Cyclorama move part of Reed’s grand vision

It’s another example of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s plans to use city assets to try to stimulate urban redevelopment, while also freeing up precious cash to tackle part of a billion dollar backlog of needed infrastructure improvements.

The dizzying pace of deals — this is at least the fifth major real estate announcement this year — has some industry insiders questioning whether the city can handle so many projects at once. And, they say, if these grand visions come through, they’ll need years of planning, community involvement, city investments in transportation and other infrastructure improvements and undoubtedly some patience.

Several of the city property deals the Reed administration is contemplating would bring new development to the Five Points area and south, areas starved of investment for decades.

But the Reed team sees demographic trends and the economy on their side. As development has picked up steam in the city, Reed has used that demand as an opportunity to unload burdensome assets to clear the city’s books and help fund an up to $250 million infrastructure bond package he wants to put before voters in 2015.

Cathy Woolard, a former Atlanta City Council president, said she is excited about the Cyclorama and zoo plans and said the area around Turner Field is ripe for new investment. But the city needs to be deliberate and contemplate future transportation needs, living space for a mix of incomes and integrate design quality into its analysis of new projects.

“You are building the future of everybody who’s alive today,” she said. “We have a tremendous opportunity to build a city that reflects our future needs.”

The city is also tackling a lot of responsibilities, she said.

The Reed administration is working to sell to developers Turner Field, the Civic Center, and Underground Atlanta. The civilian authority overseeing Fort McPherson, of which the city plays a major role, is negotiating to sell the majority of the former Army post to filmmaker Tyler Perry.

The city’s also engaged in the new Falcons stadium, the Atlanta Streetcar and the Beltline.

“As with any sort of management, there’s no shortage of good ideas, but you don’t want to wear your team out by overwhelming them with these opportunities,” Woolard said.

On Wednesday, the mayor, flanked by leaders of Zoo Atlanta, the History Center, council members and others unveiled an ambitious project. More than $32 million in private funds have been raised to restore and build a new Buckhead home for the massive depiction of the Battle of Atlanta.

The zoo will soon launch its effort to raise tens of millions of dollars more for a new entrance, parking, event facility and habitat expansion of Zoo Atlanta.

In an interview, Reed said he could envision some of the future infrastructure bond money, should it be approved by voters, being used to create boulevard-style streets to connect the ballpark site and Grant Park as a means of helping encourage redevelopment.

The Reed administration previously considered transit connections to the Turner Field area when the city was negotiating with the Braves to renew their lease. The city has said such an expansion could be on the table for future redevelopment there.

Reed said this week the amenity upgrades at the zoo and Grant Park and plans for boulevard-style streets would help create a sense of place.

“If you boulevard (those streets) it will give it much greater connectivity to the zoo and to Grant Park,” he said. “And the zoo will now be an even greater and more special place to be.”

Reed's plan to use the zoo expansion and new Grant Park facility could be viewed as another tent pole for future redevelopment around Turner Field after the Braves leave for Cobb County. The downtown stadium neighborhoods have long heard promises of ballpark and freeway-driven economic renewal with little to show for it.

Georgia State University and private developers have pitched a $300 million redevelopment project at the ballpark that would include football and baseball stadiums for the Panthers, student housing and instructional space, retail, apartments and single family homes.

The Ted also has garnered interest from development groups with casino gambling ties.

Speaking of the Georgia State proposal as an example, Reed painted an image of new life in the Turner Field area.

“If you fast forward a few years and imagine all of those college students on the 77-acre campus of Turner Field and a zoo that’s a few blocks away,” he said, “it starts to get to our goals over there.”

John Raulet, an executive with Raulet Property Partners and a principal in the Mailing Avenue Stageworks film studio near Grant Park, said the key to redeveloping the area starts with landing an anchor at Turner Field, such as Georgia State.

“Connecting the two,” he said of the Turner Field-Grant Park area, “is easy.”

Upgrading the street grid with new streetscapes could help with continuity.

“The connections from (Grant Park) to Turner Field to the Beltline, you’re bringing a lot more accessibility to that area that’s not driven by cars,” he said.

Reed told reporters Wednesday his aides have called for a meeting with the Braves to determine when they might exit the stadium so that the city and the authority that controls the stadium can determine a process to sell the facility.

He also said the city has received but not yet reviewed multiple bids for the Underground Atlanta site.