The Streets of Buckhead - LEED Silver & Brownfield Cleanup

This isn't necessarily new news but given that I spent soo much time and money in the Buckhead Village in the late 90's and early 00's, I felt obligated to write about it.  Man I spent so much money there.  About the only bars left that I would have frequented are East Andrews and Moon Dog's (although there are a few less memorable others).  Buckhead has done a complete 180 from the times when the area embraced a party district that was one of the nations most popular and oft notorious spots for nightlife.

From 2001 to 2003, the crowd declined in civility and in number until the massive crowds were gone.  Buckhead had decided that it was time for a change and about a year ago pretty much the whole buckhead village area was razed and a new era for Buckhead started.  This was because the vision of lifelong area resident Ben Carter was ready to be realized.  The Streets of Buckhead is as the developer Ben Carter Properties says;

...is the southern address for European style, in the heart of Atlanta's cosmopolitan Buckhead neighborhood. A unique collection of boutiques and restaurants, formerly found only along the world's most exclusive promenades, joins high-rise estate residences, amenities and entertainment in a true world class mixed-use community destined to set new standards for luxury and service.

I wouldn't say that the idea behind the development is the greenest ideology but the fact that they are pursuing LEED Silver certification and are dedicated to cleaning up contaminants around the area is a definite step in the right direction.  Below are some of the more environmentally friendly aspects of the development:

• Groundwater recycling to use where valuable potable water is not needed thus reducing the demand on Atlanta's already strained drinking water resources
• Low flow plumbing to reduce water consumption
• Environmentally friendly interior finishes
• Alternative transit options such as shuttles to MARTA, designated parking for alternative fuel vehicles and car/van pools as well as bicycle parking/storage
• Reducing energy use by 21 percent versus comparable developments.

All of this is great and will serve as an example for other developments in the area but my personal favorite is the cleanup of approximately 300,000 cubic yards of soil.  This cleanup was done under the Georgia Brownfields program.  This shows the commitment of the developer to the area and project.  They didn't necessarily have to do this but they chose to because it was the right thing to do. 

We won't be enjoying the finished product until Mid 2010 due to a slow real estate market but from what we can tell, it will be well worth the wait.  Thank you to Ben Carter for thinking of the environment in your efforts to build our city.