Atlanta Downtown Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal
Terminus Development Partners, LLC
Request for Proposal for Master Developer
PROPOSAL PLAN FOR FINALISTS
FORM A
FEBRUARY 28, 2011
PROJECT NUMBER 770311
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CAPITAL CENTER: A place where Georgia comes together
Terminus Development Partners, LLC, in collaboration with GDOT and the Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal (MMPT) Advisory
Group, is committed to fashioning this massive project as a vibrant, cohesive, and realistically implementable mixed-use, iconic
development in celebration of three important themes: (i) the transportation-related history of our City, Region, and State; (ii) the
promise of our continued robust success in transportation for the future; and, perhaps most importantly; (iii) the place where all
Georgians come together: downtown Atlanta.
We have assembled a uniquely qualified, multidisciplinary team that brings extensive international, national, and local experience
to assist GDOT and all MMPT Stakeholders in the timely and financially-responsible delivery of this visionary project. We possess
the extraordinary combination of skills and experience that GDOT and its partners require in a master planning team. The Equity
Members bring a wealth of experience in planning, financing, developing, and managing complex mixed-use projects in Atlanta,
other major U.S. urban centers, and the world. The John Buck Company, a Chicago-based real estate firm, has completed more
than $10.5 billion in real estate transactions and developed or redeveloped 35 million square feet of projects over 29 years,
including Sowwah Island in Abu Dhabi. Jacoby Development, Inc., an Atlanta based firm, is a member of The Jacoby Group of
Companies focused on real estate, education, energy and research, and has developed or is developing such notable projects as
Atlantic Station and Aerotropolis.
Terminus Development Partners, LLC, has partnered with three Major Technical Subconsultants for the MMPT to assist with rail and
bus systems planning and engineering, site planning, and design. Perkins+Will is an Atlanta based, internationally-recognized
planning, architecture, and design firm with extensive experience in urban design and transportation planning projects, including
the BeltLine in Atlanta. Systra USA is a well known transportation and rail planning firm with successful international and
national rail and bus projects. Moreland Altobelli Associates, Inc., is a Georgia-based transportation engineering firm with years
of experience on transportation projects throughout the state.
The gulch site is an extremely complex space that is the product of a century-and-a-half of construction and deconstruction at
the heart of the city. Understanding the successful phasing of interdependent components of the site is absolutely critical to the
implementation of the project. The physical challenges posed by the site can only be solved by working in three dimensions. Our
interdisciplinary team is a leader in the use of GIS and BIM technologies: we design and engineer projects in the 3D realm, using
modeling software as a design, communication and presentation tool.
Brownfield environmental issues are present on all the land lying within the study area boundaries. From the redevelopment of
Atlantic Steel into Atlantic Station, beginning more than a decade ago, to the more recent reclamation of the former Ford Assembly
Plant adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, our team’s brownfield redevelopment experience spans the
history of brownfields in Georgia. Much of what was learned in the reclamation of the Atlantic Steel site – before the Georgia
Brownfield Law existed – helped shape that very legislation. Our team’s proven experience with mitigation of large, complex
industrial areas extends today to the Atlanta BeltLine redevelopment.
The MMPT and its surrounding development, referred to as Capital Center, is an ambitious landmark project and the diligent
assessment and planning of its funding constitutes a very important step to its successful implementation. We expect that
the funding of the complete build-out of Capital Center as well as its ongoing costs will be ultimately based on a combination
of federal, state, and private funds. However, our team will work towards reducing the state funding and maximize the use of
private funds. We have extensive experience in efficiently developing structures and innovative financing solutions and we will
take advantages of opportunities that will allow achieving this target, including:
»» Creating cost efficiencies by combining asset development and asset management under a single entity.
»» Optimizing risk allocation and utilizing business opportunities such as parking, commercial & office space, residences,
and recreational activities (e.g. conferences, concerts).
»» Leveraging low cost federal credit tools (e.g. PABs, TIFIA) and programs (e.g. Joint Development, New Markets);
»» Bundling of project elements in order to cross-subsidize development and/or ongoing activities.
»» Developing of an initial hub that attracts people and will catalyze economic growth and interest in the area and ultimately
expedite the delivery of the entire site.
The vision for Capital Center is comprised of a series of significant infrastructural, architectural and urban moves that interact
and highlight each other:
»» Capital Center offers the opportunity to knit together the urban fabric across the railroad gulch, thereby connecting the
area's numerous sports, entertainment and cultural destinations and institutions currently separated by the urban void
of the gulch. It will provide new connections between existing business, government, university districts and residential
neighborhoods, including Castleberry Hill and Fairlie Poplar Historic Landmark Districts.
»» The highlight of the vision is State Square, a programmable green space that stretches between Peachtree Street and
Centennial Olympic Drive, serving locals and visitors alike. State Square is framed by new development blocks that
strengthen existing districts currently separated by the gulch.
»» The Terminal is the key to Atlanta's transit-oriented future described in the City's newly adopted Sustainability Guidelines
and the Connect Atlanta Plan, and Concept 3. It is a landmark glass structure, bringing daylight into the state-of-the-art
transit terminal located below ground.
»» An Iconic Tower rising over the tracks south of the Terminal, located at the intersection of major viewsheds, creates new
memorable views from the Centennial Olympic Park, signaling a new direction for Atlanta and Georgia in the 21st century
with its signature sustainable aesthetic.
The team will develop a tailored approach to communication that will generate meaningful dialogue about the issues, present
project information and foster an inclusionary planning process. Our team members have extensive track record and live
experience in developing marketable financial plans, negotiating federal assistance under a wide range of programs as well as
raising tax exempt or taxable financing for the actual delivery of projects. In addition, we understand the tools that are available
in the local market and how they can be best used to assist the Project. We have already done substantial work in identifying
funding sources that could be employed and we are looking forward to use our know how in delivering this project, if we are
selected as your partner.
The two most well-known redevelopment projects in Atlanta in the past decade are Atlantic Station and the Atlanta BeltLine.
The strategy for the master development will combine best practices from both experiences – with innovations that grow out
of lessons learned. Working together with GDOT, TDP will fulfill these aspirations so as to make all MMPT Stakeholders and our
citizenry proud. Our vision is nothing short of a well-managed, well-executed, and well-capitalized public-private partnership that
will become a model for the United States and the rest of the world.