ATLANTA -- Amid great fanfare, the new Atlantic Station development opened Thursday, heralding a new chapter in a part of town that formerly housed a toxic industrial site.

The glitzy new project could be the latest destination for Atlanta's see-and-be-scene crowd, what with its multi-story condominiums, high-rise office tower, massive retail area, glitzy restaurants and residential lofts perched on top of it all.

Atlantic Station is part of the live-work-play trend that advocates say will reduce the dependence on cars in the metro area.

Just a decade ago, the site was a steel mill, contaminated with years of steel poisoning. Developers eagerly eyed the prime location, but investors were scared off by the environmental threat.

The deveploment's fortunes were boosted this summer when IKEA, the Swedish furniture store, opened its first outlet in the Southeast in the area.

State and local authorities helped make the project a reality when they fast-tracked the construction of a bright yellow bridge to connect Midtown Atlanta to Atlantic Station across the Downtown Connector.