The Search For Answers About the Best-Located Empty Condominium Building in Town

There’s a mysterious development in Midtown that has us scratching our heads and hoping for answers. You know, because we’re nosy like that. We figured maybe some of our smart, well-connected readers might have the scoop, so we’ve got to ask: what’s going on with this seemingly abandoned mixed-use building on the western edge of Piedmont Park?

We can’t ignore this white (well, beige) elephant any longer. To the best of our knowledge, the five story structure went up sometime around 2008. We’re having a hard time remembering any marketing materials for the project, or even a sign posted with its name, but it’s apparent that at a certain point things came to a screeching halt. A Great Recession will do that to things. With basically no prior knowledge, we decided to see what kind of information we could uncover about this hulking mass of emptiness on Piedmont Avenue at 12th Street.

And here’s where the frustration set in. Inquiries to industry insiders and community organizations turned up zilch. A bit of internet snooping produced little dirt as well. Oddly enough, the Fulton County Tax Assessor website still has the site filed under the original three parcels; the last transaction concerning them is from Suntrust to a CRM Central Properties LLC for $4,475,000 in December 2010. Before Suntrust had a hold of it, the development belonged to an entity named Piedmont Park West II. Interestingly, the condo building next door is named Piedmont Park West. Same developer?

The only other online goodie was a code complaint filed in March of 2011. A concerned citizen was unhappy with holes on the south side of the building, and “vagrants” making the empty structure their home. Clearly this isn’t the only person in Midtown frustrated with a presumably sound structure sitting useless in such a fab spot, denying would-be urbanites the chance to add to Midtown’s vibrancy. So we have to ask, what’s the hold up? We can understand not wanting to sell condos right now, but a little bird told us intown rentals are staging a comeback...