DOUGLASVILLE, GA. — The Silverman Group has unveiled plans to break ground on the second building at Bright Star Logistics Center, a master-planned industrial campus in Douglasville, roughly 22 miles west of Atlanta. The New Jersey-based company will break ground on the 330,000-square-foot, speculative manufacturing/distribution building in the fourth quarter. Building Two will feature 36-foot clear heights, cross-dock configuration and ample car parking and trailer storage. Completion is slated for summer 2018. Bright Star Logistics Center is expected to attract industrial users including manufacturing, warehouse/distribution and third-party logistics companies. Upon completion, the park will features two modern distribution buildings, one of which is currently under construction and is preleased to Andersen Windows, a window and door manufacturer. Pat Murphy, James Phillpott and Tara Healy of Cushman & Wakefield will handle the project’s leasing assignment on behalf of The Silverman Group.
Georgia
MCDONOUGH, GA. — Cushman & Wakefield has secured a 505,000-square-foot lease for S&S Activewear at Midland Logistic Center in McDonough, roughly 30 miles south of Atlanta. The Illinois-based company is a national wholesaler of imprintable apparel and stocks more than 60 brands. Britt Casey of Cushman & Wakefield represented S&S Activewear in the lease negotiations, and Lisa Pittman, Ray Stache and James Philpott of Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Scannell Properties. The new warehouse will serve as a regional distribution center for the apparel company and will create more than 300 jobs over the next four years. The facility is expected to be operational by the second quarter of 2018.
MARIETTA, GA. — Capital Properties Group and Concordia Properties have unveiled the first round of restaurant tenants to occupy Marietta Square Market, a new food hall concept located in the Historic Marietta Square District, roughly 20 miles north of downtown Atlanta. The 18,500-square-foot converted warehouse building, located adjacent to the railroad tracks at 68 N. Marietta Parkway N.W., will have the look of a historic train station complete with a restored trolley car and a porch that wraps around two sides of the building. The food hall will feature 19 restaurant and retail concepts. Signed tenants at the project include Forno — Wood Fired Artisan Pizza, Street Taco, Grand Champion BBQ, Toppoke Korean & Poke and Pita Mediterranean Street Food. Kelly Wilson of Windsor Realty Group is handling the project’s leasing assignment. Marietta Square Market is slated to open in summer 2018.
Although so-called “creative office space” is for now a tiny slice of the overall supply in Atlanta, it represents the most significant change in the use of office space in generations. Tenants and landlords have only begun to use creative design principles to push rents past levels previously thought unreachable, while increasing worker productivity and satisfaction. Trends in this sector will define the American workplace for decades. The largest users of creative office space — also commonly referred to as loft office space — today are in the TAMI sector (tech, advertising, media and information), but law practices, engineering firms and others are also embracing the open office concept. In Atlanta, there is 3 million square feet of creative office space, which is only 1.2 percent of the metro area’s total inventory. But the vacancy rate for creative spaces is just 8.3 percent and the gross asking price is $29.90 per square foot, both considerably outperforming the traditional office arena. Since 2013 the asking rate for traditional office space in Atlanta has grown 17.2 percent. For creative space the asking rate has shot up 62.5 percent. The top end asking rate for creative spaces is more than $6.50 higher than …
ATLANTA — Continental Realty Corp. (CRC) has acquired Millworks, a 345-unit apartment community located at 1888 Emery St. in Atlanta’s West Midtown district, for $80 million. The Baltimore-based company acquired the asset on behalf of Continental Realty Fund IV LP, a $164 million fund focused on the acquisition of retail and multifamily properties throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Derrick Bloom, David Gutting and Brandon Beaty of JLL arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller and developer, Atlanta-based Pollack Shores. Delivered earlier this year, Millworks offers a mix of one- to three-bedroom floor plans ranging in size from 647 to 1,470 square feet. Unit interiors feature quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, nine-foot ceilings, vinyl plank wood flooring and balconies or porches. Community amenities include a saltwater pool with an outdoor lounge area, bocce ball court, bar lounge, fitness studio with yoga space and an art studio area.
