MASSELL: TODAY’S RENTERS... ‘WILL BE TOMORROW’S LEADERS’

By John Ruch and Joe Earle

Thousands of apartments and apartment-renting millennials are coming to Buckhead and the neighborhood should embrace the changes they bring, Buckhead Coalition president Sam Massell says.

“These renters…they will be tomorrow’s leaders in Buckhead and we had better be their friends,” Massell told the Buckhead Business Association at its April 7 meeting during his annual “State of the Community” address. “Buckhead will no longer be just a commune of old-money homeowners. It will be a mixture of old money and fresh thinking.”

Massell, a former Atlanta mayor and longtime Buckhead booster, said the community will have to deal with the “tremendous impact” of the apartment boom that he estimated will bring 24,000 new residents—a 30 percent population increase—in the next four to five years. “Believe me, they are coming,” Massell said. “A positive reaction can ensure the continuation of Buckhead’s pleasant personality, plus its progress and prosperity.”

Massell said his biggest concern is that some Buckhead leaders aren’t acknowledging the changes underway. He said that since the apartment construction boom started in 2012, the number of units proposed, under construction or in the rental phase, has increased 117 percent. The Buckhead Coalition has counted 48 complexes with 14,953 units, he said.

Massell said he is concerned with the character and quality of some of those new buildings, which “won’t look very

Real Estate Briefs

Continuing the tradition of recognizing an Atlanta nonprofit at his annual Good Friday Breakfast, Atlanta homebuilder John Wieland provided HomeAid Atlanta with a $25,000 donation to support their mission to help the homeless. Wieland’s support of HomeAid Atlanta has been continuous, and not just financial. In addition to financing 100 percent of the labor and materials for HomeAid’s 2004 construction project at Atlanta Union Mission’s (now Atlanta Mission) Second Mile Home, Wieland also served as the builder captain and major financial contributor for the construction of My House in 2008, to assist homeless, medically fragile infants and children.

Ansley Atlanta Real Estate has named David Tufts as president and managing broker. This move from Bonneau Ansley III pairs Atlanta’s top developer services firm, The Marketing Directors, LLC, with the newly formed boutique brokerage firm.

RE/MAX Metro Atlanta, Inc. has named good in 10 years.” He is also worried about losing small business with neighborhoodoriented businesses, which he wants to address with “affordable retail” setasides, like policies that require a certain percentage of housing units in a large building to be priced affordably. quality of the some of the buildings being constructed.

Contacted after Massell’s speech, several Buckhead community leaders said they generally agree with him. In emailed comments this week, some worried about traffic and the quality of construction being done, but said continued growth is coming.

“We need to do our best to see that new construction is of a caliber that will hold its value over time,” she wrote in an email. “Since we’re building the future now, we should be thinking about how things will look 15 to 20 years down the road. That includes not only the buildings themselves but also our pedestrian and vehicle infrastructure.”

Massell described the influx of millennials into Buckhead in much the way some global leaders talk about international immigration—a big cultural change that is best handled by embracing it. He suggested business association members reach out individually to young newcomers.

Massell also recalled that he came to Buckhead in 1952 as a tenant of a $50-a-month apartment, then went on to become mayor of Atlanta as well as president of the City Council and the business association itself. “So dismiss any concept that renters are second-class citizens,” he said.

Atlanta City Councilman Howard Shook also said he assumed many current leaders and innovators “were tenants at some point in their lives, so that should hold true for tomorrow’s leaders and innovators.” increases in Buckhead. You can’t fit a fifth quart in a gallon jar.”

Wes Lyle of the Peachtree Park Civic Association also flagged increased traffic as a major problem. “As a Buckhead native, I also welcome all to Buckhead,” Lyle said. “I do have increasing concerns over traffic issues affecting our quality of life, though. This is obviously not the fault of those that want to move here, so I put no burden on them. What I would like to see is significant impact fees on the developers and rental owners (those that stand to profit) on these units – be they apartments, condos or hotels. Those fees should be invested in improved and alternative transportation projects relevant to the area.”

