New mixed-use expansion coming to Easton Town Center

 

 

More mixed-use development is planned at Easton Town Center.

 

The latest expansion of the center will be a four-story 60,000-square-foot office and retail building to be constructed next to the Macy’s parking garage. Steiner + Associates, master developer for Easton, has started initial site work on this phase of the development. Foundations will be poured in January. 

 

Equity Construction Services has been named construction manager at-risk for the new building. 

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/11/01/new-mixed-use-expansion-coming-to-easton-town.html

In this article from the Dispatch it says Pins Mechanical/16 Bit Bar+Arcade is coming to Easton in a 30,000 sqft two story configuration. That's more than 33% larger than the Bridge Park joint location. That will be massive! It says that development is to break ground next year. Anybody have any more info on this one e.g. location?

Edited November 12, 20186 yr by aderwent

Easton Town Center to add $500 million in development

 

 

"The expansion, to include hotels, offices, housing and retail, will continue Easton’s mixed-use evolution.

 

A $500 million expansion of Easton Town Center is underway, as the development approaches its 20th anniversary.

 

The addition, which will include offices, hotels, housing, entertainment and retail, represents the next step in Easton co-developer and L Brands founder Leslie H. Wexner’s vision of Easton as not just a shopping center, but a “neighborhood.”

 

"The idea that you could build an urban shopping area in a suburban location and have it become a neighborhood on its own is something I thought and thought about,” Wexner told The Dispatch in a January 2017 interview. 'It’s not just a shopping center anymore.'"

 

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181119/easton-town-center-to-add-500-million-in-development

Edited November 19, 20186 yr by aderwent

Google Earth of location to be developed. I was just here yesterday and the entire site is cleared.

10TV has another article with more photos including these site plans:

 

 

https://www.10tv.com/article/500-million-expansion-announced-new-district-easton-town-center

1 hour ago, aderwent said:

Easton Town Center to add $500 million in development

 

 

"The expansion, to include hotels, offices, housing and retail, will continue Easton’s mixed-use evolution.

 

A $500 million expansion of Easton Town Center is underway, as the development approaches its 20th anniversary.

 

The addition, which will include offices, hotels, housing, entertainment and retail, represents the next step in Easton co-developer and L Brands founder Leslie H. Wexner’s vision of Easton as not just a shopping center, but a “neighborhood.”

 

"The idea that you could build an urban shopping area in a suburban location and have it become a neighborhood on its own is something I thought and thought about,” Wexner told The Dispatch in a January 2017 interview. 'It’s not just a shopping center anymore.'"

 

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181119/easton-town-center-to-add-500-million-in-development

 

I like how they just casually included the Crew logo with pictures of four players on the parking garage. Interesting....

Edited November 19, 20186 yr by cbussoccer

Easton Town Center Announces $500 Million Expansion

 

Easton Town Center unveiled plans today for a 16-acre expansion that will include multiple blocks of new retail and restaurant storefronts, a 136-room Aloft Hotel, office space, additional parking, and a new outdoor plaza.

 

Also planned as part of the $500 million project are new residential units and a three-story, 40,000-square-foot RH Gallery that is being touted as the anchor for the new expansion.

 

“RH Gallery is an extraordinary concept and we’re so pleased it will anchor this important next step in the evolution of Easton Town Center,” said Jennifer Peterson of Easton Town Center in a statement. “It is a one-of-a-kind experience and a complete immersion into the RH brand. With the next closest RH Galleries located in Chicago and Nashville, we are confident this will be a strong draw for customers from throughout the region.”

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/easton-town-center-announces-500-million-expansion-bw1

 

 

 

 

 

Local retail and restaurants, residential focus of $500 million Easton expansion

 

When the first phase of Easton Town Center opened almost 20 years ago, it was 600,000 square feet of development on 30 acres of land.

 

A $500 million addition to the lifestyle center-anchored area coming in the next four years will be 1 million square feet on a comparatively scant 16 acres.

 

“We’re transitioning from a shopping district to a true neighborhood,” said Yaromir Steiner, founder and CEO of Steiner + Associates, co-developer and manager of Easton Town Center. “The world is changing.

