Master-Planned Parenthood

Raising children is an uncertain thing; success is reached only after a life of battle and worry.

Democritus

Since 2007 my partner and I have been assembling properties along a 1/4-mile stretch of Howell Mill Road in the southern end of the Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood.

Each building is like a child to us. And - 17 years in - our stint as stewards now has us overseeing teenagers. What we’ve learned: things don’t go as planned.

Our business plan is simple - the area was an under-loved stretch of suburbia in a wonderful neighborhood and piece-by-piece we’ve managed a series of partnerships that bought 16 buildings over the years. As the leases expire, we fix up the buildings or build new ones with hopes of further improving the neighborhood.

We’ve birthed some:

We’ve adopted some:

We’ve co-parented some:

And we’re expecting:

We’ve bought everything from dive bars to churches, oil change joints to barbershops, all with the plan of polishing them or replacing them and knitting together a more vibrant neighborhood.

We’ve got a server full of proformas, renderings, photographs, emails, boundary surveys, zoning reports, cross-access agreements, loan documents, geotechnical reports, and structural studies - all compiled to underpin our master plan.

As with the hopes and dreams one has for child, we’ve gone into great lengths planning the futures of these properties. We’re the worst helicopter moms but have learned there’s much we can’t control.

We’ve been through both lean times and salad days as the family has grown.

We’ve had illnesses - in the form of Covid.

We’ve had injuries - in the form of roof leaks, sewer backups, and flooding.

We’ve put some on restriction - in the form of payment plans.

Sometimes kids don’t get along and we’ve broken up our share of fights.

Sometimes kids rebel:

And sometimes things get out of hand with the neighbor kids, like when we were both out of town last week:

No one was hurt, but kids will be kids:

We’ve got another seven years or so before the kids are out of the house (our master plan has a few more phases to complete).

More battle and worry, and things won’t go as planned, but that’s the joy of parenthood.

If you’re reading this, you might be one of those “maniacs on a mission” working to create wonderful places.

Whether you’re a property owner looking to bring a property to life, or a retailer, designer, restaurateur, or hotelier who can make it happen, Automatic is the place for you.

Join us on October 1 & 2 in Atlanta to find your people.

Learn more: www.automaticmeetup.com