Good evening.

Good evening.

So I wanted to first and foremost.

Thank you all for coming.

My name is Derek Cooper I'm the president
of the student Planning Association.

And we really just want to we're excited
to have all you here tonight we're

definitely glad you decided to take
some time to spend the evening with us.

We've got a phenomenal project that
we're going to be talking about a nice

opportunity for
all of us to get educated and

posing questions regarding this
particular M.P.T. project and

the impact it will have on this wonderful
city of Atlanta and the region.

As I go to a couple different things I
do want to point out our moderator for

the evening is Marion Phillips
the vice president listed in

Planning Association here.

So she will definitely be orchestrating
this this wonderful discussion.

And one of the things that
we wanted to go through is

actually we've got some fun things
plans for plan for everybody.

Tonight so.

Participation is going to be key.

So that being said.

Over here on the far right we've got
a poll that everybody can participate in.

And the way that this is going to work is
that all of you all they have cell phones

or if you've got a laptop and
your own wife I you

can actually text through the code to
text to is two two three three three.

So we're going to start off the evening
with this question what type of

transportation.

Did you use to get to
this presentation today.

If you came by bicycle if somebody did
text in three five zero six eight one

two two three three three.

All right we've got some
nice variety going on here.

Where the transit folks.

Are as I think I think we've got
a pretty a pretty dominant option here.

I don't think we're going
to see too much adjustment.

So now we can see what the different modes
of transportation that everybody's using

is and be very interesting as we go
into the discussion this evening.

So the next question.

We've got is actually regarding
the multi-modal project itself and just to

kind of gauge everybody's awareness of the
project I'd like to see where do you sit.

Are you unfamiliar with the project.

Are you very familiar with it.

To see where everybody lands.

Yes we got a lot of slightly
Phon familiars here tonight.

The number of folks that
are very familiar and

a panelist are you guys want to do this.

Great.

Well that being said the intent of this
program tonight is again information

sharing get you all outside of the
slightly familiar unfamiliar territory and

see if we can get you more comfortable
more familiar with the project so

without further ado I'd like to introduce

the chair of the school
City Regional Planning.

Dr Bruce to tell as he's going to
move us forward into the program and

taking over from there.

Thank you Daryn.

I want to wish you a happy world
Town Planning Day in behalf

of the school of city and
regional planning the.

School has been promoting in imagining
sustainable resilient and just places for

sixty years we have fourteen hundred
graduates working in forty nine U.S.

states and twenty nine countries and.

We you know we have
a deep Atlanta footprint.

But we our research led
globally engaged organization.

Let me say I think there
are two frames that we

often think about whether people use
when they think about public transit.

And one of those frames is that the only
people who ride transit are those that

don't have choices.

Second frame is that transit
can be a preference for

those who have many choices a preference
that promotes quality of life in our

cities nationwide I think
the second frame of reference.

Is on the uptick.

There have been nine new light rail
transit systems in the United States

in the last ten years.

Atlanta is about to join that drink.

We hear that young people are.

Increasingly choosing not to
get driver's licenses and

to rely on transit and
bike had modes as the way to get around.

Achieving transit as a choice as
a preference requires convenience

multi-modal terminal.

I think is very much in the mold of
thinking about building convenience for

travel for
transit passengers in the Atlanta area.

And so I'm eager to hear what
the panelists have to say tonight.

Let me thank the panelists for
being here and let me also thank the.

The corps of spa members and city planning
students who organized tonight's program

and maybe I can ask you to stand I think
there's something like fourteen of you.

So I don't I don't want to
call everybody by name but

if you were working on
tonight's program would you.

Would you let us thank you.

And welcome to everyone
happy world templating day.

Let me.

Yeah.

Let me call Derek Cameron
to the microphone.

And Derek is project
manager at Georgia D.O.T.

and has been responsible for
a good part of the the imagination of what

the multi-modal terminal is going to
look like they're getting your one.

I am very camera with Georgia Department
of Transportation on a project manager for

the motor mobile passenger terminal
project I'm just going to give you kind of

quick overview of what this
project entails and then we can.

I guess going to turn it back.

What Marion would want to question.

This is a study site for
the GA N.P.T. as most

you may know since I guess a lot of you
come from a you with the project itself.

These study areas about one
hundred one thousand acres.

It sits in the area that
we commonly call the goal.

It's a void in downtown
Atlanta at the current.

And you can see it's in our
long Philips Arena this in

Plaza modify point station
federal buildings there.

The HIM IN P.T. itself will rest

on the parking deck that's there
between Spring Street and C.E.O. P..

We have several agencies that
are involved with this project with us.

The Federal Transit ministration is
our lead agency they are the the was

the federal agency
that's on the Project G.

dot is the lead agency who's
administering the project at the current

moment we do have several
cooperating agencies

the General Services Administration
the Federal Railroad Administration and

E.P.A. We also have the Federal Highway
Administration who is a participating

agency within one of the unique
unique things about this project.

It is on the presidential dash board.

We can't wait.

Initiative that means it was selected and
it is considered one of the nationally.

And regionally significant projects.

And with that what it gives to
the project it expedites our our

environmental process and it could also
provide some funding in the future.

Another side of our study area there are
the six parcels that that we originally.

Well that's involved in the project
the image you'd see itself is one

in two that spans between the Philips
Arena and modify point stations.

The other parcels were of course
will be used for development and

those were the primary parcels use
in our environment document and

environmental analysis artist
rendition of the him in P.T.

itself were counted facing east
front looking from Philips Arena.

In.

The sea wall street Alabama Street
will be reconstructed

to be leveled or
bridge always over to see a peek.

What's revived greater connectivity from.

Since the Olympic Park
over the spring streets.

