Top 10 Construction Projects Getting Underway in Atlanta

Amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, the pace of construction in Midtown Atlanta has been astonishing over the past 15 years.

From tall skyscrapers in Midtown to massive apartment complexes, exposed steel and large cranes are buzzing with activity everywhere.

While many of the city’s largest projects are still on the drawing board waiting to get underway, here’s our list of the Top 10 construction projects which have recently broken ground in Midtown Atlanta:
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Modera Midtown

90 Peachtree Place
Atlanta, GA 30309

450 residential units / 13,000sf retail

Developer: Mill Creek Residential
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: 2017
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Post Midtown

33 11th St
Atlanta, GA 30309

327 residential units

Developer: Post Properties
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: Projected Summer 2017
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Azure on the Park

Piedmont Ave and 11th St
Atlanta, GA 30309

327 residential units / 3,200sf retail

Developer: Atlantic Realty Partners
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: Projected Fall 2016
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Broadstone Terraces

811 Juniper
Atlanta, GA 30308

218 residential units

Developer: Alliance Residential
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: Projected Fall 2016
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1010 West Peachtree Street

Atlanta, GA 30309

328 residential units / 13,000sf retail

Developer: The Hanover Company
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: Projected Fall 2016
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Yoo on the Park

207 13th St
Atlanta, GA 30309

245 residential units / 1,100sf retail

Developer: Trillist
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: Projected Summer 2016
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Atlantic House

1163 West Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA 30309

400 residential units / 11,500sf retail

Developer: Novare Group
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: Projected Summer 2016
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60 Eleventh Street

Atlanta, GA 30309

319 residential units / 14,000sf retail

Developer: Daniel Corp. & Selig Enterprises
Status: Under Construction
Start Date: Spring 2015
End Date: Projected Winter 2016
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Emory Proton Treatment Center

615 Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA 30308

State of the art, high tech cancer treatment center

Developer: Advanced Particle Therapy and Signet Enterprises
Status: Under Construction
Start Date: Winter 2014
End Date: Projected Winter 2016
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One Museum Place

1301 Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA 30309

48 residential units

Developer: John Wieland
Status: Broken Ground
End Date: Projected Summer 2016
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NCR Building $300M World Headquarters in Atlanta

NCR, the high-tech company that specializes in consumer transactions, broke ground last week for its new world headquarters in Midtown Atlanta. The $300 million project will be a state-of-the-art campus designed to attract top talent, showcase NCR’s technology solutions and serve as an iconic landmark for the City of Atlanta. 

The 22-story tower — which will sit on top of five decks of parking — will offer NCR greater visibility than the company has at its current suburban headquarters in Duluth, Ga.

One feature of the new tower is its sloping panes of glass that, as sunlight hits the building, will give it a sense of movement.

The new tower will be located at the corner of 8th and Spring streets in the heart of Midtown Atlanta’s Technology Square.

The 485,000-square-foot headquarters “is a critical first step in a larger goal to create a ‘Silicon Valley of the East’ right here in Atlanta,” said NCR Chairman Bill Nuti.

The NCR campus will also feature a four-level transparent glass building where employees, Georgia Tech students and professors can gather and collaborate.

The Fortune 500 company plans to house about 3,600 employees at it's new world headquarters.

“NCR wants to take the intellectual capacity of Tech Square, and of Georgia Tech students and professors, and create an active, collaborative environment,” said John McColl, an executive vice president with Cousins Properties Inc., which is developing the $250 million first phase of the NCR project.

"It will be like an urban living room, where the company plans to invite everyone in Tech Square to come and be part of what it is doing."

In addition to the 22-story Midtown headquarters building, the NCR campus will also feature a four-level transparent glass building where employees, Georgia Tech students and professors can gather and collaborate.

Known as the Spring Street Building, it's intended as the heart of the project, a place to build connections in Technology Square, one of the nation’s fastest-growing innovation districts where Georgia Tech is the biggest catalyst for investment and development.

The Spring Street Building's glass is designed to be transparent on every floor so people passing by can see the activity inside — and want to be part of it.

