Neighbors don't want a new Vision nightclub

By Eric Stirgus

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

About two dozen Midtown Atlanta residents said Tuesday evening they don’t want to see another version of the once-popular Vision nightclub on Peachtree Street.

The homeowners gathered at the city’s Neighborhood Planning Unit E meeting, where Vision’s former owners presented their plans for a new nightclub and a lounge. The new club, which doesn’t have a name yet, would be at the southeast corner of Peachtree and 11th streets.

The project’s opponents have created a Web site called www.keepmidtownsafe.com that outlines concerns such as excessive traffic, noise and crime. The Web site has an online petition with 110 signatures opposing the plans.

Peachtree Street resident Jeff Smith, who lives five blocks south of the proposed site, said his windows rattled with noise from Vision party-goers.

“It was a living hell,” he said. “When Vision closed, I was finally able to sleep at night.”

DeWayne Martin, an attorney representing the owners, said his clients will abide by the city’s noise ordinance. He said the owners will have off-duty police officers providing security.

“We will do everything we can to be a good neighbor,” he said.

Martin called the criticism “curious,” noting that there are several other after-hours spots in the area.

Vision opened in 2003 and closed three years later when the landlord tore down the nightclub, located on Peachtree Street between 11th and 12th streets, to build a condominium tower.

In those three years, Vision became one of Atlanta’s hottest nightspots. Sean “P. Diddy” Combs held parties there. Pop princess Britney Spears hung out there one night. Platinum-selling rap artists T.I. and Young Jeezy performed there on its last night.

The two-block stretch of Peachtree Street between 11th and 13th streets was once one of Atlanta’s most prominent party districts. The area, however, had some high-profile shootings and other crimes. Those blocks are now part of the high-rise construction boom along Peachtree Street.

The plans for the two nightspots propose a combined 19,374 square feet of space. The city’s License Review Board must still approve a liquor license before it opens. Martin said he did not know when his clients will appear before the board.