The Gulch itself today it provides a great
disconnect and provides a little means

from get to the other unless you really
know what you do on with the coffee.

And as I mentioned what
I wrote when network.

We are going to bring Wall Street and
Alabama Street up to grade level

also going to be constructing a new row
away and if I had a corner I can count to

show this to you but the one that's
running I guess and called North and

South on the slide there.

We call that new north south
the roadway network will help us

create better ingress and
egress in and out of the area.

And also these road will allow
us to create better blocks.

It creates a better economic.

Ability for did for development.

And in this is a shot of the rent
an artist's rendition of the goal

of the market the him if he wants it.

That's what it will like prior
to any future development

course everything was labeled here.

Wanted pointing out the well you can see
the imagery to itself it has a green roof

and it has part.

We also have in the park.

This is the lore and all of the screen
there is a excess of well you can walk

from filtering always over to
the Five Points MARTA station and

land at Underground Atlanta
without ever having to actually.

Is the roadways with full build out.

It is a.

Expected without market
research from that F.E.C.

our developer has worked on is that within

this area of the development that could
occur would be several office towers and

residential towers and
a new convention center how tail.

Also we've been talk so G.S.A. who has
over four million square feet a lease

space that's outside the area they would
love to build a government center so

to speak within the area
also with this barge and

also with I guess

you can call it a water feature that would
build an air it's a public amenity but

with it it will help with
the flooding problems that

are only occur over invited
seating area we can store and

hold the water here and
slowly release it downstream and

it will help us with our with the flooding
issue and there you can also see the just

over four acre park that's going to be
on the roof of the of the in in P.T..

And just on the inside of that is
course will be restaurants and

several other retail shops so

many environmental considerations that
that we have to look into while we're

working on the on the project itself and
I think our panelists can do a better job

in answering any questions
pertaining to these

few considerations and then I can so I'm
not going to in great detail on these but

if you guys have any questions please
ask so inspire brief overview.

So thank you.
Derek and so

I kick off our first question what
does go down the line here easy one.

What's your involvement in the project and
why do you feel it in the P.T.

is in part important

to do.

There we go.

Thank you.

My name is Heather out F. I work for
center forward in my previous life I've

been in the public sector and so the bulk
of my role has actually been leading up to

the project that's under that you just
saw being developed was actually the.

Positioning and advocacy for

the project as a whole when I worked for
the city of Atlanta as well.

Essential and a progress so
kind of the positioning

it publicly as well as technically
speaking amongst all the agencies and

you saw the list of agencies
there at the federal level.

Prior to getting it to this point
there were a lot there was a lot

of coronation required between jihad and
the City and Central Atlanta progress and

Marta and in every So there were a lot
more agencies to coordinate with.

Even the beltline needs whether or not.

That was necessary for the area as well.

So there's a lot of technical
things to look at and

quite frankly a lot of political things
to go through to get to this point so

that was pretty much my role.

So the bigger outline that was
the larger study area is what I

can probably speak to the most tonight.

Like you have their names.

Chris Culliver and with a firm
called a care af in New York and

Tim and I are part of
the environmental consultant team for

the projects we're doing the I'm going to
impact study my firm was brought in by

Thames group because we work on similar
projects in New York City where it's

a complex urban environment which
brings a lot of difficult construction

issues approval issues and
we've had experience on that with

the World Trade Center redevelopment the
Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn and.

This is a has a lot of similarities so

we were brought in to sort of
provide that type of advice.

Thanks Chris.

My name since Houghton with H. and
TB We're working with jihad as the primary

consultant to deliver the document
along with Chris here from a care F..

Good evening I'm Herman Howard and

I'm here with Kay I design build
were architects and planners.

And part of my responses have
to deal with previous life

as well as what we're doing now.

But I have the pleasure of working on
this project for close to ten years

when it was just diagrams and
studies and those sort of things and

then we had the opportunity while it
H OK to work with central Atlanta

progress in creating what was called the
Green Line study which was I think pretty

much the last of the final
studies before these steps.

So it's been a pleasure.

It's been a great opportunity to really
see what could be the potential impact

of this project and the reason that
I think it's important is because

this is one of those next steps
that allows the city of Atlanta.

To truly become the second busiest for

transit in all of the United States
only second to Chicago.

So it's a great story.

It's one of those things
that has history but

also has very strong future opportunities
and it's been a pleasure to be involved.

Good evening my name is Katrina Strickland
and I'm the executive director for

the Clark Atlanta University
Economic Development Center.

My primary involvement is looking
at how the redevelopment in

the West Atlanta communities around
the stadium will be impacted by the M.P.T.

and how we can help that
it is on the roads.

The various buildings and.

Development in those communities to
work effectively with connecting to

downtown Atlanta thank
you thank you all so

what type of transportation options are
going to be available with the in N.P.T..

So it is truly a multi-modal terminal so

short term you may see
regional buses Marta

with long term vision of
commuter rail high speed rail.

Taxi services buses car anything and
everything under this one roof.

So we want to make sure that to
accommodate multiple modes and

those modes also work
well with overbuilt so

it's going to be also
a Activity Center into itself.

And what do you all see as the radius for
the economic impact and

how do you feel it will
affect the downtown area.

You see area.

Downtown or I'll start that.

Both Heather and I we've been involved and
some things that the city c.a.p and

others the downtown development
technical advisory group.

I think the full name of it is calm and

we've had the pleasure the chance to
look at an investment here is of X.

amount of dollars but
the potential the investment surrounding

the area is greatly multiply
if things are done correctly.

That's what was being said earlier.

This was also planned to be.

The Southern high speed rail
the eastern terminus and

with that one would now
be able to go from.

Atlanta to Birmingham in
approximately forty minutes or

from Atlanta to Houston and four hours.

