Atlanta’s Biggest Projects Will Change The City Forever

Metro Atlanta has experienced an enormous amount of growth in the last few years and the city is continuing to develop areas and pour millions of dollars into development. So let's talk about some of the recent developments that we're seeing here in Atlanta and how it's going to change Atlanta forever. One of the big ones is Centennial Yards. This is something that we have been talking about for a couple of years now and certainly will take a few more years to finish. This is a five billion dollar construction project that they're doing in downtown Atlanta very close to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Right now this area of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and they maybe have already started this project but for a long time it was considered the Gulch and the Gulch is not a very appealing name and just as unappealing as that name is that's what the area was like. It was not a very appealing area and in fact it was kind of like a train yard with some roads being paved like above the train yard. It was kind of a cluster that area right there in front of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There was not a lot of commerce there. There currently is not a lot of commerce there in downtown Atlanta. It's not really known for being a great like nightlife kind of area. There are a lot of employers there, a lot of big businesses in downtown Atlanta but for the most part downtown is kind of known for being like nothing to do after five o'clock. Centennial Yards is the solution to this problem and so they're developing a whole entertainment district there in that area. Concert venue, events center, nightlife that they're trying to improve there. They're also developing more residential areas there in Centennial Yards and so we'll be looking at condo towers, more homes right there by or inside downtown Atlanta. A hotel development, also retail and restaurants like this is going to be like a whole mixed-use facility kind of area. In fact we have something that I think will be similar like on a smaller scale which is the battery. The battery is located at the intersection of 75 and 285 in the north side in Cobb County. This is like where the Atlanta Braves Stadium is. A lot of shopping, a lot of retail, all of those things, hotel, parking deck, like all of that stuff is there and I believe what they're doing in the Gulch is going to be similar but on a much larger scale and while Cobb County kind of needed that with the battery, downtown really needs that and so this Centennial Yards will completely change the landscape and the feel of downtown Atlanta. There are already people who are buying homes and investing in that area because of this incoming Centennial Yards. What's up y'all? My name is Victor with Atlanta Suburban Living. We make videos every week about what it's like to live in Atlanta and the suburbs of Atlanta. Another big improvement that they're doing here and that they may be doing for a long time has to do with the Beltline. The Beltline is like this walking trail that goes around the city of Atlanta to connect the residents and to connect the residents to the retail areas. Atlanta is not really known for being like a walkable city. It certainly is somewhat walkable but it's not nearly as easy to walk around as some of the other major U.S. cities and so the Beltline was kind of a solution to this and it has been a great solution to this and they are finally like about to finish this enormous miles long Beltline walking trail that goes around the city of Atlanta. So imagine being in Atlanta and instead of having to walk through the concrete jungle and the sidewalks of Atlanta, you kind of get off the beaten path and onto this walking trail that's a bit more nature. You're still in the middle of Atlanta but you're not surrounded by the cars. That's a big one really is that you're getting off of the main roads and so you're not having cars flying by you when you're on this walking trail and it gets easy access to some of the shops and the restaurants and to other residential areas for the residents of Atlanta. This Beltline expansion is continuing and is certainly going to continue to evolve and change the landscape of the Atlanta area as they develop more and more of this Beltline. Another big development that they're doing is at the airport. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport. In fact, I was just on their website. It says the busiest and the most efficient. I don't know that it actually is the most efficient. I think they just kind of added that last part there. If you've ever been to Hartsfield-Jackson and had to go through security at Hartsfield-Jackson, you would know that it's probably not the most efficient airport. There's one security checkpoint for all of the terminals at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Now this security checkpoint is enormous and they do get a lot of people processed through there very quickly, but sometimes when you get to that security checkpoint, you're like, holy ----, this is packed with people. That security checkpoint does not always feel like the most efficient airport. Anyways, they're doing some renovations there to the airport, trying to modernize the airport. I think they're building a whole new terminal as well and so this is certainly going to help out with the efficiency of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Another big one is the Upper West Side of Atlanta. Decades ago, this was kind of an area of Atlanta that you maybe didn't want to go to, maybe you wanted to stay away from, but in the last few years, the Upper West Side has really developed a ton and they have done so many improvements to this area and they continue to improve this area. One of the biggest, best developments that they've done there is West Side Park. I believe this is now the largest park in all of Atlanta. It used to be like a quarry that they have now kind of developed into a more park-like area and so this is a great addition to the West Side and the West Side continues to develop new restaurants, new commercial areas, new retail areas, and so certainly a