 

" The Columbus of 20 years ago isn’t the Columbus of today. Easton need to adjust to remain relevant.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/11/19/local-retail-and-restaurants-residential-focus-of.html

15 hours ago, aderwent said:

10TV has another article with more photos including these site plans:

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't notice til now, but there is a second hotel aside from Aloft shown in this site plan. It's across from the garage that is to the south of Macy's. Someone on Reddit claims they have credible information that a 5-Star St. Regis by Marriott is coming to this development. Looking at their other locations, it looks like Easton is exactly the type of location they're in in Atlanta and Houston. The Atlanta location is complete with the upscale Restoration Hardware!

I have noticed some significant construction going on lately at the old HHGregg store and I *think* they might be turning it into either a new Tesla dealership or showroom. The reason I say that is because there are quite a few Teslas parked in the parking lot over there. It makes me think that they plan to close the Tesla showroom on The Strand and move it across the street. This would then leave that space open for the Shake Shack that is supposed to be coming.

Telsa is moving into the HH Gregg space. It's to be a vehicle delivery and maintenance space and is much bigger than the current location. 

I drove past Easton yesterday on 270 and noticed they were putting up a tower crane in the new expansion area. They seem to working full steam ahead now. 

4 hours ago, cbussoccer said:

I drove past Easton yesterday on 270 and noticed they were putting up a tower crane in the new expansion area. They seem to working full steam ahead now. 

Good, I need some Forbidden Root in my life ASAP. 

On 12/11/2018 at 5:17 PM, quantum0813 said:

I have noticed some significant construction going on lately at the old HHGregg store and I *think* they might be turning it into either a new Tesla dealership or showroom. The reason I say that is because there are quite a few Teslas parked in the parking lot over there. It makes me think that they plan to close the Tesla showroom on The Strand and move it across the street. This would then leave that space open for the Shake Shack that is supposed to be coming.

 

On 12/11/2018 at 11:43 PM, cityscapes said:

Telsa is moving into the HH Gregg space. It's to be a vehicle delivery and maintenance space and is much bigger than the current location. 

 

Update on the new Tesla dealership / service location at Easton -- and what will be coming to Tesla's former Easton location from Business First:

 

As sales grow, Tesla combines its showroom and service in Columbus

 

Tesla is up and running at its new Easton Town Center space.  The California-based automaker has relocated from its original 3,500-square-foot showroom in the heart of the lifestyle center to a 36,000-square-foot building that puts it among the development’s multiple luxury auto retailers.  The building most recently was the HH Gregg Fine Lines store at 4099 Easton Loop West.

( . . . )

As Tesla moves out, that frees up the original space for Shake Shack, which will make its Columbus debut this year -- https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/01/11/shake-shack-taking-tesla-space-at-easton-with.html

 

MORE:  https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/02/05/as-sales-grow-tesla-combines-its-showroom-and.html

Burlesque club to open at Easton

 

"Nightclub developer Ivan Kane will bring his latest concept, Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce Cafe and Speakeasy, featuring a burlesque show, to Easton Town Center’s $500 million expansion now under construction.

 

Kane’s clubs have gained fame for having celebrity investors Sting and the late David Bowie; reinvented “world-class burlesque” on weekends, as well as a variety of other live entertainment; and high-profile clientele including Carmen Electra, George Clooney, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Ellen DeGeneres, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mick Jagger.

 

Expected to open late this year in partnership with Columbus-based venture capital firm LOUD Capital, Forty Deuce will be located next to the new RH Gallery — the high-end version of Restoration Hardware — and will be similar to the original location in Hollywood and its second location at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay.

Kane hadn’t planned to expand the concept to the Midwest.

 

“I was called by Easton’s developers,” he said. “When I came to Easton and Columbus and saw what they were doing, and saw how incredibly vibrant and relevant Columbus was, I was blown away. I really was. It’s a very sophisticated city, everyone is very nice and welcoming. I literally couldn’t find a way to talk myself out of the deal. It fit really well in my wheelhouse.

 

“I’m excited to see how my concept works in this Midwest flagship.”