So it really begins to change the quality
of life how you live work play.

I live up to four hundred it takes me
more than forty minutes to go from

Alpharetta to downtown Atlanta.

So it really changes the aspects.

What was also said was that
right now this is a void.

It's a gulch.

It's not something you
want to hang out and

walk through really not walk around but
when you look at the dimensions.

It isn't that big of an area and
when you can capture that area.

It begins to connect downtown
Atlanta to the to a U.

district it connects it to historic
districts it makes kind activity to

Georgia state it really begins to
build on that word of connectivity not

just at a local scale but
also at a national national scale as well.

So it's a huge economic
development driver.

You see perspective and
I say see a you Clark Atlanta.

You see because a lot of the work that
we're doing really impacts the entire

university center.

One of the major components
we've been looking at is

is to create a Transportation Institute
in this community.

What is typically call ill
in my low to moderate income

communities I prefer to say.

Low Well.

But those communities need training
programs to help residents

with no education a limited education for

jobs of the future transportation
is a huge growth market and

if we can leverage our educational
resources in that community to create

transportation training programs as well
as business development opportunities in.

The transportation arena.

That's one of the areas
will be focusing on

as some of you may be familiar central
line of progress has what they call

the Green Line plan which is development
plan from the state capital to

the Georgia Dome clever
things don't do dome.

And that plan included a pretty major
market development component which was

around eight million square feet and
developing the M.M.P. T.

project the public private partnership

which is being led by four
city integral and cousins.

I know as I see their market analysis
showed by building an M M P T With

the components we have they could actually
achieve twelve million square feet

of space within the gulch so
there projection is doing this project

to bring an additional four million
square feet directly to downtown and

that could be any sort of commercial
residential mixed use type development.

And I think something that's really
important to think about is not only

the destination itself being
here in central part of Atlanta.

But actually the origins of these trips
are throughout the state of Georgia.

And obviously if it were to move on
to Texas and everything as well.

So I think one thing that's missing
from a lot of the dialogue is

we've been measuring everything just
from the transportation impact but

the land use impacts along
the corridor itself is huge for

other cities throughout
the state of Georgia and so

to me there is a national reaches you know
regional reach for the high speed rail but

even in the interim with commuter rail
when you start connecting these towns and.

You know even make an I don't remember
how many years ago ten fifteen years ago

redevelop there there rail
just the facility itself.

You really start to change the dynamics
for those for those cities and.

There are many places in Georgia
that need as much attention for

economic development as Atlanta and
so you have a gay.

Changer immediately for
Atlanta and the region and

then you have a pretty significant
improvement for the state of Georgia and

then moving forward to it at
a regional and national level.

So I think it's I think we I think it's
underestimated the power of this project

often just to just to wrap this up.

Early on when we were talking about
this talk about naming of it and

it became the GA and then P.T..

And that is to reflect the statewide
impact that it does have and

are one of our biggest supporters was Dana
Lemon at the State Transportation Board

who is has been a strong advocate for
this and

I think it's important to recognize
that the staff at a state wide reach and

it's important for
the state to take this on as a project.

So in the early stages of the project
which you know we still are in

the early stages.

How much of it was inspired
to help the gulch and

do something with that area versus a need
for a multimeter passenger terminal

all started when when we

first started looking at this and we had
lots of maps and everything over the wall.

We had asked a consultant to come in and

her comments were what
you should do is just

flood it flood it with water and we're
going like OK this is a train station.

But what she was trying to make a point
was to create something that was so

unique until everyone wanted to
get as close to it as possible and

giving us examples of the San
Antonio River and giving us examples

of Back Bay Boston giving us examples
where there is something that is so

unique until it doesn't exist
anywhere else in the city and

understanding what are so many high.

Hurdles with the site
the depth the location.

All these things those hurdles really
became pluses and it became an opportunity

to create a very unique destination
which there's some similarities and

part of our theme part of our thinking was
being able to arrive in a park by train.

So not flooding it but creating a very
unique park in downtown Atlanta.

But a park that also had some
elements of connectivity back

to Centennial Olympic Park

back to other smaller even green
spaces in the city of Atlanta.

So there was an immediate response of
what to do with the surroundings and

then to collect collectively connect
the other parts of the city.

So it was something clearly about
how to transform the goal but

in that transformation provide
other benefits to the city

throughout our public involvement process
we've heard those same things reiterated

that this should be an iconic
destination terminal something along

the lines of you know you're in New York
and you go to Grand Central Station just

to see the station itself so that's been
in the minds of the designers all along.

Also just in terms of that land use
transportation connection this has

a great opportunity here you've got
the north south east west Marta lines.

You're not far from
the intersection of twenty and

the major connector on I seventy five and
eighty five.

So you've got these modes occurring right
there you can tie it all together and

it's pretty amazing when you think about
that there's this much space in such

a an area where it's
got a ton of potential.

So we think that not only with the.

Transit investment but
with the market analysis shows that

there is that same type of sustainability
principles in bringing land use and

transportation together and
the multi-modal terminal be

the catalyst to start that process and
to that end there isn't really

one single entity as a developer that
could take on some of that investment so

that's where the the P three the public
private partnership comes together.

There's the public investment and
then the private money follows and

it all works together.

If you look back and
early one thousand and nine.

Basically it was some of the original
plans for the area and that actually was

when we had the heyday of two stations and
had lots of transportation access

through the railroad tracks so that was
actually more about developing the gulch.

That's always been a natural divide
between crossing sections of the downtown

area and then.

I believe it was the one nine hundred
thirty thirty one thirty two something

around then there was the Dixie terminal
which was also a redevelopment.

And I think at the time it was I
forget how many million square feet

of development potential So

originally when we had it as a great
facility for transportation there.

