A.L. Miller Village-Monthly Construction update #1

This is the first of the monthly construction updates for A.L. Miller Village that will be posted on this blog.

Construction activities appear have been under way for approximately 3–4 weeks. Work is progressing well and has been concentrated on trash out and light demolition work at the existing buildings and grading work at the single family sector of the project. Due to the August fire, there was significant damage to the gymnasium area of Building 2 and significant smoke damage to the east wing of Building 2.

If you have any questions or would like to send us a comment regarding A.L. Miller Village, please either post a comment on the blog or send us an email at info@peachtreehousing.com.  Please use this email for questions or comments regarding the development process only.  

For information regarding pre-leasing, please email almiller@fairwaymanagement.com or call 478.744.2455.

Site grading roughly 80% complete at single family lots-See Picture Below:

Clean-up and light demolition nearly complete at Building 1-See Picture Below:

View of burn damage to gymnasium at Building 2-See Picture Below:

All financing closed-construction will commence shortly!

All construction financing has closed and we are very close to starting construction!  We will start providing monthly updates on construction activities on this blog as soon as construction commences.  Please continue to check back here for more info!

Update on fire-A.L. Miller Village development is moving forward as planned!!

We are pleased to announce that the development team has evaluated the damage caused by the August fire to the secondary building and has adjusted the planning and development accordingly.  The development of A.L. Miller will move forward as planned!  We are currently in the process of finalizing all financing arrangements and expect to start construction soon.  Please check back for updates!

Fire at A.L. Miller school-development team is evaluating implications

A fire broke out in the secondary gymnasium of the A.L. Miller school on the evening of August 13, 2015.  The main structure was not impacted.  The development team is closely monitoring this and is working to determine the impact on the development and whatever changes to the plans and specs may be needed.  We would like to thank the Macon fire department for their professionalism and quick response to the blaze.  Due to their hard work the fire was contained to the secondary structure.
Please see the link below for more information and please continue to monitor this blog for further developments;

http://www.gpb.org/news/2015/08/14/fire-burns-historic-empty-l-miller-macon

Preliminary Plans and Specs are complete

Preliminary Plans and Specs for A.L. Miller Village are complete and are being reviewed by the development team and investors.  We are moving along and hope to close all financing in the next 2-3 months and should start construction shortly thereafter!  Please continue to check this blog for further updates.

Design Charrette wrap-up

We would like to thank everyone that took time out of their busy schedules to attend the A.L. Miller Village Design Charrette on March 16-18, 2015.  The Charrette was very successful and gave the development team a lot of insight into the community's thoughts regarding the development of A.L. Miller Village.  A.L. Miller Village is a historic landmark in the Macon community and we couldn't be happier to redevelop this site which has such an important history and value to the local community.

Please see below for a brief recap of what was discussed at the Design Charrette:

March 16, 2015 - Mark Wright, the architect for A.L. Miller Village and a principal in Oracle Consulting gave an introduction to the Earthcraft Communities program and an overview of the A.L. Miller Village development.  Please see the pictures at the bottom of this post!

March 17-18th, 2015 - The development team reviewed in detail the Earthcraft Communities and Earthcraft Multifamily worksheets and programs requirements.  This was an extremely valuable exercise as the development team and general public were able to learn more about these programs and enable the development team to ensure their concerns are taken into consideration.

Again, thank you to all attendees for a successful Design Charrette!!

Design Charrette to be held in Macon, GA on March 16-18, 2015-All are encouraged to participate

In connection with the redevelopment of the A.L. Miller School, A.L. Miller Village, LP will be conducting a two- and one-quarter day planning workshop or “charrette” on March 16-18 2015 and would appreciate and value your participation. 

The A. L. Miller Village project is an adaptive reuse and renovation of a Historic Landmark School campus into affordable housing.  A.L. Miller Village is located on an eleven acre site at 2241 Montpelier Avenue, Macon, Bibb County, Georgia.   The campus consists of three separate buildings, the High School (three stories), the freestanding Gymnasium building and the Elementary School building (two stories) with an attached Administration building (one story).  Generally the project consists of:

• 62 new one, two and three bedroom units located in the existing historic buildings,

• Nine (9) freestanding single family homes along Birch Street (this borders the West side of the site),

The EarthCraft Communities program addresses low-impact development, site selection, land disturbance, water quality and quantity management, energy, transportation infrastructure, community design, green space preservation and more. In addition, all buildings within an EarthCraft Community must be certified through the EarthCraft House, Multifamily or Light Commercial programs.

EarthCraft Communities program administrators perform regular site visits, facilitate conceptual design charrettes and provide each project green building trainings for residents, property managers, builders and/or realtors.

EarthCraft Communities have been successfully implemented for numerous developments.  A.L. Miller Village, LP is excited to engage the surrounding community to better understand their concerns and uncover potential opportunities available to the project.

The workshop will be attended by the project team, adjacent land owners and local officials to address EarthCraft Communities design considerations for A.L. Miller Village, to create more innovative and responsive plans and streamline processes by involving the entire design and construction team in the initial stages of the design process. 

Format for the workshop will include discussions regarding the feasibility of implementing EarthCraft Communities strategies and requirements for the redevelopment of A.L. Miller Village.  In addition, the workshop participants will explore the opportunities and obstacles inherent in these strategies and decide what strategies and approaches would work best for the proposed project.  

All members of the community are invited to participate in this upcoming workshop.  The workshop will meet at 484 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201 (former Bowen Brothers Clothing Store).  Please see the agenda at the bottom of this post.

Your ideas, insights, and action items will be compiled into a short report for future reference.  This report will provide a listing of design considerations. The overall goal is to make this project a model of excellence in terms of sustainable design and development and to share this knowledge with others.

Should you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to call Josh Thomason, Principal for A.L. Miller Village, at (404) 228-5483.

We realize that this EarthCraft Communities Design Charrette calls for a commitment of time from your already busy schedules;  however, your skills are greatly needed and we hope that you will consider joining in this effort as an important investment in this project and this community.  We look forward to seeing you at the design charrette!

Please find a copy of the agenda below;