A Midtown site once pitched for a future symphony hall and later for the opulent “Opus Place” high-rise residential project is now one step closer to its transformation into a public park.
The Midtown Improvement District closed on its purchase of the 4-acre undeveloped lot at 98 14th St. earlier this week, paying about $46 million, according to Midtown Alliance President and CEO Kevin Green.
Operated by the Midtown Alliance, the Midtown Improvement District is a self-taxing district of commercial property owners that uses proceeds for infrastructure, security and other purposes. Midtown Alliance announced the property was under contract during its annual meeting in March and confirmed its intention to turn it into a rare swath of green space in one of the city’s busiest districts.
Midtown borders Atlanta’s beloved Piedmont Park, but the business district, which covers about 770 acres, only has about 1.1 acres of permanently protected green space, Green said during the alliance’s annual meeting. Once rehabbed, this site will quadruple the amount of Midtown’s parkland.
Atlanta Business Chronicle was first to report the completed sale. In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Green said the land is a generous amount of space in a highly urbanized area.
“We’ve seen spaces that are smaller than that punch above their weight,” Green said. “We want to achieve as much as we can here.”
Credit: City Haus
Credit: City Haus
Often referred to as the “Opus” or “Symphony” site, the 4-acre lot of land sits at the heart of Midtown amid office towers, hotels and museums.
It has a history of proposed but unfulfilled developments. At one point, it was set to house a $300 million Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert hall designed by acclaimed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, but the plans fell through.
Then, in 2016, New York-based developer Olympia Heights unveiled plans to build a 74-story, 400-unit luxury condo tower called “Opus Place,” then — and still now — a gigantic bet on Atlanta’s condo market. The planned size of the tower scaled down over the next few years. Though several units sold and the developer built a sales center on the site, construction on the condo tower never began. The site sat mostly untouched for years, despite marketing materials remaining emblazed across the sales center. It went before foreclosure auction in late 2023.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
The Midtown Improvement District is funding the acquisition through tax-exempt general obligation bonds from SouthState Bank. A philanthropic campaign will help fund the eventual green space’s construction.
What’s next for the site? Midtown Alliance will make interim improvements, Green said. They’re going to fill a deep hole dug in preparation for the Opus development, level out the land and put grass seed down. They’ll remove construction fencing, add gravel paths to allow access across the site and conduct basic landscaping. Then, they’ll need to obtain land disturbance permits through the city, which can take a while.
In the meantime, Midtown Alliance will likely begin a public request-for-qualifications process to find a design team for the park, Green said. Their hope is to have a defined concept-level design in place by the end of this year, which will allow for them to come up with a charitable campaign target.
This month, the organization completed a survey, asking community members what they would like to see in the park. This feedback will be read and considered throughout the design phase.
Green said the alliance wants to make the space attractive to people at different times of the day and different seasons of the year.
“We’re looking for a place that welcomes everybody, from residents to workers to visitors of any age, ability and background,” Green said.
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