The mindset was this is wonderful
land it's already raised up above

the railroad tracks.

It would be wonderful for
economic development and for

creating square feet for
office mainly office at the time and

I think you know one nine hundred seventy
two all of both train stations were on and

Amtrak was pretty much killed that
year and so that's basically when that

area didn't serve the transportation
purpose either so I think when you saw in

the early ninety's when the focus back
on the area it really was kind of both.

It's hard to say that the N.P.T.

today that's being looked at
is the chicken or the egg.

It's really you get both
opportunities with it so

it is serving a transportation need and

at the same time filling a great hole
that needs to be redeveloped so I think.

It's it's.

And I guess depending on what's been
going on over time that one thousand and

nine was the beginning of our planning for
the area we've been at it for a minute.

So I know that you know
some lovely drawings and

renderings what at this point
is final about the project.

If any.

The location may be.

Yeah we're probably going
to be in the gulch.

We are probably going to accommodate
buses commuter rail in the future in your

city rail in the future connections
to Marta five points and center.

MARTA station.

We are going to include open space and
we are going to include retail new streets

and streetscapes enhancements everything
else is sort of still in flux I mean it's.

At the phase rather I would say
it's about ten percent design.

It's about ten percent design so a lot can
change in the next ninety percent but.

You know in a few years ago to
the gulch and seeing M.M.P..

And then up to this point.

How have you guys engage the community.

How does the community
feel about the projects.

So these are the projects specific
questions we're getting to

yeah it's great.

So hopefully it was reflected in that poll
earlier that we've done a pretty good

job getting the word out
in terms of outreach.

Focus groups stakeholder
groups technical committee.

We've had the formal scoping process
through lots of outreach to use

you name it we try to do it if you want to
meeting will be there or you know we want

to promote this project and
understand what the public wants to see.

And that's been really our our were
an open book from the beginning and

when the a developer was on board as.

It was let's hear what
the public wants for this and

some of that stricken by the technical
components of what you can do in

the track alignments and
all that but we said.

And what's important to the public and

we'll try to get into
the design of the terminal.

I think what's really good about this is
that it's not a singular statement and

what I mean by that is the him in P.T.
has such potential to touch so

many things but when you add that to
the potential of what's going on.

What's proposed to be
going on with the stadium.

Then you have to realize that from
early numbers at least out there

that there's well over two billion
dollars of investment and the reach for

that is huge when you begin to have
a conversation about transportation

then you're also engaging Marta you're
engaging the belt line you're in gauging

the street car and the more we have found
out that the more people in community.

The more people that know and communities.

The more excitement there is and I think
right now there's really a need to share.

There's a need to be real transparent and
clear about the impact.

And what this can mean for your community
and how you can become engaged with some

commune with some communities there's
clearly a new aspect about walkability

with some There's a new aspect
about the built transformation

of the urban environment and
I'm so glad that someone mentioned

the impact that it will have
on the watershed conversation.

So there's a number of concerns that
the different communities have and

given the proper platforms this.

Begins to touch so many of those concerns
and that's a real exciting aspect

because it is one of the most important
things going on in the city of Atlanta.

Even the state of Georgia right now so

I wanted to say that you can like us on
Facebook and follow us on Twitter awesome.

So what type of environmental remediation
is going to need to happen to make this

a reality.

As you know it's been a D.
site for under your site for a long time.

A lot of transportation use is
freight railroads parking garages and

I were down there one day and
there was a fire like it was

spewing oil fire kind of so
we got out pretty fast.

So there will be there would
be environmental remediation

the extent we don't know yet.

Part of that more into final design you
need to know how deep you need to go for

foundations and things like that to
really make a full assessment but

we do know that there will
be quite a bit rates.

You know there are some renderings but
what type of development.

Are you guys expecting.

In the future in terms of
retail is there a plan.

So that the way this round of multimodal
passenger terminal is going is

that it's it's indigenous a public private
partnership doesn't mention before and

it's you can see from the rendering
here read terminal itself takes into

consideration over beyond the two towers
there to the northwest let's call it.

Our vision does commercial.

OK you could have a major headquarters
relocation here would be great.

You could have some government uses

the back towards five points are in
vision as residential towers.

So in total you've got four towers and
vision over the top of that and then P.T..

We talked about those six parcels.

That's the ground level that's
where some of the rail tracks and

platforms would be and
then the over built to that

is is shown here just south
of the extended Alabama St.

Those are in vision and
as potential government center type

uses also through the market analysis
it was revealed that there's a need for

conventions to hotel.

So you're right adjacent to
the World Congress Center.

And there's an opportunity to bring in
a major hotel with additional space for

conferences.

So over a mix of uses in
addition the that and

then P.T.
itself would accommodate some retail.

I think there's a snit about one hundred
fifty thousand square feet of retail.

So again it gets that this
is a destination this is

a place to go shopping.

The restaurant space on
top overlooking the green

roof slash park could be amenity for
the restaurants plus

the the residential uses on top of the or
Jason to the M.P.T..

So overall everything is really
positive up to this point

where you are getting back it up and
then P.T. in general about the project.

There's been a bit of pushback
at least initially from the U.S.

district courts where right
where their neighbor.

They park their judges
don't like to lose parking.

And a lot of other concerns you know

how will construction activities
affect court proceedings.

You know concerns about homeland security

with some of the sensitive
uses in the Russell Building.

So they have they've had a lot of concerns

we've been working with
them on those concerns.

So it's a as much as it's pushed back but
it's you know not a project

necessarily it's good comments that
have helped us think about it.

We've also had some concerns from
house of Ariel maybe Tim you want to.

So we tried to have a lot of outreach to
the neighbors and the neighborhood and

listen to some of their concerns.

