Renovations planned for vacant Midtown building with big peach atop it

Renovations have been proposed for a 12-story Midtown building most notable for the giant metal peach that sits atop it.

Constructed in 1964 as an office building, it underwent partial conversion to a residential building about 10 years ago. The project was never completed and “The Peach,” located at 1655 Peachtree Street, has stood vacant ever since.

Plans for renovations were presented to the Midtown Development Review Committee Tuesday. The new owners, Peach Hospitality, propose to demolish the interior of 75 existing residential units and replace them with about 107 units, mostly studios and one-bedrooms.

The proposal also calls for new terrace-level amenity spaces on top of the fourth-level parking deck, front yard renovations, front elevation improvements and screening for the parking deck along Peachtree. Exterior modifications would include a new roof, painting and repairs.

The peach structure, which may have been put on the roof in the early 90s, is intended to remain — unlike a similar Atlanta structure that was destroyed in 2016. That Olympics-era metal peach tower atop the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) building, west of the Downtown Connector, was removed because it was "a mechanical nightmare."

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The Midtown committee requested that the developers coordinate the front yard improvements with Midtown Streetscape Standards, expand the parking deck screening to address the north facade and revise the unit mix to include several three-bedroom units as required by zoning. DRC also asked about the permit history of the large advertising signs that dominate the east facade and the rooftop.

The applicant will provide follow-up information over the next several weeks to determine if a subsequent presentation is needed. Developers may submit revised plans at a future DRC meeting.

Proposals aren’t required to be approved by the DRC before going to city planners, but getting clearance before approaching the city is considered neighborly and can help expedite the process down the road.