Midtown ATL Booms: West Midtown is as Hot as it gets

Three major projects are underway in West Midtown district that will transform the Midtown experience.  There are five other reciprocal developments that are also in progress. Most of these developments are a “stone’s throw” away from each other, which should provide a synergistic atmosphere in the area.

The Works 1235 Chattahoochee Ave. NW Atlanta, GA 30318: Atlanta developer Selig has committed to a long-term plan for this 80-acre project, which will transform 40 historical structures to retail, residential and “creative office space”.

Star Metals 1050 Howell Mill Atlanta, GA 30318: “Iconic Architecture” and 185,000 SF of class A office space is being promoted by the developer. This project promises to take live, work, play to a higher level with unparalleled amenities offered to residential, retail, and office tenants.

The Interlock Corner of Howell Mill Rd. & 14 St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318: This mixed-use development is to include hotel and single-family homes. Notably, this venture is set to include a Georgia Tech program that will control 25% of the office space for use to promote and grow tech start-ups in the southeast.

Phases for these projects are scheduled to begin in 2020, with overall completion expected in 5-10 years.

 The four of the five other developments, Osprey, and 8 West, 788 West Midtown, and Inland Tract all have similar timelines. While comparable to The Works, Star Metals and The Interlock will not be as substantial in size.

Another project which has not yet broken ground, is a massive mixed-use development, Quarry Yards. This venture should get underway sometime in the second quarter of 2019.

We think this is certain to keep the area growing for the next several years. With the only concerns being the impeding traffic, and no direct access to the east west corridor. As expected, this expansion of West Midtown will appeal to the pioneer companies who seeking to attract young tech workers that prefer in-town living. This young talent pool is already nearby at Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Morehouse, Spellman, Emory, and University of Georgia, graduating just over 60,000 students per year.

Additional Project Highlights:

The Works at Chattahoochee

• 80 acres mixed use

• Will be  adapting 40 existing structures

• Completion/delivery in phases

• Full completion in 5-10 years

• 500 residences, 200 room hotel, 13 acres of greenspace

Star Metals

• Office, Residential, hotel, retail

• Dual Buildings

• Unique Architecture

• 185,000 SF of contiguous space

• Exclusive Marta Shuttle

• Close to Arts Center Station Rail

The Interlock

• Office, Retail, apartments, hotel

• 70 Single Family Homes

• GA Tech venture will control 25% of the office space

• 125 room hotel

• Southwest corner of Howell Mill Rd. and 14th Street

5 other large projects in the area

 Osprey

• Howell Mill and 10th

• Luxury rentals

• 13,000 SF restaurant/retail

• Will link together White Provision District and Marietta Street Artery

• Residential rental amenities noted at “the usual”- Resort style pool, fitness center, juice bar, pet spa, etc.

8 West

• Office, retail, and apartments

• Will incorporate Hathaway Gallery

• Ride share drop offs

• 175,000 square feet of office space across nine floors

• 10,000 square feet of ground-level restaurant and retail

• 264 apartments

 788 West Midtown

• Glassy residential only high-rise

• Expected to be 20 stories high

• To include 2 bedroom/2 baths (1,129 SF)

 Inland Tract

• Will offer “creative” office space

• 2 Mid-century warehouse to be turned into 80, 000 SF of offices

• Office will offer large windows and skylights

• Courtyard will provide casual meeting spaces

• Scheduled to open Fall 2019

 Quarry Yards

• Adjacent to Bankhead Marta station

• 70 acres mixed-use

• Office, retail and restaurant on 650,000 SF of space

• 850 Residential units

• 300 Room Hotel

• Backed by former Braves Player, Mark Teixeira

Will Brookhaven be the Next Mixed-Use Boom?

Welcome to the gem of the metro Atlanta area, Brookhaven. Located in western Dekalb County just past thriving Buckhead. With only a 20- minute drive from Atlanta, this community has much to offer.  Rated as one of the best places to live in Atlanta, Brookhaven is known for its affordability and strong school system.

Why Brookhaven?

Affordable Mobility. Lime is a company that places rentable bikes and electric scooters for a fee. City officials recently approved Lime’s permit application to install scooter systems throughout Brookhaven.

Major employers. AT&T Mobility, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory Orthopedics, are just some of the major brands that call Brookhaven home. The Weather Company, owners of the Weather Channel, announce they are in need of more space.