 

Kane is so enthusiastic about the project that he plans to buy a home in Columbus “and become part of the community,” he said. 'I take very seriously opening a venue — I’m an owner/operator.'"

 

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190313/burlesque-club-to-open-at-easton

More on that...

 

Forty Deuce Cafe and Speakeasy Opening as Part of Easton Expansion

 

 

A little bit of Hollywood is coming to Easton Town Center this year. 

 

Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce Cafe and Speakeasy will make its Midwestern debut as part of Easton’s $500 million expansion, currently underway in the northeast area of the development. 

 

In partnership with LOUD Capital, Kane is looking to bring a dynamic experience to Columbus, with a restaurant offering serving lunch and dinner, and a hidden speakeasy that’ll serve as a venue for live music, patron dancing and other performances.

 

“I really never had anticipated the Midwest until I got invited by the developers who had heard about what I was doing in LA and Vegas, and invited me to see what Columbus and Easton in particular was all about,” says Kane. “When I got to town and saw what they were doing, and heard about what their plans were for this urban expansion, I drank the Kool Aid — there was no turning back.”

 

More below:

https://www.columbusunderground.com/forty-deuce-cafe-and-speakeasy-opening-as-part-of-easton-expansion-ls1

Easton expansion adding restaurant with a 'speakeasy' and burlesque shows

 

 

Easton Town Center is adding some Las Vegas-style nightlife in its $500 million expansion.

 

The Columbus lifestyle center Wednesday announced the addition of Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce Cafe and Speakeasy. It’s a 7,500-square-foot attraction that will pair a first floor restaurant with a “secret” bar and entertainment venue upstairs featuring DJs, live bands and even some burlesque.

 

“It’ll be a sexy, retro speakeasy vibe,” owner Ivan Kane said. “This is about entertainment. It’s a sophisticated concept for sophisticated people.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/03/13/easton-expansion-adding-restaurant-with-a.html

 

 

Nyah see, they better serve up some Johnny Bootlegger at the joint, see?

Finally a classy place for Easton.

Hmmm.... interesting. Why Easton?

Just needs a metro stop into downtown....

1 hour ago, Foraker said:

Just needs a metro stop into downtown....

 

Don't tease me with such notions. Ugh

Is Easton a nightlife center now? Columbus is a bizzaro world lol. Who wants to go drink and party at an exurban mall? I feel like both of these concepts would be much better suited for the Short North or downtown.

20 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

 

“It’ll be a sexy, retro speakeasy vibe,” owner Ivan Kane said. “This is about entertainment. It’s a sophisticated concept for sophisticated people.”

 

 

If you need to be told that "it's a sophisticated concept for sophisticated people", then it's not. Hence why it's going to Easton, where facades are all that matter.

 

27 minutes ago, edale said:

Is Easton a nightlife center now? Columbus is a bizzaro world lol. Who wants to go drink and party at an exurban mall? I feel like both of these concepts would be much better suited for the Short North or downtown.

 

It is for the above subsection of consumers. Urban speakeasy-revivals and burlesque bars already exist in Columbus' urban core. This is nothing new to the city.

29 minutes ago, edale said:

Is Easton a nightlife center now? Columbus is a bizzaro world lol. Who wants to go drink and party at an exurban mall? I feel like both of these concepts would be much better suited for the Short North or downtown.

 

For people living in the suburbs, going to Easton to drink is actually more convenient than go to the SN. It's a shorter drive and parking is free. 

Just now, cbussoccer said:

 

For people living in the suburbs, going to Easton to drink is actually more convenient than go to the SN. It's a shorter drive and parking is free. 

 

I love how there's nothing wrong with that statement in Ohio (drink, drive, park), lol. Less chance for a DUI, I guess.

1 hour ago, CMHOhio said:

 

I love how there's nothing wrong with that statement in Ohio (drink, drive, park), lol. Less chance for a DUI, I guess.

Have you ever heard of designated drivers?

40 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

Have you ever heard of designated drivers?

Or just going out for 2-3 drinks over the course of 2-4 hours.