Duda Paine Architects, designer of the Terminus office towers in Buckhead, which the project shares a resemblance, will be the building architect. Gensler, a global design firm, will design the project’s interiors.

NCR also plans to maintain a significant presence at a second campus in the northern suburbs. These locations will enable the company to continue to attract talent from the entire metro Atlanta area to support its hardware-enabled, software-driven business.

The new world headquarters will be located at Centergy North at Technology Square on Spring Street, and will provide NCR with a state-of-the-art presence close to Atlanta’s rich innovation centers and leading academic institutions.

In addition to helping the company consolidate a number of disparate facilities into unified and contemporary work environments, improved access to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will make it easier for financial services, retail and hospitality customers from all over the world to visit Atlanta and experience NCR’s innovative technology solutions first hand.

NCR is best known for making ATMs and cash registers, but the company is changing into more of a software business, and the new facility is part of NCR’s plan to tap into talent at Georgia Tech.

“Creating a state-of-the-art campus in midtown Atlanta near Georgia Tech marks an important step in NCR’s reinvention as an exciting and important, global technology company,” said NCR Chairman and CEO Bill Nuti.

“You can count on your hand the number of successful technology company reinventions that have been executed over the last hundred years – and NCR is amongst them. NCR runs global commerce and we make the everyday easier as consumers connect, interact and transact with business. We are extremely proud of the important innovations we create and the valuable work done on behalf of our customers around the world right here in metro Atlanta.”

“Georgia has proven to be the top choice for leading companies to locate their headquarters,” said Governor Deal. “NCR chose Georgia a few years ago, and we are thrilled that this global leader will now expand its presence in our state. Our No. 1 business climate, which includes a skilled workforce, a solid network of companies, access to innovative R&D and a critical mass of fiber accessibility and total bandwidth, creates the ideal environment for Fortune 500 companies such as NCR to grow and remain competitive.”

“Technology is a critical sector for our local economy and we are honored to have NCR locate its global headquarters in Atlanta,” said Mayor Kasim Reed.  “Every day, businesses are voting with their feet and choosing the City of Atlanta as the place to bring their dreams and build their businesses. The best companies in the world are building their brands here, strengthening our economy and confirming Atlanta’s place as a leading city for business.”

The new NCR headquarters in midtown will be ready in early in 2018, and join the ranks of other iconic Atlanta buildings, such as Bank of America Plaza, SunTrust Plaza, and One Atlantic Center. While a location for the campus in the northern suburbs is yet being finalized, it is expected to open during a similar time frame.

Although the groundbreaking ceremony was held last week, actual construction will begin on Jan 4th.

  

New $144M Ballpark of The Palm Beaches for Astros, Nationals

A whole lot of baseball will soon be coming to West Palm Beach, Florida. Construction of a new 160 acre spring training facility for the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros began this week with a major league celebration for the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

The new $144 million complex will be located at 45th Street between Military Trail and Haverhill Road in West Palm Beach.

The new stadium, which will hold 6,400 people, is expected to be ready for the 2017 baseball season and will be shared by both Major League teams.

Major League Baseball officials and Palm Beach County leaders celebrated the groundbreaking for the $144 million stadium slated to bring the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals to West Palm Beach for spring training beginning in 2017.

“I think these are two really appealing teams; they’ll draw well and be great competition to the existing teams in the area," Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.

The ceremonial ground breaking diamond was packed with clay from the county's existing spring training stadium in Jupiter, where the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals play.

The doubling the number of local spring training teams, and the tourism boost that could bring, was hailed by local business leaders and other baseball backers as the chief selling point for building a second stadium.

The project calls for the county to pay about half of the stadium's cost, with the state and the teams paying the rest. Estimated construction costs are already expected to go beyond the $144 million forecast, with the teams required to cover the difference. Also, borrowing money to pay for construction could end up elevating the cost to about $233 million.

Of that, the county is projected to pay $116 million, with at least $67 million coming from the teams and $50 million from the state.

