About Doraville's General Motors Doraville Plant

Doraville GM Plant Does Not Get Clean Up Funds

As you know, I've written several posts about this incredible piece of land, located just 8 miles from Downtown Atlanta, AND has the Doraville MARTA train station almost adjacent to it.

Unfortunately, due to the current economic climate, there are no Buyers for this 160+ acre site! So, it just sits there for now, the parking lot filling with weeds. Sad.

It was reported sometime back that the Doraville GM Plant Would Not Get Clean Up Funds. A $773 million trust fund had been set up when GM went bankrupt and left plants behind. They kept Tarrytown, NY ( I use to work by this plant at the Tarrytown Hilton - now a Doubletree) and the Doraville (Atlanta) GA site because of the great potential they represent for redevelopment.

Here is a link to the story as it appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I hope I'm around to see this piece of real estate turned into an exciting Town Center for Doraville. It really could be an awesome place, if it is done right. We shall see.

Doraville GM Plant Talks Continue

Talking is a good thing. It can lead to results. Representatives from Dekalb County and General Motors had more meetings as the Doraville GM Plant waits for a buyer and an economy worthy of a development of this size! The AJC reported that these talks happened this week, but there are no proposals on the table.

I've written about this huge development potential numerous times....as you can see from the picture...it's a pretty big piece of land located smack dab in the middle of the Atlanta area!

The black outline (forgive my unsteady hand!) indicates the location of the land...some 165 acres! You can see it's located right along I-285 where thousands and thousands of cars pass daily....perfect from some low-rise office type buildings along the freeway to buffer the noise from a retail and residential component that could be set further back on the site.

It is all about location, location, location, right? The red arrow indicates the location of the not so famous Spaghetti Junction, the intersections of I-285 and I-85, making highway access incredible for this site. The blue arrow indicates the location of Dekalb-Peachtree Airport, the second busiest airport in Georgia after Hartsfield Jackson International! That's how many private jets and planes take off from that airport each day!

Add to that the fact that the North Line of the MARTA rail system ends next to the site, and you have the making for an incredible live, work, play community, or certainly a green one where its residents would have direct access to mass transportation.

I can remember driving by the old Atlantic Steel Mill sit just to the Northwest of Midtown Atlanta, and thinking, wow what a piece of land...and look what it became...

(Mind you, all those cranes are gone and those buildings are finished....I need a new picture!)

I'm hopeful I'll see something cool and hip built on the GM site. Many people are NOT happy with what Atlantic Station is and how it turned out, so let's hope some developer takes note.

Doraville GM Plan Closed in 2008 to Remain......Closed!

Should this surprise us? Given the current state of the economy, who would start a development on 165 acres in the middle of a metro area where the housing market is....down.

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to kill New Broad Street Companies’ deal to acquire and redevelop the former General Motors plant on 165 acres in Doraville, a small community located 11 miles northeast of Downtown Atlanta.

The plan called for the use of $36 Million in Federal stimulus dollars and $18 Million in interest, that would of been footed by a property tax increase to the residents of DeKalb County. EXCUSE ME??? Foreclosues, short sales, unemployment and now RAISE property taxes???

For once, I have to say, the elected Dekalb County Commissioners listen to their jobs walking out the door at the ballot box.

I've written a couple posts about the GM Doraville Plant, including the LCI Grant and another article back in 2008 when they were discussing the "Finalists for the GM Plant." and there is an incredible GM Redevelopment website as well.

While this is an incredible piece of property, it does NOT need to be developed at tax payer's expense, or at least NOT in this economy.

The GM Plant sits in a great location, depending on which direction you decide to look at it from.

POSITIVE: 165 acres, at the crossroads of two major Interstate highways, I-85 and I-285 (also referred to at the Perimeter); a MARTA rapid rail (ok, that's a stretch) train station adjacent to the property. Close by bedroom communities offer affordable housing to those that might work in the new development but not be able to afford the new home prices.

NEGATIVE: Doraville is a lack-luster small town in the middle of a big city that time forgot. (Thank the previous Mayor (may he rest in peace) or keeping the town "bottled up" instead of promoting new business and development. It's also 11 miles northeast of Downtown...making it a destination in itself...and a challenge to do just that.

Many people in the Atlanta area refer to an Atlantic Station-type development, but many people in Atlanta also think Atlantic Station missed the boat.

I hate to see this property sit vacant. But let's face it, the timing (at least at taxpayers' expense) is just not right.