2 hours ago, edale said:

Is Easton a nightlife center now? Columbus is a bizzaro world lol. Who wants to go drink and party at an exurban mall? I feel like both of these concepts would be much better suited for the Short North or downtown.

 

Just an FYI, you are aware you live in the city that pioneered the whole lifestyle-center-nightlife thing, correct?  The Spectrum in Irvine, CityWalk, GardenWalk, etc.  Columbus is hardly an outlier or "bizarro-world" in regards to retail-centers-turned-nightlife-centers.  It wasn't that long ago that Cincinnati had another Steiner-based retail center that was a big nightlife destination (Newport-on-the-Levee) or, uh, tried (Liberty Center).  If anything, it became a nationwide trend as "urban" (faux-walkability) become popular for suburbanites. 

 

Honestly, this concept belongs in the Brewery District but meh.

^ Citywalk is attached to a major theme park, and is in the middle of the city. The Grove and Americana aren't nightlife destinations, and both are far more urban than Easton. Newport on the Levee is literally right across from downtown Cincinnati, and is very much in the core of Cincinnati, so I don't think any of your examples make sense in this discussion. Easton is on the periphery of the metro, and if you drive just a few minutes east you're out in the corn fields. Hell, there are still big empty fields surrounding Easton! Outside of the 'town center', there are big box stores with seas of parking lots and the like. An environment like that seems like weird place for nightlife in my opinion. If City Center mall had been converted to a lifestyle center, nightlife would make tons of sense. 

I would correlate this with Tequilla Cowboy choosing Polaris versus the Arena District.  People live and go to places in the city other than Short North and the Arena District, I know it may come as a shock. Easton itself is a destination for a lot of Ohians who don't live in Columbus.

1 hour ago, edale said:

^ Citywalk is attached to a major theme park, and is in the middle of the city. The Grove and Americana aren't nightlife destinations, and both are far more urban than Easton. Newport on the Levee is literally right across from downtown Cincinnati, and is very much in the core of Cincinnati, so I don't think any of your examples make sense in this discussion. Easton is on the periphery of the metro, and if you drive just a few minutes east you're out in the corn fields. Hell, there are still big empty fields surrounding Easton! Outside of the 'town center', there are big box stores with seas of parking lots and the like. An environment like that seems like weird place for nightlife in my opinion. If City Center mall had been converted to a lifestyle center, nightlife would make tons of sense. 

 

I'm with you but not every party can take place within a couple blocks of High Street.  Crocker Park is similar to Easton, at least context-wise, and it has lots of nightlife.  The whole point of these lifestyle centers is fake urban living. 

If you step on it you can be at Easton in 10 minutes from eastern Downtown. 

4 hours ago, edale said:

^ Citywalk is attached to a major theme park, and is in the middle of the city. The Grove and Americana aren't nightlife destinations, and both are far more urban than Easton. Newport on the Levee is literally right across from downtown Cincinnati, and is very much in the core of Cincinnati, so I don't think any of your examples make sense in this discussion. Easton is on the periphery of the metro, and if you drive just a few minutes east you're out in the corn fields. Hell, there are still big empty fields surrounding Easton! Outside of the 'town center', there are big box stores with seas of parking lots and the like. An environment like that seems like weird place for nightlife in my opinion. If City Center mall had been converted to a lifestyle center, nightlife would make tons of sense. 

 

I never mentioned the Grove nor Americana.  I mentioned The Spectrum, GardenWalk, and CityWalk as none are in the "urban core" of Los Angeles.  The Spectrum is clearly on the edge of Metro Los Angeles; GardenWalk is in, well, Anaheim; and CityWalk is not in the middle of the city, it's literally on the edge, up the hill from Burbank.  You can probably get to Easton from downtown Columbus the same time as CityWalk from downtown Los Angeles.  Both are about 10 minutes away.

 

The point is that a lifestyle center, like Newport-on-the-Levee (and the conveniently left out Liberty Center, which is also in cornfields), can also serve as nightlife destinations aside from being for shopping/dining.  Am I a personal fan?  No.  But they exist for a reason.

