Midtown Atlanta from the 47th floor of One Atlantic Center

Remember the Midtown Mile?

Like the Streets of Buckhead, it’s said to be just sleeping, not dead. But, some of the project’s developers are said to be reigning in their ambitions, leaning toward something a little less Dean & Deluca and a little more Trader Joe’s.

The scaling down isn’t just in fancy-ness but also in volume. The project’s planned retail component has been scaled back to about 610,000 square feet from the original 1,000,000. Luxury condos, once a must-have for new development, are likely to feature less prominently in the new design as well.

But at least one developer isn’t buying into the new vision.

Shirley Gouffon is a senior vice president with Selig Enterprises, the company that’s developing 12th & Midtown with Daniel Corp. In an e-mail to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Gouffon said that Selig and Daniel “have not bought into these ideas and are in total disagreement with many of the positions outlined.”

The Mile’s developers are in a difficult position, trying to create an area that will appeal to three very different groups:

• People from out of town who stay in Midtown’s expensive hotels and would like to walk to shopping, restaurants and entertainment
• People who live in the suburbs and come into the city for events at the Fox Theater, the High Museum and Woodruff Arts Center and want things to do before and/or after, preferably things that aren’t available where they live
• People who live and work in and around Midtown and want things like a grocery store on Peachtree, interesting but reasonably-priced restaurants and some walkable everyday shopping

Do you live, work or hang out in Midtown? What do you think is missing there?