MARIETTA, GA. — Studio Movie Grill, a privately owned dine-in theater concept based in Dallas, has opened its newest theater at 40 Powers Ferry Road in Marietta, a northern suburb of Atlanta in Cobb County. The 11-screen SMG Marietta is backfilling a former Sports Authority store in a shopping center that was once anchored by Harry’s Farmers Market, a subsidiary of Whole Foods Market. SMG Marietta is Studio Movie Grill’s third location in Georgia and its 29th nationwide. The property features a spacious lounge, wraparound bar, outdoor patio and luxury recliners in each theater. The theater employs roughly 200 people, according to Marietta Mayor Steve Tumlin. SMG Marietta is a participating theater in the company’s Special Needs Screenings and Chefs for Children programs.
AUGUSTA, GA. — The Palomar Group has brokered the $24.7 million sale of National Hills, a 159,855-square-foot shopping center in Augusta, located across from the Augusta National Golf Club. The Fresh Market anchors the center, which was 94 percent occupied at the time of sale by tenants including Electrolux, Sprint, Sally Beauty Supply, Legend’s Club and Merle Norman. The Palomar Group arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller, a regional investor, and the buyer, an international REIT.
SANDY SPRINGS, GA. — CBRE Global Investors has signed a 28,000-square-foot lease with Industrious, a coworking office space provider, at 7000 Central Park, an 18-story office tower in Atlanta’s Central Perimeter submarket. The 12-year lease marks Industrious’ fifth location in Atlanta and the company’s first foray into the market’s suburbs. The building is located in Sandy Springs, roughly 15 miles north of downtown Atlanta. Industrious will occupy the entire 11th floor of the building, and will accommodate approximately 200 members, ranging from small and midsize businesses to Fortune 500 companies. The 423,775-square-foot 7000 Central Park is in the final stages of a renovation that will deliver enhanced amenities, shared coworking space, community events, a fitness center, expanded café area and a new outdoor living room. In addition, CBRE Global Investors’ shuttle service offers a two-minute drive to the Sandy Springs MARTA station, as well as several mixed-use communities within close proximity. Industrious will move into the new space in early 2018.
A decade ago, the Atlanta retail market was a house of cards. It was clear to see this if you were in the industry at the time, and possibly even if you weren’t. Based on the intense overbuilding that had taken place, it wouldn’t have taken a worldwide economic meltdown to wreck it, though that didn’t help. Literally hundreds of unanchored retail centers had cropped up all over suburbia, fitting directly into everything that people consider to be negative about shopping centers. The formula for developers was to scrape every tree from a piece of land, cover it with asphalt and an inexpensively constructed building, then fill it with whatever tenants they could find. The result was largely a glut of properties with poor intrinsic values: mid-block sites, odd shaped layouts, challenging access, uninspired, non-credit tenants with high rents. This would, of course, turn out to be unsustainable. To be fair, not every property was developed in this fashion. Atlanta was and still is home to many excellent retail developers that know how to create amazing projects. But many look back to the 2000s in Atlanta as a time of cookie cutter development with inexperienced builders playing a game of …
DECATUR, GA. — Speak Life Management has broken ground on The Holbrook Decatur, a $73.7 million active adult community in Decatur, roughly 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Slated to open in spring 2019 at 1880 Clairmont Road, the community is situated less than one mile from Emory University. Designed for the 50-plus, active lifestyle market, The Holbrook will feature 71 apartments and offer health- and wellness-focused amenities, including a saltwater pool, positive ion emission and aromatherapy, spa services, concierge physician and wellness services, yoga, Pilates, spin classes and art and ceramic classes. In addition, The Holbrook will offer wine bars, local taps, coffee bistros, multiple dining venues and grilling stations. Dogwood Forest, the assisted living brand under the Speak Life Management umbrella, will also be located on the property and will include 97 assisted living units and 32 memory care units. The Holbrook Decatur’s project team includes Solomon Development Services, Needle Development, Choate Construction Co., CDH Partners and Harrison Design.