@ColDayMan I get what you're saying, but I think I was unclear in my initial post on this topic. I wasn't trying to say that it's bizarre that bars exist at Easton. There have always been suburban bars, and it makes sense that the Bar Louie's of the world would locate in these types of places, whether they be in Columbus, West Chester, or Irvine. The weird thing, to me, is the type of nightlife that was announced for Easton. A burlesque bar and a speakeasy seem like particularly urban concepts, and not something you would typically find in the suburbs. I was unclear with how I phrased this in my initial comment, as it was kind of a quick, reactive post to the article that was posted. 

No worries.  You're right, burlesque bars are typically in cities and not lifestyle centers but Easton isn't, and really has never been, your typical lifestyle center.  Hell, when it opened, Easton had an All-Star Cafe, a Planet Hollywood, etc.  Basically, Columbus' version of Downtown Disney/Disney Springs minus the amusement park and paid parking.

Four Entertainment Group will open bar at Easton Town Center

 

 

One of Cincinnati’s largest bar and restaurant operators will open its first Columbus location at Easton Town Center.

 

Four Entertainment Group is expected to open The Beeline, a 3,000-square-foot bar, for the holiday season.

 

“The Beeline is the newest concept from an extraordinarily talented hospitality group that prides itself on delivering unique experiences,” Easton Chief Executive Jennifer Peterson said in a news release. “No two are alike and this will be their first concept in central Ohio.”

 

More below:

https://www.dispatch.com/business/20190319/four-entertainment-group-will-open-bar-at-easton-town-center 

& https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/03/19/cincinnati-restaurant-group-bringing-new-concept.html 

^ Found this rendering of the latest expansion at Easton Town Center in a recent print-version of Business First:

Arhaus Furniture released this rendering of their new store that will be part of the previously announced $500 million expansion at Easton Town Center: 

 

https://www.dispatch.com/business/20190603/arhaus-furniture-to-open-easton-store

 

EASTON BUILDS ON ITS LEGACY

As the iconic lifestyle center marks 20 years, Les Wexner says constant reinvention is needed to stay relevant far into the future.

 

Les Wexner set out to change the city and wound up changing an industry, redefining shopping-centered development by looking to the old days to spur a new way to consume food and goods. Today, Easton includes 12 million square feet of development, including the 1.7-million-square-foot Easton Town Center, which opened 20 years ago this month.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2019/06/21/it-s-hard-to-imagine-les-wexner-being-laughed-out.html

 

 

The Dispatch did a whole series with multiple articles for Easton's 20th Anniversary. NB: All these articles can be read paywall-free.

 

Easton's success built on 'emotional connection' with patrons

Easton Town Center transformed once-rural Northeast Side into busy corridor

Easton offers 'experience' that consumers want before pulling out wallet

Easton has become a site for brands to develop, branch out

Latest Easton expansion focuses on an edgy, urban vibe

After two decades, some inaugural Easton businesses still thriving

Easton announces summer events for commemoration of 20th

Easton by the Numbers

Timeline: More than 50 years of central Ohio shopping

 

From the "edgy, urban vibe" article:

 

 

 

And this quote from Les Wexner:

 

"The next round of development will be 20- or 40-story buildings, a combination of office and residential, condos, or complete mixed-use buildings with a hotel, residential and commercial."

 

Emphasis mine, of course. They also talked about in the Biz First article that they envision "thousands of additional (residential) units – as much as 30,000 with the current land". Wow!

 

Edited June 28, 20195 yr by aderwent

^ 20-40 story buildings? Holy crap! I'll believe it when I see it, but that would be insane!

 

There's also the following quote from further down in the article:

 

"Wexner likens the next phase of Easton to the areas around Lenox Square in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta or South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California — dense midtown neighborhoods of high-rise office and residential buildings around a shopping core that allows residents and office workers to serve all their needs without getting into a car."

 

Imagine if this actually happens the way he is talking about here...

^Lenox Square two rail stations for two MARTA lines.

That seems crazy. They need to further connect Easton to Downtown somehow. I wonder if Wexner would be open to helping build some kind of high quality rapid transit between the two? 20-40 story building in Easton? That seems like Downtown part II.....but it's not downtown. 

