The Beltline Guy, 20 years after a darn good term paper
His story is now Atlanta folklore, how a young, aspirational fellow with a simple yet outlandish idea could engender such change. Twenty years ago this month, Gravel turned in his thesis, which proposed that a loop of 22 miles of mostly abandoned rail lines be repurposed as transit lines connecting neighborhoods.
SOURCE: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First look: $350 million mixed-use district planned for Mall at West End
New details are emerging about a $350 million redevelopment planned for the Mall at West End, a project envisioned by a team that includes Atlanta Beltline architect Ryan Gravel. The city’s economic development agency Invest Atlanta on Thursday approved a $2 million predevelopment loan for the 12.5-acre project.
SOURCE: Atlanta Business Chronicle
Developers plan $350M upgrade to West End Mall
The Mall West End was built in 1971 and was once the place to shop for Atlanta’s African American middle class. The mall is now often overlooked as a shopping destination. Donray Von and Ryan Gravel want to change that. “I remember Peppermint Records, I remember the ice cream store, I remember Cherry’s…” said investor and developer Donray Von.
Invest Atlanta is now partnering with Von and Gravel’s development firm, Elevator City Partners. Invest Atlanta has approved a $2 million pre-development loan for the project.
SOURCE: CBS Channel 46
Atlanta receives $1 million to guide investment in distressed areas
On Wednesday, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Rockefeller Foundation announced a partnership to help encourage socially conscious investment in Atlanta’s 26 opportunity zone neighborhoods, and to reduce the risk of displacement of longtime residents and businesses. A significant part of the partnership is a $1 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
SOURCE: AJC
Under-The-Radar Investors in the Atlanta Startup Ecosystem
Donray spent his first act building a successful career in the music industry, managing artists such as The Roots, Cody Chestnutt, and Outkast. Donray’s most recent venture through his recently founded Elevator City Partners is the redevelopment of West End Mall with co-founding partner, Ryan Gravel.
SOURCE: Medium
SBA Opportunity Zones in Metro Atlanta
One of the first significant projects beginning to take shape is a revitalization of the aging Mall West End. … If projects like Gravel and Von’s are successful over the long-term, then it could be a model for others who want to invest in distressed locations in the city.
SOURCE: Atlanta Small Business Network
NPR/Closer Look: Local Developers Talk Proposed West End Mall Project
Closer Look’s Rose Scott recently visited the West End Mall to hear from developers Ryan Gravel and Donray Von, who have proposed a multimillion-dollar plan to redevelop the area with restaurants, storefronts and office space. Gravel, who is also known as the visionary for the BeltLine project, and Von, an investor, say their goal is to develop the area responsibly and with the neighborhood in mind. We learn more about the specifics of their plan.
Don Peebles is launching $500M fund for emerging minority and women developers
For minorities and female developers, “access to capital has been the biggest challenge,” said Peebles, who has been an outspoken advocate for diversity in the industry. In addition to supplying capital, Peebles said his company will look at ways to support the emerging developers. Through co-developing or partnerships, he hopes the fund will “help mitigate risk and help them grow quicker.”
SOURCE: The Real Deal
It’s Up To Developers To Avoid Turning Philly Into Another Gentrified Metropolis
Philadelphia is as fertile ground for commercial real estate development as it has ever been, giving rise to inevitable, difficult conversations about how that growth affects communities.
SOURCE: Bisnow
UnitedHealth Group, Atlanta’s HBCUs launching data science initiative
The Atlanta University Center Consortium has received an $8.25 million investment from UnitedHealth Group Inc. to strengthen the offerings of the colleges in the fields of data science.
SOURCE: Saporta Report