You know it's potentially significant
amount of construction and with and

then P.T. and
then the stadium right there.

There could be you know three or

four years of pretty active
construction period.

So you know no one likes to have noise and
pile driving going on their neighborhood.

So we understand that and

we'll work that to try to mitigate
some of those as best we can.

It's also important that the freight
movement continues through here.

So that's that's an important element
of this and we've we've made sure that

we keep the communications open
with the freight companies and

we'll work with them in the future
in terms of other issues.

You know we'll see.

We're still right in the thick of things.

This spring will come out with the draft.

Yes So that will be the opportunity for

the public to comment on our analysis
that's the formal public hearing.

And we'll listen to any
other concerns in that time.

Most of our conversations have
been with the surrounding.

Communities and
the surrounding neighborhoods and

there's been some hurdles
to start with number one

two major streets Northside Drive and
Martin Luther King.

There are streets that separate
streets that bring together.

There's efforts underway
to transform that and

some excellent efforts but
I think a lot of the push back again.

Or the questions which is probably better
comes with respect to the boundaries and

because it's a place that you
don't pass through every day.

It's kind of more than a no man's land.

There's just a lack of
understanding about the place.

And most of the questions that
we've heard especially around you.

Center where we're involved around

Vine City English Avenue where we're
involved and other parts of West Atlanta.

It's what will it mean to us and

I think when you begin to talk about
the walking distances the travel distances

the things that are being proposed and
talked about with the program.

Clearly it's a benefit to
Georgia State students.

Clearly it's a benefit to tourist people
that come for gaming events and all that.

It's also a huge benefit
to the every day workers or

if I could say the everyday general
population to the city of Atlanta.

So much of it is exposure much of it is

just sharing information where people
can really understand the potential

of what such a great project
can mean in their backyard so

it's much more questions as opposed to
pushback that we've been getting and

I just like to piggyback
what Herman shared thing for

the West Atlanta community having
the opportunity to speak nicked to

the rest of Atlanta not drivers
here it's a very wide and it.

It serves almost.

As a goal to itself.

So to be able to redesign
what's Northside Drive and

connect those communities in
a twenty first century manner.

More like a European walking city.

The community is very excited about that

planning perspective in this is something
that you know I'm not sure in all your

classes if you learn it this way that
I think what most people the average

citizen really care about is more fine
grained my new should detail what does it

look like what material how wide is
the sidewalk those kinds of things.

And usually at this phase
in the process that's

it's way far before you get to that point.

So you have a lot of people asking and
wanting to know better understand

they want to conceptualize they want to
picture what it is they're going to see.

And so
even though you talk about a building.

They're more concerned with what is econd
a look like at the street level what am I

going to experience and so you have I
think in a natural you know planning

process you have these these phases and

you know people are looking
at it at different angles and

some are at a point where they want to
know the details and that's not ready yet.

So it's a very difficult thing to have
to be able to explain and ask input but

you may not have the full pictures yet
so you're doing renderings and you're

doing concepts and some people like this
angle and some people want to see what

it's going to be like at the front door
level so it's a really it's not easy for

these kinds of projects even
a small individual building and

then you take a collective area like this
that has so many far reaching impacts.

But again the potential.

I mean this project this area.

The study area as a whole has so
much potential.

It's unbelievable what it would do for
Atlanta and the region in the state.

So it's exciting but
I think that's the difficult thing and

that's why Herman and Katrina pointing
out those kinds of things that sometimes

it's more questions of
people have versus feet.

You know versus negativity.

But there's a lot of fear too.

There's been a history of trust us.

We're going to build something and
you're going to like it.

And so
you have a lot of obstacles to overcome.

That may be historically based and not
necessarily based on this team but I think

that's why it's even more important
to be transparent and go out and and

you know quite frankly when when somebody
says well we gave you public input.

You know it's always great to say well
these are the things we heard at the last

meeting and this is what we've
changed based on your input.

You know those kinds of things over time
over the years will help people see how

their input has has influence things but
it's not an easy project and a good

day when everybody's on the same sheet
let alone when you've got environmental

issues that range from social issues
to water issues to rats and and to.

I mean there's a lot of stuff going on.

You take one building down and
you have lots of rats.

So I mean it's a complex.

It's a lot.

So you know.

Yeah there is I'm sure in
the constitution building check that out.

Yeah maybe they started the fire.

You know.

Actually just sad.

The fire.

We laugh about the rats but

there's a great project in Manhattan right
now called the Second Avenue Subway and

all these people hate the Upper East Side
because it is just infested with rats so

it's just a it's actually
a really serious concern.

So my final question before I open up
to the audience is what's the timeline

for this project.

Ballpark.

All of the.

Environmental documents
looking at an opening

year of twenty eighteen with construction
starting sometime in about twenty fifteen.

That's all dependent on getting
approval of the environmental

documents which we're looking
at at the end of next year.

So the M.P.T.
would open in twenty eighteen the.

Development timeline it's hard
to say what we're looking at is

a full build out by about
twenty thirty eight.

But that's all really a market driven hope
is there some impetus immediately and then

I may you know some of the outer parcels
may take a little more time perfect.

OK I would like to open
the form up to the audience.

I'll have done here is going
to pass around a microphone so

if you have any questions just raise your
hand and he will bring you a microphone.

Questions.

I can ask more questions.

You don't want.

Mike was that you want to ask.

Of course.

Don't you have to let
the students go first.

You guys mentioned a lot about rail and
then travel but

what about non-motorized transportation
are there any accommodations for

like bikes and pedestrians.

Can you explain that

the road network itself is going to use
a complete streets concept so bike lanes.

Be the well Street Extension and
Alabama Street Extension.

