Newspaper Page Text
IN BU5INE55
RETAIL | MONEY & FINANCE \ DEVELOPMENT
PRESERVING THE PAST
PLANS FOR HISTORIC PULLMAN YARD ARE NOT THE USUAL MIXED-USE FORMULA
By Isadora Pennington
If you’ve ever driven down DeKalb
Avenue past the intersection with Clifton,
you may have noticed the looming
buildings of Pullman Yard just on the
other side of the tracks. The property is a
sprawling combination of buildings and
open spaces in various states of disrepair.
Despite the graffiti on the walls, it’s rare to
see anyone on the lot regardless of the time
of day.
Originally built as an industrial
complex by the Pratt Engineering
Company in 1900, the buildings have been
repurposed as both a train repair center
for the Pullman Company in the 1920s
and then later as an operations center for
the now defunct New Georgia Railroad,
which provided rail service to Athens.
Since the 1990s the space has been largely
abandoned except for private events and
a filming location, including “The Hunger
Games”. The property is currently owned
by the state of Georgia, and is not open to
the public without going through proper
channels.
The historic buildings now stand in a
state of disrepair, with collapsing ceilings
and overgrown greenery. The grass may
get mowed from time to time, but there is
virtually no care going into the property
on a regular basis. It’s no wonder that
this mysterious and haunting remnant
of Atlanta’s industrial history has piqued
the interest of multiple organizations who
foresee a vision for the property.
One of those people is David
Epstein, executive director of local
nonprofit Atlanta Contact Point (ACP),
an organization that promotes physical
activity and play for children and adults to
combat obesity and encourage a healthy
lifestyle. The nonprofit has, in partnership
with Village Habitat LLC, proposed
a plan under the auspices of Pullman
Preserve, that would create a mixed-
use development of art studios, urban
gardening, sustainability classes, retail, a
nature preserve and sports facilities.
“Atlanta needs an Intown space for
its residents to be active, socialize and
learn new things,” Epstein said. “It is
in an optimal space to create special
programming and education opportunities
for the surrounding neighborhoods,
including unique space for schools, seniors
.
and adults to play and get together.”
The Pratt-Pullman property is actually
part of the quiet Kirkwood neighborhood,
and the community has expressed
concerns with regard to redevelopment
plans. Questions of vehicle access, parking,
neighborhood traffic congestion, noise
pollution and how best to honor and
maintain the value of the historic property
have lingered in the minds of those
affected by the proposition.
The joint nonprofit/for-profit vision
set forth by Pullman Preserve seeks to
assuage those with doubts, asserting that
conservation, preservation, education
and a “full-bodied” approach to the
development would be forefront in their
plans.
“The main concern has been how
to create a financially viable model,”
explained Village Habitat director
Greg Ramsey. “Pullman
Preserve is addressing
this with its for-profit and
nonprofit model, designed
to balance the commercial
and nonprofit development
to create a viable model.”
The venture would
find funding from grants,
the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and
contributions from local
organizations in order to
keep costs low, while also
looking to generate money
in studio rentals and sales
at the proposed cafe, retail
and market. Cooperation
with inter-governmental
partners, surrounding
neighborhoods, and for-
profit and nonprofit entities
would be essential in the
actualization of their plan.
“The project has been
crafted so that each of these
entities plays an appropriate
part and together create a
successful project,” Ramsey
said.
In sharp contrast to
Pullman Preserve, the other
propositions that have been
extended with regard to
the property have typically
been a combination of
retail, office and living space along the
lines of Edgewood Retail Center on
Moreland Avenue.
“We do not have many properties
left in Atlanta that can be utilized for the
overall well-being of the community’
Epstein said. “This is a perfect opportunity
to clean, preserve and transform into a
special space for people to come together
to play, learn and socialize.”
Epstein and Ramsey
are hopeful that
their ideas for
Pullman
Preserve will strike a chord with the
neighborhood, and empower those in
the community through sustainability
education.
“We feel very strongly if the state gives
us a chance, we can make it happen,”
Epstein said. “Otherwise, it will just
go to the highest bidder for expensive
townhomes and high-end shopping.”
To learn more about Pullman Preserve
and to provide feedback or volunteer,
contact David at info@atlcp.org or Greg
at gramsey@villagehabitat.com. You
can also see more photos, plans
and diagrams online at
atlcp.org/pullman-yard.
20 February 2016 | INtOWIl
AtlantalNtownPaper.com