and Piedmont Streets—"one of the last available great corners in Atlanta," says one Cousins
employee—Terminus at its completion will offer one million square feet of office space, 175,000 square
feet of retail, 800 residences at various price points, and easy access to MARTA. "At Terminus,
people won’t have to get in a car," Bell says. "They’ll have 26 eating opportunities all
within five minutes of their door. It will put people closer to where they work. And the multiple price
points will accommodate a range of incomes." With its diversified experience in developing office
complexes, malls and retail shopping centers, and residential neighborhoods, Cousins Properties can
handle the entire development of Terminus in-house. That marks a point of differentiation for the
company, according to Bell, who predicts a call for more mixed-use development such as this one.
"We can’t stop the growth," Bell says. "We have to
accommodate it while it’s happening."
Changing demographics are marking the new demand for mixed-use communities. The Atlanta region’s
population of people over 65 is projected to increase by a whopping 300% by 2030, and at the other end of
the spectrum, its group of young residents is expected to grow by 40% to 50%. Estimates for the
middle-aged group stay roughly the same, with households with minor children actually shrinking by a third.
"Baby boomers and the kids of boomers are having a huge impact on residential markets, combining to
accelerate the growth of an urban lifestyle," Bell says.
Neither are these urban areas confined to just intown neighborhoods. Bell points to Buckhead, Perimeter
Center, and Wildwood Park as areas where urban centers are forming. Wildwood, an award-winning Cousins
development in suburban North Atlanta, encompasses 289 acres that adjoin the Chattahoochee National
Forest. Originally with a focus on office buildings, the park is changing its complexion in response to
the trend to urbanize and now includes development of residences to accommodate a variety of life styles,
from upscale signature houses to condominiums priced between $250,000 and $400,000, from less expensive
stack flats to a residential highrise.
Land use is another consideration for smart
growth planners. One approach is to identify areas that have existing infrastructure but lower population
density. For example, the East Point area of Atlanta, with Fort McPherson slated for closure, is one such
area that opens an opportunity for more density, what Bell calls economic brown fields. "With more
housing choices and greater density, we can turn 'no places' into 'go places,' where people can either
drive a short distance, or if they prefer, walk to work, the store, restaurants, entertainment, church,
or synagogue," he writes in a recent article on building livable communities in BOMA magazine. Atlanta
can afford to densify. Of the top 15 metropolitan areas in the United States, it is the least dense. And
instead of improving, the region has been losing density at least through 2000. In that year, Atlanta had
half the population density that it had in 1970, according to Bell.
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and Piedmont Streets—"one of the last available great corners in Atlanta," says one Cousins
employee—Terminus at its completion will offer one million square feet of office space, 175,000 square
feet of retail, 800 residences at various price points, and easy access to MARTA. "At Terminus,
people won’t have to get in a car," Bell says. "They’ll have 26 eating opportunities all
within five minutes of their door. It will put people closer to where they work. And the multiple price
points will accommodate a range of incomes." With its diversified experience in developing office
complexes, malls and retail shopping centers, and residential neighborhoods, Cousins Properties can
handle the entire development of Terminus in-house. That marks a point of differentiation for the
company, according to Bell, who predicts a call for more mixed-use development such as this one.
Neither are these urban areas confined to just intown neighborhoods. Bell points to Buckhead, Perimeter
Center, and Wildwood Park as areas where urban centers are forming. Wildwood, an award-winning Cousins
development in suburban North Atlanta, encompasses 289 acres that adjoin the Chattahoochee National
Forest. Originally with a focus on office buildings, the park is changing its complexion in response to
the trend to urbanize and now includes development of residences to accommodate a variety of life styles,
from upscale signature houses to condominiums priced between $250,000 and $400,000, from less expensive
stack flats to a residential highrise.
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