 

Easton is so weird to me.

Even if we get multiple 20-40 story buildings at Easton, it's a long way from having a multi-core downtown a la Houston, particularly given that Easton remains right on the suburban border.  That said, it would still be great to have, even without a transit line to downtown.  In addition, while the new development could be more urban in form with mixed use, Easton has covered so much land already that unless they start cannibalizing parking lots to go vertical, even 20-40 residential towers built on the edges of the current development will not really be all that walkable from one side to the other (though if it brought enough density to justify a small circulator bus, that would change things).

 

Remember that the test of walkability is not measured by the walking radius of an unencumbered 30-year-old able-bodied male who bikes 30 miles a week.

I think there is plenty of opportunity to make this a walkable area even with 20-40 story. In one of the articles that came out this past week, they talked about how the parking garages were built to be convertible into residential or office space in the future, or to built up from. Additionally, many of the two story buildings were built to be able to be expanded upwards. Based on that, it seems like a lot of density can be added in the pre-existing core of the area. 

 

On top of that, there are still surface lots abutting the existing core to the east of Easton Loop West between Worth Ave. and Gramercy St. that could certainly hold two or three large mixed-use towers. You also have the Easton South Garage (next to the Cheescake Factory) and Easton Lot G (next to Barnes & Noble) that would be great location for towers as they are right off of Easton Way. 

 

And finally, you have all of the undeveloped area North of Easton Way between the Hilton and 270 that is a blank slate and could be developed in many different ways to be walkable and dense. 

 

I wouldn't write off any of these plans/visions that have been laid by Wexner & Co. Sure, this may not be our idea of a traditional "downtown", but that doesn't mean it can't be wildly successful and an excellent addition to our city. 

""Wexner likens the next phase of Easton to ... South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California — dense midtown neighborhoods of high-rise office and residential buildings around a shopping core that allows residents and office workers to serve all their needs without getting into a car."

 

Mind you it's been a while since I've been to South Coast Plaza but ehhh.... ?

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6926453,-117.8854492,3a,75y,244.47h,76.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sV_BsE2Hnrxfc1kByo8CITw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6900858,-117.8810724,3a,75y,358.19h,92.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXymIr_YA6MkdEmS4V76jNw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

4 minutes ago, MayDay said:

""Wexner likens the next phase of Easton to ... South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California — dense midtown neighborhoods of high-rise office and residential buildings around a shopping core that allows residents and office workers to serve all their needs without getting into a car."

 

Mind you it's been a while since I've been to South Coast Plaza but ehhh.... ?

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6926453,-117.8854492,3a,75y,244.47h,76.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sV_BsE2Hnrxfc1kByo8CITw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.6900858,-117.8810724,3a,75y,358.19h,92.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXymIr_YA6MkdEmS4V76jNw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

He also likened it to Buckhead in Atlanta.

 

Here's Buckhead:

 

 

 

I'm reminded of the quote by (I believe) Oscar Wilde, "don't sit too close at the ballet, it spoils the illusion". ?

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8480053,-84.3671021,3a,76.2y,140.45h,92.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0eTImt5KaFWfn4sYj30vFg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8514227,-84.3607208,3a,75y,299.66h,98.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saMGkUEuqHNkOQzlu2WQMpA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

Sure, adding some taller buildings will further enhance Easton as a destination but let's not kid ourselves that places like Buckhead or South Coast Plaza are areas to emulate if you're truly going for a walkable and car-free lifestyle.

 

^ I think his point was more of emulating the general concept of the layout and use as opposed to mirroring the two different areas.

 

It specifically says "dense midtown neighborhoods of high-rise office and residential buildings around a shopping core that allows residents and office workers to serve all their needs without getting into a car." Regardless of what you are comparing the vision of Easton to, if you can accomplish that description it will be a great addition to the city. 

 

At least commend the guy on being aggressive. He could easily just fill the remaining parcels with more suburban strip malls and giant parking lots and be done with it. Maybe Buckhead isn't the crown jewel of urban planning and developing, but it's a heck of a lot better than Polaris.