, and most of their businesses do not even cater to the general public (can you say WHOLESALE ANYTHING) won out on this one, and we continue to this day to be drowned in a sea of strip malls with acres of parking in front! Whoo Hoo!

Lastly, and what many people do not understand from the retail perspective, is retail follows rooftops. (This was another concept the above referenced individual could not understand in anyway, shape or form) and wanted a Kroger built in Doraville. )Who the h-ll is going to shop there? You need people first. Doraville lies in a very difficult location between Perimeter Mall and Northlake Mall. Retailers draw maps of demographics and through their research determine how far people will drive to visit one of their stores. Our location overlaps either Northlake or Perimeter in getting any new retail to open in a new mixed use site like GM. Case in Point.....There is an Outback Steakhouse on Roswell Road in Buckhead. I mentioned to the Owner/Manager how I'd love to see one open in Midtown. He said they draw a 5 mile circle around their stores, and know that people will drive that far to go to one of their restaurants. He mentioned Atlanta as one exception whereby the Perimeter location and Buckhead "circles" overlap by about a mile.

The GM site will need to include a variety of housing, but nothing in height. One, because there are restrictions on height due to the airport. But, the site should be developed into something like "General Village" or "Motors Village" and give it an old town feeling. Limited parking on some streets and more of a walking, small town feel. Hide the parking on parts of the property less desirable for other development (i.e. close to the rail tracks) Have brownstones/townhomes, and low rise apartments/condos that connect people more to the street enviornment.

I've seen another proposal for a huge multi-cultural garden facility. It looks good on the web site an in pictures, but the expense of building a lake, and the lack of existing vegatation seems to make this a huge undertaking. I'm certainly not opposed to it, provided it could be come a MAJOR tourist attraction that would be easily accessable from Midtown/Downtown convention areas by MARTA and easy access into the site from same. But, won't the horrific noise from I-285 and I-85 and an airport make it a less than peaceful garden? It would be years before trees are of any height to hide the noise and view of same.

I hope I'm around long enough to see something develop here, and something that can put Doraville on the Map in a positive way. But if I were a betting person, I don't think I'd be putting my money on that.

Gene:  Oh how sweet it would be! Luxury Hotel with some expanisve gardens, casino...I can just see the limos pulling in off of 285 and 85.....

NOT! You forget we live in the Bible belt! The flights to Vegas and Reno are jam packed! Take a drive to Shorter, AL and look at the new casino they have built there, and now a big hotel!

Georgia's Motto: "Let them build it around us, suck out our money, and will sit around and scratch our heads (or our butts) and try to figure out how to get revenue into our state?"

If it were up to the metro Atlanta area, I think we'd have a casino under construction in the Gulch in Downtown.....

I don't hold my breath that in my lifetime (give me another 40 years) that we will see casinos in Georgia.....We (present company excluded) will be just that dumb just that long....

So...how do you think I feel about the subject?