City seeking input on four city-owned acres

Avondale Estates is seeking input from the Atlanta-based Bleakly Advisory Group on developing four acres it owns just west of downtown’s Tudor Village. According to Mayor Jonathan Elmore Bleakly is helping the city in part determine how much private development of the property will cost, and how much revenue that development could bring.

In July a design plan from among 11 submissions was chosen by commissioners — while also receiving strong public support through an online survey—featuring about two acres of green space. This initial plan has Franklin Street between Lake and Oak Streets getting absorbed by green space, with a new street created in the rear end of the property.

It also has two buildings fronting North Avondale Road. Part of what Bleakly will recommend is what mix of retail/office/restaurant best complements the green space.

The second step for Bleakly is determining if the city’s Tax Allocation District can help support this project. The third step is recruiting developers and narrowing the list to one to three finalists.

Maximum cost for this threestep process is $19,800. The city anticipates a presentation from Bleakly in early December.

During a commission work session last week, the city’s Downtown Development Authority unveiled an informal timeline that has the city selecting a developer finalist by mid-2018.