DOWNTOWN—Atlanta’s long-festering urban gash, the Gulch, reborn as a thriving community with housing options by the thousands? It’s going to happen, according to Centennial Yards Company president Brian McGowan.

Forecasting the growth of Centennial Yards and downtown Atlanta in general, McGowan recently told the Atlanta Business Chronicle the 50-acre, CIM Group megaproject is eventually going to build 4,000 apartments, which he predicted “is going to transform downtown.” The rapid lease-up of the project’s first 165-unit residential building, Centennial Yards South, proved that demand for living in South Downtown is there, said McGowan.

Centennial Yards' 18-story apartment tower—the first ground-up new building of many planned in the Gulch—has crested over raised nearby streets. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Alongside a 292-key hotel, Centennial Yards first ground-up new apartment tower has begun vertical construction in the Gulch, en route to topping out at 18 stories. It’s expected to deliver 304 new rentals next year.

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CITYWIDE—Good news for growth enthusiasts: According to a forecast released today by the Atlanta Regional Commission, the 21-county metro is expected to balloon to 7.9 million residents by 2050. That would be an increase of 1.8 million people over the U.S. Census’ 2020 baseline.

Atlanta Regional Commission

The forecast is part of long-range population and employment predictions ARC issues roughly every four years to help shape transportation investments and planning. According to ARC, the metro’s growth will be driven by a strong economy, with another 856,000 jobs added by 2050, for a total of 4.6 million jobs.

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CITYWIDE—Mini farmers markets are en route to five MARTA stations across the transit agency’s system, with a goal of providing fresh, healthy, and free food to neighborhoods around the city.  

The MARTA Market Food Pantry kicked off its 2024 season today in partnership with Community Farmers Markets. (This week, it’ll also pop up from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday at College Park and Kensington stations, and Friday at Doraville and Five Points stations.)

Courtesy of MARTA

The free food pantry events will take place for two hours one day per week at the four stations listed above, plus H.E. Holmes station, until April 26. CFM is partnering with Urban Recipe, Second Helpings, and InTown Cares to distribute fresh produce, shelf-stable, and frozen food items at MARTA Market locations. Visitors can also sample and provide feedback on plant-based recipes as part of the MARTA Test Kitchen. Find more details here.

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