Show vs. Tell - Volume 1, Month 7

There are no dog days of summer in South Downtown. Four new team members, dozens of tours, and a new National Historic registered building in the portfolio all add to the Olympic-sized spirit driving South Downtown’s momentum. As always, we start with Safety and Security.

Safety and Security

Safety is our top priority. We begin every weekly meeting with this topic. Last month we shared that Major Singh took the reins on public safety and the overall communication and engagement has increased significantly. We are constantly conversing with all APD officers who are working in South Downtown through Telegram. Communication is sent all times of the day and night to ensure we achieve our goal of making South Downtown the safest neighborhood possible.

Safety and security is not only for the workers, neighbors, and visitors of South Downtown but also for the unhoused. In July, we had several meetings with leaders who have dedicated their careers to serving the unhoused in Atlanta and we are taking copious notes. Our next step in the upcoming months is to understand the entire suite of services available (local, state-wide, and national) so we can best understand what is available today, what gaps are missing, and how we can connect or create services for our unhoused.

New Team Members!

Four new team members joined our ambitious endeavor this month. Three project managers to make sure everything we’re building is on time and on budget and one controller to make sure all our vendors and contractors get paid on time and the finances are in order.??

Marlowe Mathis-Shannon - brings over 12 years of project management and engineering experience.

Jaren Abedania - leverages his experience with the revitalization of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood , but now for South Downtown.??

Bryan Capps - had his sights set working on this portfolio of buildings for over a year and a half.?

Jessica Needham - this GSU grad is back in familiar territory and is getting the finances dialed in.

Community

We’re fresh off our third? Lot Party last week for the Chelsea vs. Club America match. Here are some photos from the event. We appreciate ADM Rolloff for sponsoring!?

Another tsunami of tours in July including folks from the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Invest Atlanta. Pictures here.?

The International Women’s Forum also toured the neighborhood with star studded c-suite executives. See below.??

We advanced the ball with three neighborhood defining restaurateurs and a local grocer. Too early for any announcements but this update would be remiss without a nod to the tremendous work by April and Brianna touring and selling the vision of South Downtown’s future state – not that far away!

Mark your calendars for Atlanta History Center’s Party with Past in South Downtown on September 18th! Details here.?

Lastly, thank you to our two interns, Nick and Carter, for your hard work and perseverance this summer.?

Architecture and Development:

Construction has started in South Downtown! Our groundbreaking was two weeks ago and we are now in a marathon sprint to make sure we open Atlanta Tech Village - Sylvan in January. Take a look at the team photo of the ground breaking here.?

Read the personal post of David Cummings, Founder of the Atlanta Tech Village, on the new groundbreaking and more.?

Another major item this month was passing the torch of Concordia Hall from The Teilhaber’s, who own Friedman’s Shoes, to the SoDo Atlanta, LLC team. Here is a sliver of history about the building as well as a short interview with the owners sharing “why now?”

As new project managers get onboarded, each team member has been going back and forth with contractors and architects to refine the pricing for “Project Elle.” The comprehensive plan is being shaped daily as numbers come back and budgets get solidified. Several more “greenlights” (and permits) in addition to Hotel Row and 185 Mitchell will take off shortly.?

More Signs of Progress!

We had to shut down Peachtree Street one Sunday morning to deliver a new commercial AC unit.

There are 22 months until the World Cup, where approximately 3.5M visitors will be coming to our city! Our long term time vision pairs well with our sense of urgency for the World Cup. Great cities make great countries.

Until next month!?

Jon Birdsong

CEO, SoDo Atlanta, LLC