The Integral Group Wednesday in a press release announced plans to a deploy the “first autonomous shuttle in the region” at Assembly Yards, the redevelopment of the former GM plant.
The driverless shuttle system, slated to launch early 2019, will connect the new mixed-use destination with the Doraville MARTA station along a designated pathway using “cutting-edge guidance and detection systems.”
“As our region continues to expand at such a rapid pace, we must remain thoughtful of the connectivity our public transportation system provides,” Matt Samuelson, COO of the Commercial Real Estate Division at The Integral Group, said in the release.
“We are eager to be a pioneer of this new technology and to put Assembly and the City of Doraville’s Peachtree/Buford corridor at the forefront of innovation. Georgia is the number one state in the country for doing business, and we are dedicated to delivering emerging technologies to support growth and connectivity.”
Each driverless clean energy vehicle will hold approximately 12 people and follow a route from Assembly Yards to the Doraville MARTA Station in 15-minute intervals.
The Integral Group is currently in discussions with several potential operators for the driverless vehicle, including French companies Navya and Easy Mile, as well as U.S.-based Local Motors.
The Integral Group is expected to announce its preferred autonomous shuttle partnership in the coming weeks.
These autonomous shuttles rely on technology-driven tools like cameras, GPS, radar and laser rangefinders to make driving decisions.
Late last year, Navya launched the nation’s first driverless shuttle for public use in Las Vegas.
In addition to the autonomous shuttle, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has acquired ROW at Assembly to create a managed toll lane interchange linking directly to Doraville MARTA, providing a regional “multi-modal connection.”
The managed lanes will operate with MARTA and regional buses as BRT, connecting the entire Northern Arc suburbs to the Doraville station.
To further enhance the overall consumer experience at Assembly, the master plan puts walkability at the forefront of the destination, incorporating infrastructure features like curbless streets and a two-mile reclaimed rail track network that will be rehabilitated into a public pedestrian and bicycle park.
Upon completion, Assembly Yards will encompass 10 million square feet of multifamily housing, creative office space, restaurants, retail, and entertainment, including the purpose-built film studio Third Rail Studios which was completed in the first phase.
The new 250,000-square-foot Serta Simmons Bedding headquarters will celebrate its topping out this week and delivers in February 2019, plus, an additional 1.3 million square feet of space is anticipated to deliver in the next 24 months.
