Peachtree Corners hopes to lure educated youngsters with booze, convenience store, paddle boats
For years, developers have been touting their "mixed-use" projects throughout metro Atlanta. But with overuse, the term has begun to lose its appeal; and, besides, it isn't actually a new concept. Now one developer has taken a stab at a new way to frame the ubiquitous projects typified by high-end rentals and some places to eat, drink, and shop: "Millennial Housing."
It was bound to happen. Mixed-use developments appeal to a wide range of people, from empty-nester Baby Boomers to Gen-Xers wanting the convenience of urban living, so the idea that millennials are driving the trend of re-urbanized living isn't that farfetched. But it's where the latest (or possibly first) Millennial Housing project is going that may come as the biggest surprise.
The City of Peachtree Corners, located in Gwinnett County, is planning to develop a 39-acre haven for cell phone-obsessed, transit-loving, lazy-as-hell millennials. Wedged between Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Peachtree Parkway, the development could feature almost 300 units in a "high end millennial housing complex," according to a press release by the city.
Sited along a lake, the project could also offer hiking trails connecting the residences to a convenience store (a RaceTrak, likely akin to the gas-less QuikTrip in Midtown) and wine and spirits shops — because what more do millennials need than prepackaged food and loads of booze? And don't worry about the lack of transit access for millennials to go into the city to have fun; the development will have all they need, providing "resort-style amenities" including a boat dock, paddle boats, a cyber café, fitness facilities, and a dog park.
According to the mayor of Peachtree Corners, the development will meet two requirements for the city:
First, it comes in response to needs expressed by local corporations who are headquartered in the area, away from the reaches of public transit. Many business leaders were concerned they would lose their younger staff without residential options like millennials have closer to town.
Second, it would allow for millennial residents of Peachtree Corners to stick around where they grew up, to stay near their parents, because as everyone knows, that is the goal of most millennials.
So the questions are twofold: Is branding these types of projects for millennials the logical progression of metro Atlanta development trends? Or is Peachtree Corners just trying a bit too hard?
City Plans Lake-Front Millennial Housing, Walking Trails [Peachtree Corners]