Case Study: Creative Storm Water Solution

Paving the way for Atlanta's new Lindbergh City Center Station

Atlanta has been described as "the poster child for urban sprawl." Much of this massive southern city developed after America became dependent upon the automobile, so its neighborhoods and suburbs are far-flung, connected by wide boulevards and super highways.

With 4.2 million residents in the metro-Atlanta area, transportation is an enormously important issue. The city recognized its need to address mass transit only 40 years ago, much later than most other major American cities. Despite the late start, the city has a public transportation system that serves its citizens well. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) now carries more than 550,000 passengers each day on its buses and rail system. MARTA is known to be efficient, affordable, and safe — it has won the "Safest Transit System in America" awarded 17 times in the past 2 years. Today, MARTA is pioneering a new concept in people traffic that fuses transportation, commerce, and community.

The Lindbergh City Center station is near the heart of Atlanta. For years it has been the site of MARTA headquarters, as well as an aging public transit station. The 47-acre site also included several large, uninviting parking lots and three abandoned warehouses.

Now, after two and a half years of work, it is a gleaming new commercial, residential, and business center. It is believed to be the first 'transit-oriented development' of its kind in the United States. If it proves to be successful, it will become a model for similar developments around the country.

The new Lindbergh City Center station will serve more than 20,000 commuters each day. The complex has 4.8 million square feet of development, including 2.2 million square feet of office space, 250,000 square feet of retail, and nearly 800 residential units.

"It's a fantastic project," said Michael Hoath, director of real estate development for Carter and Associates, a full-service commercial real estate firm based in Atlanta and the developer of the new mixed-use development. "It's the premier transit-oriented development in the country. We're thrilled about what it will do to help transform this part of the city."

Stumbling blocks
A project of this magnitude always involves several significant public works infrastructure issues, and the Lindbergh City Center was no exception. One of the biggest challenges faced by developers and the engineers was the issue of stormwater runoff. Mother Nature had always channeled the area's stormwater through a rather large stream that ran through the heart of the property. The developers wanted to build directly over the stream, which put them at odds with the Environmental Protection Division of Georgia's Department of Natural Resources.