(ATLANTA, Ga.) — So many factors contribute to what makes a downtown truly great, from restaurants and hotels to tourist attractions and greenspaces. One thing that Atlanta’s downtown has lacked, though, is a consistent population.

Could change be on the horizon for downtown?

While the neighborhood bustles with Georgia State students, offices for public and private enterprise, and amenities during daylight hours, as the sun goes down it goes dormant, waiting for the morning to return to life.

The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t helped either. The rise of remote working has pinched the wallets of developers and businesses alike, pushing vacancy rates higher. The AP reported today on a 31-floor downtown Manhattan building, vacant since 2021, that’s being converted into 588 market-rate rental apartments, housing about 1,000 people in total.

A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article profiles efforts that two organizations are engaging in to reuse aging office space, and bring them into the 21st century.

The civics organizations Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) issued proposals in March, seeking consultants on the best legal, ethical, and financial ways to convert old office space into housing.

Included in those legal hurdles could be zoning laws, traffic congestion and transit alternatives, parking regulations, and the ability of downtown businesses to attract customers and a permanent population.

Currently, 25% of downtown Atlanta real estate is taken up by parking, per analysis by the Parking Reform Network, a progressive nonprofit targeting issues in urbanism.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens ran on constructing 20,000 units of new housing by 2026. In his 2023 State of the City address, given in late March, Dickens noted the 1,900 units that have already been delivered and over 5,000 more under construction within city limits. He specifically cited the purchase of 2 Peachtree, a 41-floor former office building adjacent to the Five Points MARTA Station.

CNN announced plans to vacate its massive downtown campus, the CNN Center, back in 2020. Last week, the AJC reported that the facility’s new owners are considering some 300 apartment units as part of the redevelopment scheme.

A representative for CP Group told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution it “will be making no further comment at this time.”

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