Better parking! More security! Adios, nightclubs! A new and improved Atlantic Station for all to enjoy! Yippee!
Top exec of firm overseeing mini-city sends Midtowners a progress report
A top executive of the company that now oversees Atlantic Station’s retail district recently penned an “open letter” to Midtown residents about the firm’s progress in overhauling the one-time steel mill turned mini-city. North American Properties Managing Partner Mark Toro mentioned several fixes that caught our attention:
2. Improve public safety — working in collaboration with the leadership of Midtown Blue, we will emulate the public safety program that makes Midtown residents feel comfortable and safe in our community.
Plus: Surveillance technology.
3. Fix the parking — we have begun installation of a completely redesigned wayfinding and lighting system to make our parking deck more user-friendly. ...
As long as the system doesn’t include guys spinning and twirling signs or dressed as pirates, go for it.
5. Close the nightclubs — late night partying and associated behaviors are not a part of our vision and we have taken steps to assure a comfortable and friendly atmosphere, closing the nightclubs. ...
7. Go local — the feedback we’ve received to date indicates a strong preference for local operators, so we are reaching out to chef-driven restaurants and owner operated boutiques. ...
9. Reprogram public spaces — Food Truck Fridays, 1/2 Street Market, Movies in the Park and other programs are the beginning of our reimagined uses of our public space.
10. Introduce non-traditional uses — whether it is classroom space, TV studios or film production, we are exploring options to expand our reach to the community and attract positive energy to the property.
So why pen an open letter to Midtown residents when Atlantic Station is located on the other side of one of the world’s most god-awful interstates? The owners have said in the past that Atlantic Station’s past efforts to tap the large number of young, affluent people who live in the dense neighborhood have failed. Plus, Toro’s a Midtowner himself — and a member of the Midtown Alliance, a nonprofit community organization that pushes for improvements.