In addition to the stadium to be shared by the teams, plans include building separate training facilities for the Astros and Nationals along with a new city park that includes community sports fields that would double as spill-over parking during Spring Training.

The early work involves cleaning up the old yard waste dump site, which is expected to cost about $15 million.

Washington Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner the stadium construction would be "ensuring strong economic growth on this property," expected to benefit the surrounding community.

Along with getting state funding for the stadium deal, officials had to persuade the Florida Legislature to ease restrictions on the proposed building site. That involved lawmakers agreeing to shrink a protective zone on the southern portion of the property bordering a canal that helps supply city drinking water.

"I look forward to watching a game there soon," Gov. Rick Scott said in a video shown at the groundbreaking.

The county's share of the stadium cost is to be paid with taxes currently levied on hotel stays and dedicated to spending on tourism-related efforts.

Adding two new Major League Baseball teams will boost tourism and make it easier to keep the Marlins and Cardinals from leaving for other spring training destinations.
   

Major New Development to Rise at Buckhead Place

After a few delays, Coro Realty Advisors, an Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm, plans to construct a major multi-use development on Piedmont Road in Buckhead.

The project will be located north of Peachtree Road and adjacent to the Piedmont Crossing shopping center — home to the Disco Kroger— that will include 40,000 square feet of retail/restaurant and office space, a 186-room hotel and 190 apartments.

Named Buckhead Place, the present 150,000-square-foot shopping center is anchored by LA Fitness, Marshalls, an apartment building and a Hyatt Place hotel.

The two retail parts of the new development front on Piedmont Road and the hotel and apartment lobbies will front on the private access road that runs from Piedmont Road to Maple Drive.

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The south portion of the development consists of approximately 5,500 square feet of retail/restaurant space on the first floor and include a 186-room, eight story Hampton Inn & Suites hotel.

The new hotel will be an addition to the existing and nearby Hampton Inn Atlanta - Buckhead on Piedmont Road, and will offer suites, whereas the present property does not. 

The current Hampton Inn hotel is six floors, 153 rooms.  The new hotel is scheduled to welcome its first guests in early 2018. 

The north side of the development has approximately 33,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space on two levels that is along Piedmont Road and then wraps down the private drive and into an internal courtyard.

On the north side of the drive there will be 190 apartment units planned with a 7-story deck plus underground parking.

The amenity deck is the top level of the parking.

The project is slated to break ground in the second quarter of 2016 and will be built in phases, with grading and clearing scheduled to begin in the second quarter of this year.

Construction is expected to begin in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Cooper Carry is the architectural firm for the development with Lindsay Pope Brayfield Clifford & Associates being the architects for the hotel part of the development.

An earlier development proposal from 2008 included a hotel/retail building of 208,795 square feet, including 330 hotel rooms. The new plan has 186 hotel rooms in a building totaling 108,659 square feet.

$300M Mixed-Use Development for Atlanta's Southside

A $300 million mixed-use project is planned along Interstate 75 in Henry County, a potential boon for an area south of Atlanta’s airport that’s been mostly overlooked by developers.

While plenty of mixed-use developments have cropped up north of Atlanta in the last few years, the south side of the Perimeter has yet to see significant investment.

But RCP Companies is aiming to change that. The firm recently announced their intentions to build a massive mixed-use project in McDonough.

The 160-acre development called Jodeco/Atlanta South is slated to bring $300 million of investment to Henry County.

The project would rise on what today is vacant land at I-75 and Jodeco, Chambers and Mt. Olive roads. It would include more than 500,000 square feet of retail, 600 residential units, two hotels and a 30-acre park.

Philadelphia, Pa.-based Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds is providing financing for the project. It could become the single largest investment ever for the city of Stockbridge. It would also show the willingness of capital partners to bet on the growth of suburban commercial nodes south of Interstate 20. “There’s been nothing of this size,” said Dale Hall, administration and community services director for Stockbridge.

Hall added the project could become a major destination for south Atlanta and a catalyst for growth. “We are really excited about the potential,” he said.

The project is inspired by other dense communities that have sprung up across the country and in metro Atlanta, such as Alpharetta’s Avalon.

