Figuratively speaking, the wrecking ball is one of Atlanta’s favorite development tools, clearing the way for new projects to replace buildings that no longer are the highest and best use of a site.
There are few places in town where the trend is more obvious than Midtown, which is dotted by cranes as high-rises overtake parking lots and low-slung development — vanishing breeds in the densifying neighborhood.
This week, one such development claimed a row of one-story former commercial buildings along Spring Street at Third Street. In their place will rise a high-end student residence — The Standard — which will add to the growing slate of off-campus options for Tech students.
The building, projected to feature 280 units and 11,200 square feet of retail space across 19 floors, will compete with nearby Square on Fifth and University House.
Long rundown, many of the now-demolished buildings had been vacant for years, with those still in use housing clubs like QUAD and Enclave.
Developers Landmark Properties and Selig Enterprises have not released a timeframe for construction, but demolition this week signals that the project has begun. Given the pace of construction, however, smart money says students probably won't move in until fall 2018.
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