We're looking for wide sidewalks right
we want to be a pedestrian friendly

environment in terms of a bike
facility within the and

then P.T.
As we mentioned said ten percent design.

So if there was something
the future to accommodate

a bike facility I'm sure there's
enough space in there to comment.

Some of that mode.

I'll add to that and I think your point
is similar to what I was just mentioning

about community questions.

Usually those design standards I mean you
can have a complete streets policy but

usually when you actually get down to
measuring ten foot lanes eleven foot lanes

five foot side well you know whatever
the dimensions are of everything

that's usually done later in the process.

So I would appeal to you all as students
now and perhaps not later to continue to

expect those kinds of things and continue
to communicate those to the project team

throughout because you know what they can
do at this phase in the process at this

level is they can actually say we're going
to have complete streets policies and

we're going to make sure that we
design the right away for that but

people have to stay on top of that and
I think

I mean this would be a perfect place for
a bike share facilities and everything.

I mean this is a no brainer.

I will say that the connected Lana plan
did take into consideration the N.P.T.

because as we've mentioned it's been
on the books for quite a while so

regardless of the new street conditions
that they have there are still bike

lanes secondary and
core routes specified for the area so.

As long as Yalit ask them to continue to
make sure the design standards are there.

The street facilities will will
really be able to accommodate that.

And then I think it's all about
the verticality to making

it easy to get up and down as a pedestrian
a bicyclist point so that's the only part

you guys

mentioned some uses that would be going on
in there like office and residential and

hotel and
stuff like that which are all great.

But I guess I'm concerned about you know a
train station having those types uses that

don't really generate a lot.

Night time like but as you're in traffic.

I'm concerned about it
being a dead zone at night.

So what can be done like at this point
to ensure that that doesn't happen and

throughout the life of the project.

There's a say that that's actually
been a concern that has been

a concern raised publicly
particularly the uses nearby.

You do have Philips Arena right
there which has nighttime events.

You have art I wish
operates late at night.

Hopefully this is the connection between
the two and so they're providing

entertainment oriented uses you
know large good restaurants

things like that make this a nighttime
corridor between high points and Philips.

I was seeing if we could
see one of the previous

slides I think Derek you had a good
slide that showed a specific angle and

I'm not sure if you can see it from here.

But if you can imagine what many

previous planning adversity have looked
at actually is the retail component and

the retail component being way beyond just
serving office workers during the day but

actually having local
serving retail there is

a yeah and

it's that acts on a metric angle right.

Number nine.

I can't see from the single
very well there you go.

So if you can imagine you could actually
have a lot of retail along that

corridor or that restaurants shops that
are ness that you know are based on.

You know local residents buying things
at night too it's really I think the key

message there is it must be beyond
tourist based special event

day retail and
I think that's what a lot of people have

continuously brought up the need
to fill that void and now.

It will help with having a purpose and
reason to go there but

the urban design again making sure
that some of those things like

glass at the street
level things like that.

So you can feel like you're being seen and
it's safe and

it's comfortable and plus people like
the people watching be where people are so

if they can see the folks and
see the activity that'll help a lot but

I think the key message from a planning
perspective is that it has to be not

just special event or
day time serving retail.

One of the points that are made when you

when we are selecting this particular
design was to have that street life.

And also if you've got retail on both
sides of the Street tends to work

better so that was one of
the factors in consideration.

When we cited that and then where this.

One of the things that we also

begin to look at both then and
now some of the importance of your

other major neighbors your
other big drivers case in point

example you don't going to hang out
at the Georgia will Congress Center.

Unless there's an event there.

You don't take a walk through
it you don't say let's go to

the Georgia World Congress Center and do
something you have to be able to transform

those things you see where there
are some things whether it's

elements around some ten Olympic
park whether it's around stats or

even on the other side there's some
moments to the west of Northside Drive.

What's really great about the project that
we're talking about tonight is its ability

to be part of the connective
tissue to get people

walking where people can be safe and
moving back and forth.

There's an idea here about transportation
being a destination center.

Even with special events.

Tonight if there's a Hawks game.

It's like let's get out of town
as fast as we possibly can.

Let's not stay hang around go to shops and
bars and do that sort of stuff.

Well here's an opportunity that can
be part of your transportation moat.

But also part of what you do before and
after game a number of cities are looking

at those types of opportunities where it
can be something special for event day but

also part of the urban fabric and that's
really part of what needs to happen.

How do you transform some of
the surrounding conditions so

that they're very accessible and
open to something like M.P.T.

and back and forth where it becomes
a vibrant place to be day and

I was wondering if some of you all
could elaborate on the land situation.

What kind of acquisition or
demolition if any

needs to occur to properly
site this project.

The majority of the land
what you guys hear me

OK I can hear myself is
all by Norfolk Southern.

The Atlanta Fulton County records
already was quite a bit of land and

of course the Impeach itself will
rest on the C.N.N. parking deck.

So that's the gist of the land then of
course there's the constitution building

which is an environmental resource
which we will reuse rehabilitate and

reuse it as a part of that that's
about the bulk of the land it's.

I it's it's interesting listening to

planning conversations and first I think
this is great to actually have here at

Georgia Tech where you have kind of
the future of urban planning coming out

of this obviously in all
kinds of components and so

working on a project like that or bringing
a project like this out of this kind of

being part of this kind of classroom
setting is actually pretty wonderful so.

With regards to how things like
this kind of move forward.

Right.
We're kind of talking about the future of

how a city works with
large projects you've got.

M.P.T. and
then you also have the Georgia Dome.

What kind of innovative and creative ways.

Are you all working or
liaising with the stadium and

then also with city hall with regards
to how this whole thing goes down and

because it's it's one thing as Heather's
pointed out right to like just trust us.

