Mechanics Avenue Proposed Mixed Use Building: Focusing on Space for Small Businesses

We are getting closer to breaking ground on my next infill development project in Thunderbolt, Georgia. I will be pitching my proposal for a two=-story 2,700+/- mixed use building at the northeast corner of Victory Drive and Mechanics Avenue in little old Thunderbolt, Georgia at the May 20th Planning and Zoning meeting. I am posting the proposed design renderings here and linking to the Town’s Facebook pages so that I can be fully transparent and help residents understand the concept before the meeting.

Proposed Renderings for 2618 Mechanics Avenue, Thunderbolt, GA. I wish to give Homestead Architecture a huge shout out here.

The new Victory Drive Design guidelines for the Town of Thunderbolt helped direct the design of this building. I wanted to go heavy on the personality that lends to the friendliness of the low country. There are ample sunny windows fronting Victory Drive with the dedicated porch that is also required to front the boulevard. The roof is rendered with standing seam metal and I intend to select a colored metal that is timeless and has character complimentary to the neighborhood. As far as the design goes, I believe it’s simplicity is what makes it elegant. I hope that I do not get a lot of pushback from the Town as I have been extraordinarily thoughtful about it.

Since the Victory Drive District promotes a Main Street feel, I focused on the mixed use model. You will notice that for the retail spaces, we have two distinct spaces. Both spaces are roughly 675 sf with a kitchenette and bathroom. At first, I wanted a cafe in the corner space but I do not intend to put a cafe here. I do not want to spend that kind of money on the upgraded sewer.

Upstairs, there are two, walk up one bedroom apartments, each about 650 sf. For this use, the Town requires 2.5 parking spaces per unit. One of the archaic things about the parking guidelines is that anyone developing must give 2.5 spaces per residential unit — it does not matter if it’s a Studio apartment or 4 Bedroom home. These apartments will have dedicated, assigned parking spaces for 1 car each. In the evening after the offices have closed for the day, there will be a plethora of parking spaces for guests.

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I do imagine that we will have questions about the site plan. We have decided because it is such a small building, we will not require anything other than normal trash bins that we can roll to the curb — this is currently what is working at The Village on the Bluff.

Turning into the site from Mechanics Avenue is a questions that we will no doubt be tasked with answering as well. We believe that turning onto the property directly after turning off Victory Drive will prove a hard task and will be seeking to have the turn in be on the northernmost entry point to the site. Appropriate directional signage will be coordinated and meet signage requirements for the town.

I do anticipate residents upset that we are losing the lovely magnolia tree. I will tell you that with the parking requirements and drive aisle, it is near impossible to keep it and even if we did, my civil engineer, Maupin Engineering, has stated that the tree would probably die in a couple of years as the roots would undoubtedly be disturbed.

I hate it but it’s a hard fact of development. I did commit to the Town to work with Victory Gardens again to add more palm tress as is the character of the Victory Drive corridor and Mechanics Ave. placemaking - I adore working with Kerry and Reid’s team and their landscaping at The Village on the Bluff really helped bring everything together.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to have a conversation with you or meet you at the site prior to the meeting. If I can not answer the questions (civil or structural questions) I can have my engineer or architect reach out to answer you directly.