The Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Atlanta recently recognized the Athens Multi-Modal Transportation Center with one of its most prestigious honors — the "Development of Excellence" award. Atlanta-based architecture firm Niles Bolton Associates worked with the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Ga., to provide programming, architecture and interior design services for this new transportation hub in Athens, Ga.

One of five projects honored by the Atlanta District Council of ULI at the annual awards dinner on Sept. 18, the 9,500-square-foot transit center links Athens Transit and University of Georgia buses, bicycle, taxi and pedestrian facilities into a single hub. The facility also serves as a community bridge, linking downtown Athens with the Oconee River Greenway.

"We are honored to receive such a prestigious award," said Lester Love, lead architect on the project and a partner at Niles Bolton Associates. "One of the goals was that the multi-modal station would be a catalyst for future development. It has really caught on, and I think it has really unlocked the development potential for that block of land between downtown and the Oconee River that previously was under-utilized."

The $9 million center was citizen funded through a sales tax, and is comprised of glass, brick, wood and cast stone, with exposed recycled steel to capture the industrial look of the region and the warehouse district east of downtown Athens. "The new Athens Multi-Modal Transportation Center is a vast improvement from the two curb-side shelters and information booth, located on two sides of a city block in downtown that served as our transfer center for over twenty years," said Athens Transit Director Butch McDuffie. The transportation center features a bus transfer facility including 17 covered bus bays and climate controlled waiting areas, restrooms, passenger drop of area, ticket/information booth, bicycle storage and has provisions for a future commuter rail.

ULI Atlanta's Development of Excellence awards were judged based on the following criteria: land use, sustainability, creativity in organization/management, smart growth, innovation in design and architecture, filling a community need, overcoming obstacles in development, and the use of public/private partnerships. Niles Bolton Associates earned a second ULI Development of Excellence award for their design work on The Howard School in Atlanta.

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