Don't worry we gotcha.

We won't miss this up.

I promise.

But then when it actually hits the ground
and how it's being planned really and

then how it's the ground really making
sure that yes communities are really being

touched upon I understand that you guys
you know reached out or whatnot but

is there is there part of the planning
process where there's an actual liaise or

there is relationships
are being built politically and

then also with a partner especially
something like the John the dome.

That's really huge I can only imagine
right that you guys are working very very

directly with the dome and
with City Hall I would imagine.

Yeah yeah yeah they write if you
don't like answer some of the.

One of the beauties of the federal
environmental review process is it's

really difficult to change
something one should.

And so the commitment well once she's
this kind of record of decision.

It's really hard to change stuff so
that's a good solid path forward.

Derek and if you talk about
the state you know that in.

Well you're absolutely right.

They have to be great nation that
that that needs to take place and

will take place with this stadium
now that the dust is settled and

we know where the stadium
will be constructed.

We need to coordinate with the stadium
folks in the Georgia World Congress and

of course is it Atlanta and

other folks who are involved with the
project just to make sure that we all know

you know the right hand knows what the
left is doing so we won't do any efforts.

So as we move the project for
we will coordinate with them just to

make sure that everything works together
and even Dr Dobbins here in the north.

Everything is going on with in the area
needs to be well coordinated because.

Once construction start like Palace and
that area.

It's going to be chaos for
the next couple years.

We don't want one project out there and

now they're out there another
after another to continue.

One thing I'd like to
say is that almost five

six years ago we were doing
a study of how to transform

the Georgia World Congress Center and
it was really a cloak for

what to do with the stadium and
we came up with four schemes then and even

back then it was decided that the site
to the south was the best thing to do.

But every time we met with the community.

It was what are you doing on
the other side of the street and

we had to say our responsibility
stop on this side of the street and.

Over time you keep hearing that enough and
you realize you have to do something.

There's three really really big
discussions going on in the city right now

this is one the stadium is two area
around the Braves stadium is three.

And historically projects like that and

projects to that scale really
are not good for neighborhoods.

There's things about scale there's things
about you says there's things about

connectivity and unless you really
really really make an effort.

You're going to make the mistakes
you made the last time.

So how do you begin to
transform your urban landscape

where you don't make these mistakes.

There's been some really exciting
work that has been happening here

at George attack.

Michael Dolphins has been leading studios.

We've been leading studios.

And there was a presentation that
the president of Georgia Tech gave and

it was so exciting because he said that he
desires to see Georgia Tech more engaged.

He realizes that for some of the most
dramatic things that have happened in

the city they started out
as studio conversations.

That's the fifth Street Bridge
that's technology Square.

That's the beltline
that's Atlantic Station.

It's a number of things and some of those
things were thoughts of where that makes

no sense at all but it began to push
people and there's a lot of conversations

that are being pushed whether it's at
City Hall whether it said it best Atlanta.

Whether it's even with some of your
developers that are really questioning

how do we make this a positive move.

Yes there's going to be
some direct positive

outcomes within the footprints
of these buildings but

we will be judged by what's the real
impact that it has in the communities.

Has it been something.

That has been able to transform
the communities the quality of life

the quality of living all
of those sort of things.

So I think there's it's more than safe to
say that there's a number of conversations

on a number of different scales
about how to make projects like this

very positive and well couple and

where it's going to be something where
we don't make the same mistakes.

I hate to kind of throw this back
on the citizens but in a way.

Right.
A lot of development.

Even as even if you're planners and
this is good for

the students in the room because
these planners you're supposed

to go reach out to the other plan
around another team and say.

Does your new street connect to my new
street and you want to coordinate that but

that the realities are sometimes
you're told you can't talk to anybody.

You can't talk about
the other side the street.

You can't look to the other
side the street or

the projects happen in different
phases and so they naturally don't

have that opportunity for them to be
happening exactly at the same time so

to me what the answer to that is and that
naturally falls on if individual decisions

are made at the parcel level for
the developer then it falls naturally on

that public space in the public space
in this case is the city of Atlanta.

Even if parcels of are owned by other
people and so I think to some degree.

While it's bold to tell
the project team here hey make

sure that your new street connects to
their new street to some degree it's

going to be up to citizens to continue
to remind every council member and

the mayor every time for
every conversation.

Are you asking those streets to meet up.

What is the design of the streets and

those are really important things and
I think from an innovative standpoint

you've seen some cities really
take into consideration.

The impacts from operations.

That's what really hurts and
helps residences or not.

So even Washington around
their baseball stadium I

believe it's baseball really
not up on all my team.

It's in their stadiums but
I believe it's their baseball stadium.

Don't ask me the name of the team but
they actually created a residential based

parking program for game day event
traffic so it really does take that and

innovative design at the street level
that's going to be really important and

you know Georgia Tech has
incredible urban design as well but

I think it's also going
to be up to the elected

officials to continue to remind
the teams together to sit down and

work together because sometimes you have
here you've got this many hours to do this

much environmental analysis and
that's what you have to do and so

it's going to take somebody else with true
leadership to say OK I need you guys and

you guys gals people to be together
in these rooms and talk about this.

So you bring up a very good question and
I think it's a philosophical debate for

a lot of planning a lot of classes
because there's what you want to do and

what makes sense logically and then
there's what the project in reality allows

you to do so
maybe that's a good class question just

OK Professor Dobbins you're the honor
of the last question of the evening.

I'll try not to go on too long.

The issue of the young man back here
raised is one that I heard raised last

night at a forum that was over at
Morehouse which is sort of hosted by

our young and Egbert Perry who is
the principal of the and the F.