very important part of living in Atlanta. And then speaking of the battery, that's a big one. In fact, if you're thinking about moving to Atlanta or just have any questions about what it's like to live here, feel free to call, text, or email me anytime. I'm a local realtor here in the area. Thank you so much to everybody who has reached out. I'm always happy to help. Even if you just have a question about what it's like living in the Atlanta area, more than happy to help. But the battery was one of those developments that really changed the landscape of Cobb County and Cobb County is just north of Atlanta. So this battery has the Atlanta baseball team, stadium is there, lots of restaurants there, lots of commercial areas, hotel, condos, all of these are like kind of within this small little super easy walkable area of South Cobb County and so the battery is certainly a big one that is very important to a lot of the residents of Cobb County like myself. And then outside of the city of Atlanta and the individual suburbs, they are all really finally realizing how important their downtown areas are. Like these areas like Marietta that are maybe not super easily walkable throughout the entire city, they all have like this kind of city center or downtown area where it's like a concentration of restaurants and shopping and so you can get around and walk around really easily. Many of these suburbs around Metro Atlanta are finally improving or for the first time developing these downtown areas. And so another one of these is The Gathering. The Gathering is going to be in South Forsyth County. So I believe it's going to have an Alpharetta address, but don't be confused. It's not like the main part of Alpharetta. It is just north of the main part of Alpharetta in a different county, Forsyth County. And so a lot of the residents of Cumming would be coming to this gathering that is going to be in Forsyth County. That's a mouthful of words. But anyways, this Gathering is going to be one of those kind of mixed-use facilities similar to The Battery. In fact, they are trying to bring in a new Atlanta hockey team, NHL, and so this will ideally be there at The Gathering. A new arena or new stadium or whatever for the hockey team, shopping, restaurants, hotel, condos, all of those things in South Forsyth County. Another one is going to be in Roswell. Roswell has always had a great downtown area, but they're adding on to that with the Hill Rose Market. The Hill Rose Market is going to be right off of Highway 9, just south of City Hall. And so they're kind of improving. It's like one or two blocks right there off of Highway 9, just south of City Hall. That's kind of like, not really, it's not great. I think there's like a car lot there, like some old businesses, some abandoned businesses. And so they're completely renovating that little section of downtown Roswell. So they're adding more markets, more retail, more commercial, really trying to revitalize that section of downtown Roswell. And then another one is Holly Springs. Holly Springs is a city that really has not had a dedicated city center. They are one of the cities that are finally adding a city center. That should be in the works now and maybe finishing in the next couple years. Johns Creek is another one. They have not really always had a dedicated city center, but they are finally kind of developing a dedicated city center in Johns Creek. So a lot of these suburbs are really putting a lot of money into these kind of downtown areas. And really quick, one word about the difference between the suburbs and the city. While we often talk about Metro Atlanta as like one area, you should know that these are very different areas. The city of Atlanta and the suburbs of Atlanta have completely different feels. Like the city of Atlanta is going to be more urban like. You're not going to be car dependent. You can easily get around with public transportation or walking around, especially if you live in a more densely populated part of Atlanta like Midtown or Buckhead. These kind of areas would be very easy to get around without a vehicle. The suburbs of Atlanta that I'm talking about like Roswell or South Forsyth or Holly Springs, these are going to be the areas that you would be car dependent. There's not really any kind of public transportation out in these areas. There are more like families out in these areas that are there for the public schools. And so these more suburban areas can really benefit from the development of these city centers because for the most part, you're driving to a grocery store. You're driving 5 to 10, maybe 15 minutes to get to any kind of like restaurant or shopping or anything like that. So these kinds of city centers are like small pockets in each one of these suburbs that really helps out with the residents a ton, not having to go to maybe another suburb for shopping or go to another suburb for restaurants like I live in Marietta. And while I could drive all the way to Alpharetta for one of those restaurants, we have plenty of those kind of things here in the city center of Marietta. So certainly two very different kinds of lifestyle, the suburban lifestyle and the city lifestyle. And there are so many people moving here to Metro Atlanta that it's not only the city of Atlanta, but it's also the suburbs that are just pouring millions of dollars into these developments. And there's no question that there are a lot of great things going for the city of Atlanta. There's no wonder why so many people are moving here. But here on the channel, we try to keep it real with you about what it's really like living in Atlanta. There are a lot of amazing things about living in Atlanta, but like any city, like any state in the U.S. or in the country, there is going to be some downsides to living here. And if you're thinking about moving to a new area, it's really important that you have the whole picture. And so we try to pride ourselves here on the channel with really painting a balanced picture about what it's really like living here in Atlanta. In fact, if you want an entire video outlining the pros and the cons of living in Atlanta, you can check out this video here. I'll see you in the next one.