Those projects, to combat rising e-commerce sales, have created experience-rich shopping and dining destinations in affluent areas such as in-town Atlanta and north Fulton County.

RCP is making a bet on Henry County, which doesn’t have the same concentration of high paying jobs. Unlike Avalon developer North American Properties, the company is targeting more value-oriented retailers that reflect demand in Henry County.

Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Urban Design Associates is the master planner. The project’s first phase could break ground in early fall, with an opening set for later in 2017.

Developers hope to attract an organic grocer and a large sporting goods chain. The project would also feature a 22,000-square-foot food hall.

“We would be the only one in south Atlanta to offer that kind of product,” said Max Grelier, chief development officer for RCP Companies. “We are doing this at a scale to meet demand in the market. We feel like this is an emerging market.”

A market study from Robert Charles Lesser & Co. that said Henry County can support up to an additional 750,000 square feet of retail over the next five years. Within a five-mile radius of the project, annual retail expenditures are estimated at $755 million, or 46 percent of total household expenses.

Stockbridge is looking at a public-private partnership to help fund an outdoor amphitheater at the project, but said it was too early to discuss details. Developers are also seeking approval of the project for annexation into Stockbridge. A meeting is set for March.

Existing wetlands on the site would become an amenity for visitors with a bike path, boardwalk bridge and trails. The project would also have a direct connection to Henry Town Center, a massive retail project with big-box tenants.

Some local retail experts see the project as an exciting investment for Henry County. The area has a tremendous population density that is highly attractive to expanding retailers.

The project will draw from a large trade area that is currently drastically underserved by cutting-edge, mixed-use projects offering significant unique dining, entertainment and recreational amenities.

Hard Rock to Build 800-Room Guitar-Shaped Hotel in Hollywood

The oversized guitar has long been a beacon for the Hard Rock Casino chain, but the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood is looking to take to take that iconic symbol to new heights.

Plans for a colossal guitar-shaped hotel tower stretching 34 stories and containing 800 rooms were unveiled this week during a news conference with Gov. Rick Scott.

The tower is the feature attraction in the Seminole Tribe's $1.8 billion expansion plans. The structure looks every bit a guitar in scale but doesn't have a neck.

"We could have easily just built some rectangular building ... but the tribe is once again trying to create something that is iconic, that creates international tourism coming to Florida," said Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen. "We truly believe that that design alone will create additional tourism."

The expansion plans, contingent on the Legislature's approval of a deal brokered between the tribe and the governor, include the hotel tower and restaurants. The expansion is expected to bring nearly 20,000 jobs to Florida, the Seminoles said.

The hotel will increase the complex's rooms to 1,273 and add five new restaurants, a buffet and nightclub at its complex on U.S. 441 north of Sterling Road.

The tribe is committed to rivaling Las Vegas and other casino destinations around the world. "We truly think this will rival not only anything in Florida, but Atlantis and anything in the world," Allen said, pointing to an artist rendering on an easel.

The expansion includes spending almost $100 million on swimming pool space, Allen said. The plan adds a second pool and new pool bar. "Florida is about pools and the beaches and the ocean."

He said that while the aim is to create a destination that will continue to attract crowds many years from now, the expansion doesn't stretch far beyond the casino's current footprint.

While Allen focused on the Hollywood expansion, he also discussed plans for the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, which will have new poker rooms, stores and restaurants.

The Tampa hotel and casino will also add a new tower with 500 hotel rooms and a live entertainment venue with up to 2,000 seats.

For the more affluent gamblers, there will be a helipad.

Scott asked numerous questions during the presentation. His verdict at the end: "Impressive."

Several business owners who work with the Seminole Tribe stood at a microphone and discussed how their businesses had been affected by the casinos.

A flower shop owner who started working with the Seminoles in 2010, said her business has grown from five employees to more than 100 full-and part-time employees. She said she buys and installs over 35,000 flowers annually at the casino.

