Prospect Park Owners Hear Community Wants a New Name

The owners of property on Old Milton Parkway near GA 400 may not call it Prospect Park once it's built.

Though North American Properties has not decided what the mixed-use development will be called, Mark Toro said residents have said what they don't like.

"We so far have concluded that the majority of those that we polled...are in favor of a name change, for the most part, with the negative connotation associated with Prospect Park," Toro said.

The development company is in a renaming exercise and once a new name is figured out, they'll decide whether they will change the name.

" The design has progressed considerably from square one, which was a clean sheet of paper and what viable purposes are," Toro said. "There is no use for us planning a conference center for instance, or a hospital, or an industrial site, because those users are not viable and applicable for that market."

North American Properties' executives identified a number of the most successful properties that also are the most embraced by the community they serve, the Americana at Brand in Glendale and Santana Row in San Jose, California.

"But beyond the specific uses, the energy and the experience is what we will seek to replicate," he said.

Toro said the company's general manager at Atlantic Station, who joined the firm in February, was the general manager for those properties, and has a "toolkit" to create what he describes as an experience.

Site Work

A survey has been made of facilities on site. Some underground infrastructure can be used.

"But most of what you see above grade will not. Retaining walls, parking decks and others will likely be removed to make way for the new development," Toro said.

Design Plans

North American Properties is working on design, development, leasing, finance and all other aspects necessary. But it is a much larger design team.

"For instance, we will enlist a lighting consultant very early in the process to assure that the lighting is right in the public spaces," Toro said.

Another consultant is a place maker. His business is interior design, but he's been in the business of creating outdoor rooms. This development has a number of opportunities for these spaces designed to create a feeling much like you would have in your den, living room, or a public space in a hotel.

A major difference in this center from others is "the fact that we intend to deploy hospitality principles in developing and operating this property," Toro said.

Property Uses

What types of uses will be on the property is a market viability question, he said.

"Office users create a certain energy on the property that is appropriate and important," Toro said.

The intent is for the property to operate 18 hours a day, unlike the typical shopping center that is devoid of energy early in the morning or an office park late in the evening.

Toro couldn't say what retailers will be leasing space.

"It is likely that there will be a state-of-the-art theater and it is likely that there will be an organic grocer. I can't, however, name names at this point," he said.

Construction, Opening Dates

"We expect to start construction in August of 2012 pending preleasing and other commitments, because this is by no means a speculative venture," he said.

The opening date is planned on Oct. 26, 2013.

Westside Parkway

North American Properties is working on an agreement with Alpharetta to dedicate its section of Westside Parkway at the earliest possible date.

"There is a portion of Westside Parkway near its intersection with Webb Bridge that we do not own. So the city is, I assume, working through that independently," Toro said.

Visioning Statement

A new experience is taking shape in Alpharetta, an experience designed to set a new standard of excellence for the residents of North Fulton County. The first metro Atlanta property to incorporate five-star hospitality in a retail-focused environment, it will combine high touch and high tech, art and activity, service and selection, interest and innovation. This experience will be a blend of fine retailers, restaurants, residences, businesses and entertainment uses fused together in one location, in an environment that exists nowhere else in the Southeast. This community can best be compared to California’s Santana Row or The Americana at Brand, the nation’s finest examples of successful, experiential mixed-use destinations.  North American Properties is committed to pioneering this style of excitement and energy in the Atlanta area. A team of world-class place-makers, adept at perfecting the guest experience, has been assembled. They will deliver the next great American community in 2013.