More MARTA. “Arterial Rapid Transit” systems are planned for the area. Arterial Rapid Transit means a bus that runs especially frequently and with priority at signals and in lines. The “Peachtree route” would run through Buckhead between Five Points station in Downtown to the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe Gold/Red Line station in Brookhaven.

(‘More MARTA transit in Buckhead with take more money’ https://www.reporternewspapers.net/2018/10/13/more-marta-transit-in-buckhead-will-take-more-money/)

Education. Oglethorpe University is located in Brookhaven. While easily not the largest university in the state, it is a beneficial component to the area. Articles suggest that, depending on your industry, locating your business near a University has many collaborative incentives.

Peachtree Creek Greenway. This multi-use trail that is currently under construction along Peachtree Creek. Once complete it promises to connect Atlanta, Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville. This surely will be an amenity that coincides with mixed use development lifestyle.

Why Atlanta Made Amazon's Shortlist for HQ2

Atlanta has become a front runner in the race to become the home of Amazon’s HQ2. While we aren’t sure who will ultimately land the new Headquarters, the mention of Atlanta has caused a lot of buzz for many tech companies. So, Why Atlanta? Wildmor Advisors is here to give you the rundown on Atlanta’s explosive growth.

For starters, Amazon and other technology-based firms are attracted to the top tier talent pool. Atlanta has a fluid market of about 40,000-50,000 graduates entering the job market each year. Local universities include Emory University (20 on the list of Top National Universities), Georgia Institute of Technology (34 on the list of Top National Universities and top 10 engineering schools), The University of Georgia, Spelman College, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Morehouse College, and others. Additionally, Atlanta has a growing list of coding schools (The Iron Yard, DigitalCrafts, Tech Talent South) focused on programing and developing for tech minds.

Atlanta also has a multitude of tech incubators and cutting-edge developments that are driving the buzz. For example, health insurance superstar, Anthem, announced last year that it is building an IT center in Midtown, scheduled for completion by 2020.  They will staff over 3,000 IT professionals. NCR also just opened their global headquarters in a brand new state-of-the-art building in Midtown. Multiple tech incubators such as Centergy, CODA, Alpharetta’s tech hub initiative, and Comcast’s new incubator are providing a structured environment for innovative businesses to grow.  Co-working spaces such as WeWork, Industrious, Spaces, Roam and others are competing to grow their footprint in this thriving mecca.

Atlanta is planning to invest in a smart future with their Atlanta SmartCity Strategic Infrastructure Initiative. The purpose is to create and implement new technology to improve the city and give it additional support. This is attractive for Amazon as they would be adding around 50,000 jobs/commuters to the mix.

Overall, Atlanta is a thriving city, offering a wide variety of educational opportunities, a steady stream of intelligent minds, the “World’s Busiest Airport,” a high quality of living with a comparatively low cost of living, varied rapid transit options, and many other benefits. We see many large corporations wanting to have a flag planted in Atlanta as the hub of the Southeast.  Overall, it is a very attractive city for Amazon to land in and also hopes to continue to attract new technological firms in the future.

State Farm Campus

Along with Mercedes-Benz, central Perimeter has another large corporate campus under construction. State Farm is in the process of building a new campus at the intersection of Hammond Dr NE & Perimeter Center Pkwy NE. The new campus, to be built in two phases, is led by Dallas-based developer KDC, architecture firm Cooper Carry & Associates, and general contractor Holder Construction. This project is said to be the largest corporate office project in metro Atlanta history.

 Over the past few years, State Farm has been slowly relocating its employees to the area and currently has over one million SF in subleases in the area. They are planning on adding about 3,000 metro Atlanta jobs over the next several years, with plans to eventually employ more than 8,000 in metro Atlanta once both phases are complete.

 Ground broke over two years ago for Phase One, which is nearing completion. The 600,000 SF building, known as Park Center, features 13 stories of office space, a 175 room hotel, and eight-levels of above ground parking. There is also retail and restaurant space located on the ground level. The campus, located in an area infamous for its congested traffic, will also be directly connected to the Dunwoody Marta station. State Farm hopes that this connection will encourage people to use public transportation and ease some of the traffic problems around Perimeter Mall.

If you haven’t already seen the progress for yourself, take a look at our gallery of the nearly completed building.