I see group lamented exactly what Heather
was just talking about he says why don't

we come up with something that connects
all these different projects together and

basically what he did was to describe
the program that we're doing in my

studio this semester the neighborhoods
of connectivity the land the university

center the connectivity
between big projects.

And I guess my specific question is the
traffic study that was done for the N.P.T.

by the way that's not really a very catchy
name for something that's deciding and.

And you know why can't it be the king
station or something like that.

So.

You know and then P.T.
kind of forget about it but

the specific issue is that the traffic
studies that were done for the N.P.T.

on which the US is being performed.

Did not anticipate the redirection
the realignment of

the Martin Luther King Boulevard.

So the other thing that the private
studies didn't do was to consider and

Derek mentioned earlier.

What happens if we can get Northside Drive
to plug right into Interstate twenty and

they give you two ways to get to
the interstate out of this area.

The traffic study and the bus routing
studies did not consider Northside Drive

as a feeder into the multi-modal station
even though it's three blocks away.

So it strikes me and really gets directly
to what Heather is talking about you have

project a working here and
project be working there.

One of them doing things that sufficient
you know significantly changes

the basis on which a lot of the decisions
that are now being studying the ice

were being made and fact Northside Drive
still you know I did was

the first time that representatives
of the Falcons and representatives

of IF I SEE sat in the same room
together and that's a little odd.

So I guess the specific question
is there's a traffic study hold up

when a project that's going to
happen sooner is essentially

really changed the traffic flow and
basically fed two streets and

no one street and how's that going to
hold up through any I asked for of you

know we look forward your
comments on the draft.

So it sort of had to be
a Georgia Tech professor.

Yes the traffic question right.

So so in terms of rerouting of streets.

Sure you may see some of that impact.

But the the macro level analysis that we
did in terms of the draw to the area.

You know the adding of.

The jobs that aren't there today we feel
that we took a conservative approach

in not anticipating a moat shift so you
see a lot of cars drawn to the area but

our are hopeful that building this and
having the M.P.T. and

future to come online will help alleviate
some of that you make a good point.

We can we can add some of this
roadway infrastructure and

restriking of those roads
can come on later to be as

most efficient as we can for
early phases of of buses and

connectivity over to north side
should other projects come online.

We are sort of bound by what's in
the plan today in terms of in terms

of our planning process.

We looked at what was in
the five year plan we looked at

was what was in the plan
twenty forty our tepee and

and when we did the best we could with
the data that we had at the time so.

Certainly there are there's opportunities
in the future to fix some of those

intersection improvements but
we feel like.

The first step is really adding the M.P.T.

and we can work on the on
the little things later as needed.

I think to be fair to temptation T.V.

and the rest of the crew again that
I think falls on somebody bigger than

the project team to demand a reset in
a recalibration of those questions and

you don't need to do another traffic
analysis to look at flows and

conversion of to a Streets
how that would help.

Things like that.

So they have.

To follow the federal process
which is very very explicit and

very clear what you can look at what you
can't and so forth but there are always

other groups that should be saying now
let's sit down and parities up and

I think that's I personally believe
that's going to be very important for

the city of Atlanta to take
the pole position on that and

really start looking at these projects
because you do have new streets.

You do have conversions of streets.

You do have viaducts being redone you have

what was the construction beginning
is twenty fifteen for this M.L.K.

is supposed to be done by two thousand and
seventeen for the stadium.

You've got twenty eighteen for the M.L.K.
riot Up next the salmon federal building.

So all of these things even even
if all the streets are perfect

the phasing alone needs
to be paid attention to.

So I really think that this is a good
lesson for you all because in planning

school we think all these things have this
nice process and you have this step and

misstep and they all flow sequentially and
everything is great.

While the reality is things are on
different schedules and you might have I

mean in fact the traffic counts were done
when Mitchell Street Bridge was closed so

the routing was already changed
because of a street that was gone.

That's now open.

So even the traffic counts
are probably misleading so

it's all very difficult to so.

To place blame and
I think it's important that.

Somebody at the city level has to start
saying that these things have to be looked

at as a group of twenty

thirty I try to find us in twenty one.

One other thing that's really important
when you begin to talk about streets and

not just the traffic counts but

with some of the images that
you're seeing on the screen.

It's a beautiful iconic
destination slash place to be and

when you're on Martin Luther King and
you're headed into downtown.

This really and to become something
of a gateway to downtown.

Most importantly how.

Many times how we've
been to other cities and

we've been on a Martin Luther King Jr
Boulevard drawing and it's a B. Street.

This is an opportunity
to really transform.

Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard draw.

I think that's it.

And one of the things that the city
is very adamant about is that

if you don't get M.L.K. Jr Boulevard
drive right here in the city of Atlanta.

When are you ever going
to get it right and

when you begin to look at some of
the products some of the potential.

And especially being spearhead it

anchor whatever word you want
to use by such a project.

It begins to set a whole new bar for

the importance of the chord or for
the importance of a youth center for

the importance of the communities and
the list goes on and on.

So again.

Looking back to siting looking
back to where to really create

your mass your critical mass.

There's a number of very important things
that are going on with the project

that are going on with the street that
can really help to transform the city of

Atlanta thank you so to round out our
presentation we will do two more quick.

So.

After what you learned today.

How often do you think you'll
take advantage of this facility

different options.

It's text to these actually numbers before

you like the very people said never.

Nice spread there.

And then one last question.

Are you in support of this project.

Yes undecided.

No.

They are going to consideration
the people who have planned this project

are sitting up here.

Don't worry about.

Yeah and potential employers as well.

Look at those yeses shocker.

Glad to hear the answer.

No thank you everyone for coming.

Has been a really great event.

I learned a lot about this project.

Thank you especially to
all of our speakers.