Livable Centers Initiative Awards Include Doraville GM Plant

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded 5 local Atlanta governments $440,000 in grants for their Livable Centers Initiative. The communities include Dunwoody, Hampton , Morrow, Dekalb County and Doraville, where the massive shuttered GM plant awaits redevelopment. The break down of the grants are:

1. Dunwoody - $80,000 - The newly incorporated City of Dunwoody will use the grant to study Dunwoody Village. This study will develop strategies for transforming Dunwoody Village into a vibrant town center, including a mix of uses and improved traffic circulation throughout the area. This is a historic area with several buildings that belonged to the original families that once owned the land.
2. Hampton - $80,000 - The City of Hampton will use the LCI planning process along with its current plans and projects to create an economically feasible strategy to achieve mixed use, higher density and diverse transportation related development. (Whew...that was mouthful!) Two development opportunities the city will focus on include the re-location of the city public works facility currently located two blocks from Main Street and the proposed location of the only commuter rail stop in Henry County being in Hampton.
3. Morrow - $100,000 - The Southlake Mall LCI study area is a location that has traditionally been a significant economic district for the City of Morrow and the greater Clayton County community. This area is still important to the local economy, but recent disinvestment and commercial/industrial vacancies remain high, resulting in greyfield and brown field sites primed for redevelopment. Redevelopment of this area will become a thriving regional employment generator and shopping destination with varied entertainment and recreation options.
4. Dekalb County - $80,000 - The Wesley Chapel Activity Center area was once a thriving area of commercial and residential development, but has experienced a significant amount of disinvestment over the past 20 years. The area has a number of big box retail spaces and strip malls that have remained vacant. These, along with significant home foreclosures, have served to further exacerbate the financial problems in the area. The LCI study will guide the transformation of the Wesley Chapel Activity Center area from its current state as a predominantly greyfield area into a mixed use district with improved corridor mobility that encourages economic development, establishes a foundation for transit development and offers a safe pedestrian experience. This planned center will encourage walkable communities and provide employment, housing and recreation choices for a mix of residents.

The last award went to the City of Doraville. They will focus on the redevelopment of the now shuttered General Motors Assembly Plant, the adjacent MARTA station and the ripple effect on existing businesses within the area. This 160-some acre parcel of land is the largest single piece of land located inside the I-285 corridor. It is bordered by I-285, nearby I-85 and the end of the North Line for MARTA.This redevelopment potential provides opportunities to repair the community fabric (Doraville was chopped into pieces by the GM plant, I-285 and the expansion of Peachtree Industrial Blvd), fill housing and economic voids, foster quality growth concepts and add needed green space.

If the GM site is redeveloped properly, it could make Doraville much more prosperous than it was even when the GM plant WAS in operation. Doraville already has a huge concentration of Asian and Hispanic businesses, and this cultural base, along with an exciting new development of retail, restaurants and housing, coupled with the access of a MARTA station can only mean big things for the little town of Doraville.

We will be watching this development closely!

GM Plant In Doraville Finds A Buyer

In our challenging economic and real estate times, this is like the Boston Philharmonic breaking out with the Willimam Tell Overture!

In a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on January 28th, it was reported that Orlando-based New Broad Street Cos has signed a deal to buy the massive 165 acre site, adjacent to the Doraville MARTA Station and the intersections of I-285 and I-85, also known as Spaghetti Junction. The company has said it plans to build a "clean and green community of houses, shops, restaurants and offices on the site. The deal is expected to close in early summer, altho the purchase price will not be disclosed.

Back in May, 2008, I wrote a blog post about this exciting opportunity for the city (more like a town) of Doraville. The City of Doraville has been skipped for many developments that have jumped to its neighbor, Chamblee, or even farther North to Norcross. Now, Doraville will have the chance to claim its right to "being on the map." An article about MARTA in the AJC once indicated the Chamblee MARTA station by name, but the Doraville station was but a dot on the map, with no mention of the station name.

Later, in August, 2008, I wrote another post about the Final Four. In glancing back at my previ0ous posts, I cannot confirm if New Borad Street was in fact one of the Final four that GM had been considering.

An interesting website, The Doraville Project, gives you more detail as to the size and scope, as well as the location of this impressive piece of land!

I've been absent from Doraville politics even though my "suburban" home is located there. I think I'll be paying a bit more attention to this now, and hope to keep you informed of any updates.

And for those of you not familiar with where Doraville is in relation to Midtown Atlanta, here is a map!

If you want to think ahead, there are some close-by neighborhoods that offer some great values NOW, that will most likely appreciate in the years ahead as this development comes along. One in particular is within walking distance of the MARTA station. If you are interested in Doraville Real Estate, we would be happy to show you what available as well as the area around this up-and-coming development!