Exclusive: Mammoth Gulch project would reshape downtown Atlanta

A mini-city is planned for Atlanta's Gulch, the team behind it told the AJC. Documents detail the largest single development downtown since Portman’s Peachtree Center started in the 1960s. The Gulch would be split into areas for at least nine skyscrapers. All skyscrapers would be at least 225 feet high, with one more than 500 feet tall. The developer, CIM Group, appears to be competing for Amazon's second N.A. headquarters.

The development team planning a mini-city in downtown Atlanta's Gulch envisions a network of streets and skyscrapers that stretches from CNN Center to the Richard B. Russell Federal Courthouse, documents reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show.

Documents included in a transportation plan for the 27-acre site detail what would be the largest single development downtown since Portman’s Peachtree Center started in the 1960s. Los Angeles-based developer CIM Group’s project would carve the weedy tangle of downtown parking lots and rail lines known as the Gulch into 18 parcels with at least nine skyscrapers of 225 feet or more in height, including one rising to 500 feet or about 40 stories.

This schematic by Kimley-Horn shows a new grid of streets, refereed to as driveways, that would provide connectivity within the project site. CIM Group plans to carve a vast swath of the Gulch into 18 parcels, including at least nine skyscrapers of 225-feet or more. The project will rely heavily on existing MARTA rail and bus transit. It includes new sidewalks, traffic signals and entrances to two MARTA stations, but it does not detail signficant new transportation improvements beyond the project’s borders. Site map by Kimley-Horn

icon to expand image

CIM, which is seeking an expedited review, wants to build more than 9 million square feet of office space, 1,000 residences, 1,500 hotel rooms and 1 million square feet of retail space. It's a project clearly gunning for the attention of Amazon as the e-commerce giant scours North America for a new second headquarters that could one day employ more than 50,000 workers.

CIM, founded by Richard Ressler, the brother of Atlanta Hawks lead owner Tony Ressler, has been planning a mixed-use development with the team near Philips Arena that would in some ways mirror what the Atlanta Braves have done at the new SunTrust Park. But the scope of what’s detailed in the documents dwarfs that development.

Subscribers get more. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will analyze the most recent transportation filings and will update this story at the subscriber website, myAJC.com.

Related coverage 

MYAJC.COM: REAL JOURNALISM. REAL LOCAL IMPACT.

AJC Business reporter J. Scott Trubey keeps you updated on the latest news about economic development and commercial real estate in metro Atlanta and beyond. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

Never miss a minute of what's happening in local business news. Subscribe to myAJC.com.