It’s GA/FL Day and quite frankly, it’s too damn cold to play golf at my favorite course (OTP). On the other hand, I could skip on over to Cabbage Town for Chomp and Stomp, but yesterday’s post in Creative Loafing from Atlantan, Conor Sen, has me too intrigued.
Conor Sen wrote what-I-thought would be a compelling article, properly persuading me to champion (or even care about) a new development in Alpharetta on the logical and important point: Atlanta’s overwhelming interest in regional cohesion.
About 1/3 of the way through, the article was spot on…right before the Avalon advertisement.
Here’s the disconnect. Any affluent Millenial is staying in town (except for one reason).
A generation of Atlantans spent 45 minutes in a car to watch Chipper go yard and Deion do end zone dances. Countless hours of our lives have been in a car; most of us are sick of it. We are willing to live in “smaller” houses and apartments for convenience and MARTA access. Note: if you have any friends or family in San Fran or New York, you know the term “small” is a relative word.
As we get older, things do change.
$20,000/year private school education for 1st graders isn’t an option. Instead of packing up, filling the need for more, reasonable resources intown is an entrepreneur’s paradise.
Sell Avalon exactly for what it is.
Avalon fills three areas of need for the Creative Loafing reader. It’s the first development OTP that understands the need for transportation expansion and a progressive mindset towards regionalism.
Elaborate on Avalon as the best option for the employees of the 600+ progressive and tech-forward businesses within a 3-mile radius of Exit 10 on GA-400 for traditional in-town dining, shopping or even living. So, ironically they don’t have to reverse commute to work.
Three, Avalon is now a better option when visiting family for the holidays. The generation that grew up taking 45 minutes to the Dome still has family living up there. Instead of Chili’s and Carrabbas, there’s Ford Fry and Antico.
If developers really want Millenials to get OTP, they shouldn’t replicate what we already have in-town. They should embrace the country lifestyle and actually create something more visceral. Sidewalks, screens, good dining, and concrete we have plenty of.
Where can I go to get on a dirt road, build things with my hands, and balance a life staring at screens with one of texture? Whatever developer answers that question will see Millenials flocking to the country.