From the onset, the emphasis was jobs. "It would be devastating" if the proposed deal doesn't pass.
Scott rehashed the numbers: 3,800 jobs lost if the gambling deal isn't signed and 4,800 direct and indirect jobs created, outside of construction jobs, if it passes.

The gambling deal would bring $3 billion to the state over the next seven years. In return, the Seminoles would get the exclusive right to have roulette, craps and other table games in its seven casinos.

The deal also caps the number of slots and tables casinos can have, but critics point out that the caps are so large they are essentially meaningless, including a 6,000-slot limit at any one casino.

The agreement also states that the Legislature can approve new casinos in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, a limited amount of blackjack tables in pari-mutuels and even allowing the race tracks to stop racing and simply operate as casinos.

$115M Center for Intelligent Buildings in Palm Beach Gardens

United Technologies, the world's largest provider of building technologies, will invest $115 million to develop a new sustainable, world-class UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The Fortune 500 Company chose the city for its new six-story, 265,000-square-foot Center for Intelligent Buildings, which will bring with it 380 high paying jobs. The new complex will be built on 30 acres of land near Interstate 95 and Donald Ross Boulevard

The plan also calls for a four-story parking garage with 602 spaces and bus parking for United Technologies to bring in groups from local hotels to the center for training and product demonstrations.

The center is expected to generate a $662 million economic impact over five years, according to the county. In addition to the innovative technologies to be showcased, the facility itself will feature advanced, environmentally responsible building systems and materials.

Developed to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standard, it will be both eco-friendly, intelligent and sustainable.

The building will demonstrate new technology for security, fire safety, air conditioning, elevator and escalator, and refrigeration systems. The Center for Intelligent Buildings will be a place where designers, architects, building owners and United Technologies distribution networks can get product demonstrations and training,

The city, Palm Beach County and Florida offered United Technologies millions of dollars in economic incentives to keep 70 jobs and create 380 new ones with an average wage of $85,000 by 2020.

Based in Hartford in Connecticut, UTC has annual sales of $65.1 billion, net income attributable to common shareholders of $6.2 billion and 211,500 employees. Company units include UTC Building & Industrial Systems, engine maker Pratt & Whitney, helicopter maker Sikorsky and UTC Aersopace Systems. The buildings unit has annual sales of about $29.8 billion and employs more than 118,000 people, the website said.

UTC Building & Industrial Systems is the world’s largest provider of building technologies. Through innovation and integration, UTC Building & Industrial Systems brings together technologies from across its industry-leading brands to improve building efficiency and occupant experience. The organization combines cutting-edge HVAC with intuitive software, breakthrough elevator technology with advanced security solutions, and merges entry control solutions with building automation systems to maximize comfort and enhance productivity – while minimizing energy consumption.

Geraud Darnis, President/CEO of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, said, “We are excited to announce the development of a first-of-its-kind, intelligent and sustainable customer center. This living showplace will serve as a destination for the global building community, offering truly integrated, whole-building solutions. We chose Florida among other potential locations in the Southeast for its ideal climate for year-round demonstration of advanced, energy efficient cooling technologies, as well as its proximity to existing UTC facilities and neighboring international airports.”

Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud to announce that UTC Building & Industrial Systems has picked Florida for their new Center for Intelligent Buildings, which will add 380 jobs in the Palm Beach community. We know UTC picked Florida over other locations in the Southeast and we look forward to their continued success in the Sunshine State.”

This project was made possible by the close partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, the city of Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach County.

‘We are very excited that United Technologies has selected Palm Beach County as the location for its innovative UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings. This game-changing project is truly unique – there is no other facility like this in the U.S. and its proximity to Scripps Florida and Max Planck will solidify a true innovation and research corridor in this county,” said Kelly Smallridge, President/CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.

“We proudly welcome United Technologies as the newest partner in the Palm Beach Gardens business community,” said Mayor Eric Jablin, Palm Beach Gardens. “The addition of United Technologies is significant to the Gardens and serves as an example of intelligent growth. We are grateful to United Technologies for placing its confidence in the solid business climate we have worked to establish and for the many job opportunities they will be creating. This will be to the benefit of our local economy for many years to come.”