MIDTOWN GETS A NEW HIGH-RISE

When Six Feet Under, a Grant Park pub and restaurant, started looking for a second location two years ago, the owners wanted a site with a view.

They settled on a perch in west Midtown near 11th Street and Howell Mill Road with sightlines to Buckhead, Midtown and downtown Atlanta.

Six Feet Under has now found another use for its lofty location. The eatery has erected a 45-foot tall tower and wind turbine as a way to further its environmental efforts and possibly save a few bucks on its power bill.

The turbine, which has three fast-spinning 6-foot long blades, has attracted attention since going up in mid-December. It’s visible driving south on Howell Mill Road, starting around 14th Street, and on 11th Street as you approach Six Feet Under.

“It generates a lot of interest,” said Tad Mitchell, who owns Six Feet Under with his wife, Nancy. “Everyone wants to know what’s going on with it.”

Soenso Energy, a Marietta firm that sells solar and wind power systems, said the restaurant is its first business client in Atlanta for the wind turbine system. The bulk of Soenso’s sales are for solar systems, said Charles Cone, vice president of marketing for Soenso.

Georgia’s weather patterns make solar the better option in most cases, but Soenso sees potential for wind power in the North Georgia mountains and some high-elevation points in Atlanta, such as Six Feet Under.

The wind turbines, though, do have high visibility. Soenso’s first residential client in Atlanta sparked the idea for Six Feet Under to explore the possibility of wind power.

Soenso installed a wind turbine at a Grant Park home in 2007 that attracted protests from some neighbors. A city permit for the turbine was upheld in court.

Mitchell, who lives in Grant Park, watched the debate unfold and decided wind power might work at his west Midtown location.

“That little bit of controversy created a lot of publicity,” Cone said. “Most of the responses were good.”

Unlike the Grant Park house, the west Midtown restaurant is not in a historic district, avoiding protests from neighbors. A massive cellphone tower rises above the landscape in the same area, overlooking the Atlanta Water Works facility.

While attracting attention, the wind turbine is not likely to be a major money-saver for Six Feet Under. Based on area wind patterns, the turbine is expected to generate 200 to 400 kilowatt-hours per month of energy, possibly knocking $40-a-month off the restaurant’s power bill, Soenso estimates.

A 45-foot tower and turbine costs between $20,000 and $25,000, meaning a straight payoff is long-term. State and federal tax incentives have helped make both solar and wind power more attractive.

Installations are driven by owners wanting to do something positive for the environment, but a business case is becoming stronger, said Roger Cone, president of Soenso.

Businesses can recover about 80 percent of costs in the first year through tax credits and accelerated depreciation, he said.

Mitchell said his primary motive for installing the turbine was to do help the environment.

As part of a broader green effort, Six Feet Under uses biodegradeable to-go containers, waterless urinals and energy efficient lights wherever possible.

Six Feet Under also thought the tower and turbine might become a conversation piece for people driving by and customers relaxing on the rooftop deck, he said.

“What I ought to do is call Budweiser and tell them to put their logo up and down the thing,” Mitchell said.