But Gordon Certain, president of the North Buckhead Civic Association, said one problem the neighborhood faces is the way city officials assess those impact fees. “Adding traffic on already crowded Buckhead streets costs far more to address than it does in areas of the city where streets are underutilized and land is cheap. Yet the fees are the same,” he said. “The result is that new developments, such as apartments, are subsidized here and are discouraged in parts of the city that badly need revitalization. We need our city and county (and, if necessary, state) leaders to fix these abuses. ”

“Change is inevitable,” Fulton County Commissioner Lee Morris said. “We knew in the boom days of the ’90s that zoning decisions made in the ’80s would produce major changes, and we saw significant change in Buckhead in the ’90s. We will see more ahead. Mayor Massell is correct that Buckhead should embrace the apartment dwellers, as it has always embraced change.”

Andrea Bennett, chair of the board of Neighborhood Planning Unit B, which covers much of Buckhead, agreed growth was inevitable in Buckhead, but, like Massell, she worried about the

“From a social and political perspective, demographic data as well as my experience, suggests that although single-family homeowners may constitute a minority—and shrinking share—of Buckhead’s residents, they will continue to represent the vast majority of those with the ability and desire to make their voices heard in a coordinated fashion,” Shook said.

“Notwithstanding the above, these units will add traffic to already heavily congested streets. From a policy perspective, I believe that this boom is, by itself, grounds to deny future density

On April 7, Massell’s speech was met with applause, but audience members had questions about various traffic and development impacts.

One member wanted to know what Massell meant by his “old money” and “fresh thinking” comments. “I’m just talking about the people who built Buckhead. I don’t mean to disparage anybody,” Massell said. “I don’t expect the millennials to all be millionaires, but they definitely have fresh thinking,” he added, suggesting that people visit Atlanta Tech Village “and you’ll get a taste of what fresh thinking is all about.”

Mark Jones as its new managing broker. Jones previously founded and sold the Dwellings real estate company, which started in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood and grew to 125 agents in four offices. He also was previously with RE/MAX Metro Atlanta as an associate broker and agent, prior to relocating to southern California, where he spent five years building one of the region’s leading marketing and public relations firms.

The Office, a high-rise luxury apartment building, located at 250 Piedmont Avenue in Downtown, announces the release of its loft-style homes and penthouses. The standard features of the penthouse and loft-style homes include stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, built-in wireless entertainment systems, wine coolers, energy-efficient appliances and Nest thermostats. Additionally, the 16 oneand two-bedroom penthouse homes have six different floor plans to choose from and range from 686 to 1,535 square feet. These homes also include 14- to 17-foot ceilings, panoramic city views, upgraded Kitchenaid appliances and an upgraded closet featuring a carousel accessory and clothing rack. Residents can also relax in the exclusive Sky Lounge, located on the penthouse level, equipped with a coffee bar and wine dispensers. Monthly rental rates begin at $1,996 for one-bedroom penthouses and from $2,789 for two-bedroom penthouses. The five loft-style homes range from 1,301 to 1,569 square feet and are complete with a private patio equipped with an outdoor kitchen. Monthly rental rates begin at $2,599 for one-bedroom homes and from $3,098 for two-bedroom units. For more, visit TheOfficeApts.com.

The 10th annual Shutze Awards of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art saluted architects, interior designers and landscape designers for their dedication to preserving the classical tradition. Winners were honored at one of Philip Trammell Shutze’s own buildings, the Piedmont Driving Club.

Honored for their contributions to preserving the classical tradition of design in specific categories were:

• Single Family Residences: James F. Carter, Inc.; C. Brandon Ingram Design; Historical Concepts; D. Stanley Dixon Architect.

• Interior Design: New Construction and Renovation: Susan Ferrier of McAlpine; Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs, Inc.

• Renovation: William B. Litchfield Residential Designs, Inc.