SCAD proposes mixed-use tower to continue north Midtown growth

Another significant change is percolating for the northern part of Midtown’s fast-evolving skyline.

During this month’s Midtown Development Review Committee meeting, SCAD pitched plans for a mixed-use project that would include, among other facets, a 20-story tower for student living across the Connector from Atlantic Station.

The project, as proposed, would feature nearly 1,000 beds for SCAD students, a dining hall and food market, and a 33,000-square-foot auditorium, just south of where Spring Street meets the Buford-Spring Connector, according to Midtown Alliance.

SCAD students and faculty can also look forward to some 35,000 square feet of academic space, a 5,500-square-foot retail slot, and a rooftop hangout replete with a pool and open-air courtyard, per the plans.

The proposal also calls for an eight-story parking deck with 232 spaces and access to Spring Street.

SCAD proposed two curb cuts along Spring Street, but DRC officials suggested straying from that plan and opting for a single access point to foster “a more welcoming pedestrian experience.”

Additionally, the DRC asserted, multiple curb cuts would clash with plans for a protected bike lane along Spring Street.

The newly pitched mixed-use development would neighbor SCAD’s recently delivered, 14-story residence hall, Forty, which was named for the school’s 40th anniversary.

Renderings indicate it could be painted black, to echo the exterior of the Atlanta campus’s main building.

Midtown Alliance