Buckhead Atlanta construction hidden…but happening

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Buckhead residents areanxiously awaiting the emergence of Buckhead Atlanta to replace the holes inthe ground that have pockmarked Buckhead’s Village district for years now; but theycontinue to ask BuckheadView “Is there any work really taking place?”

Looking down on Buckhead Atlanta site from One Buckhead  Plaza, work
is visibly going on in Parcel C behind the building that houses the
Capital City Grille. Parcel B in the foreground is being used for a parking
area for workers and Parcel A is out of the picture to the right. 

In order to dispel anydisbelief, BuckheadView peered over the fences from a perch at One BuckheadPlaza on Wedneday and indeed witnessed real work being done, as these accompanying photos show.
Part of what these photos showis a two-level underground parking deck that is under construction in what hasbeen labeled by developer OliverMcMillan as Parcel C of the 8-acre development that spreads over six city blocks.
As part of this parking deckconstruction, the columns that remained from Ben Carter’s start of work on theformer Streets of Buckhead are being cut down to fit the new designs thatOliverMcMillan has been working on over the past year—basically, a redesign ofthe entire project.

A closer view shows that the previous tall concrete pilings have been cut
down on the right side of the photo to adjust for the new project design.
Also forms are being erected for pouring the concrete parking deck flooring. 

Also, what is visible is thestandard form work in preparation of pouring floors, the usual steps taken aspart of construction. So, yes Buckhead, construction work is really underway,just as BuckheadView announced last month it would be. 
Hermes’ will be the first signatureretailer and will anchor the corner of Parcel C, formed by Buckhead Avenue andBolling Way, for the nearly $1 billion Buckhead Atlanta mixed-use development.
Hunter Richardson, managing directorof development  for OliverMcMillan, stillclaims Buckhead Atlanta will begin opening for business in late 2013 or early2014.The last parcel of development is still slated to open in spring2014. 

A yet closer view shows the forms being put in place by workers. 

The completed project willoffer 300,000 square feet of upscale retail stores, restaurants andcafés, more than 20,000 square feet of office space and 370 luxuryhigh-rise residences, and will provide roughly 2,300 parking spaces. Thetotal square footage will be about 1.5 million square feet.
Women’s Wear Daily recentlyreported that Morgan Dene Oliver, chief executive officer of the SanDiego-based OliverMcMillan confirmed there will 75 to 80 retails stores uponcompletion of the project, although he declined to name any except Hermes. Hedid tell WWD “a big chunk is already leased.”

A broader picture of the Buckhead Atlanta site shows Parcel C work at the
left in the photo, the Parcel B site in foreground and Parcel A site at right,
which will be the next reported area for major construction work. Buckhead
Avenue is seen running through the middle of the development parcels. 

Ben Carter Propertiesinitiated the Streets of Buckhead in 2006 with a scheduled openingbeginning in 2010. Retailers that signed leases then included Loro Piana,Etro, AG Jeans, Vilebrequin and Oscar de la Renta, as well as Hermès. Theproject faltered in 2009 as retailers pulled out and the economy continuedto nosedive. OliverMcMillan acquired the property in May 2011.

“We reworked the design in terms of our vision,and that includes lighting, signage, graphics and other details,”Richardson has said. Some of the construction was already done,specifically the subterranean work. But some of that work has to bealtered or eliminated in order to fit the new OliverMcMillan design for theproject.
Thatis partially what is going on now. The more visible construction work isexpected to begin in November.