Ha, I've actually lived in both. I lived in the top-floor southeast apartment in Peachtree Lofts for two years, and I lived in one of the new-construction "loft-o-miniums" of Cornerstone Village for 6 months.
I
really liked
Peactree Lofts and was sorry to leave. You get a lot of space for your money there, the 24-hour doorman is awesome to have (it used to be Clarence, and he was great), there's a dog walk, and it's an authentic older structure. That being said, your mileage will vary here depending on your unit. When it first went condo, the units were not improved: by default they have painted black concrete floors, linoleum countertops, and cheap appliances. They also don't have delineated rooms
at all -- they're true lofts. Some of the units, however, have been improved to dramatic effect. For instance, the unit immediately beneath my rental was completely reconfigured with a closed bedroom, hardwoods everywhere, and a gorgeous kitchen. I'm not sure what it's like now, but I was renting in 2001-2003 for just over $1/ft there, even as the brand-new Metropolis was going for almost twice that.
My
Cornerstone Village "loft," on the other hand, was kind of cheesy. It was new construction facing the courtyard pool. It was a decent deal as well, compared to other places in Midtown, but it felt sort of like a suburban unit fitted into the complex. There was nice berber carpet, there were traditional rooms with walls, and the units (like Peachtree Lofts) were decently sized. The ceiling had exposed ductwork and concrete beams, but it seemed kind of artificial. The walls were also pretty thin. I had also heard some stories of leaking in my building, and the parking deck was a
mess: it was very literally falling apart during my time there, with blocks of concrete buckling and shifting as you drove over them. They started doing fixes to it as I was leaving. BUT, the biggest problem that came up re: the parking deck was that the homeowners' association was woefully underfunded, so they used up all their funds and more (through assessments, I believe I heard) to repair the deck.
I feel like Peachtree Lofts will be recognized as a true gem in the coming years, and that units there will hold their value (and then some), especially those that are renovated. Unlike many of the other units going up today in Midtown, the condos there are sizable, and the building amenities are great. The loft-o-miniums at Cornerstone (the new construction), on the other hand, I feel is almost destined to become
affordable housing. I don't see how it will remain desirable compared to the other options around now. I can't speak for the other buildings, though; In fact I hear the units in the "traditional" building at Cornerstone (with crown moulding, hardwoods, etc.) are pretty nice. But I have no firsthand knowledge of them.
Parking is
very tight in both of these complexes, with assigned spaces and no guest parking. They both have comparable workout rooms, though the pool's a little nicer at Cornerstone.
One thing I would have lost in my place in Peachtree Lofts, though, if I'd stayed, was my view. Oh, it was incredible, especially since I had a corner unit. Our downtown view was amazing and spanned the entire 25 feet of my southern wall. Now, it would be blocked by Spire. The Stone Mountain view I had is likely destined to be blocked in the future as well by buildings across Peachtree.
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