Crocker Partners and MidCity plan Sandy Springs project along Georgia 400
Developers in Atlanta’s central Perimeter are drawing up plans for more projects, as tenants look to expand while existing office space fills up. The latest ambitions come from a joint venture between Atlanta’s MidCity Real Estate Partners and Florida-based Crocker Partners. The companies want to develop NorthPlace, which could include up to 370,000 square feet of office space. The 3.7-acre site stands at Barfield Road and Georgia 400 in Sandy Springs and just southeast of the new Mercedes Benz USA headquarters. The site has been a target of development for years. Crocker bought it in 2007, just before the downturn. Today, Barfield Road is part of an active corridor connecting Hammond Drive, Mount Vernon Highway and Abernathy Road, an area home to blue chip companies such as UPS, Global Payments, and IBM (ISS). Earlier this year, Mercedes Benz said it was relocating its headquarters from New Jersey to a site on Abernathy. Ashton Woods Homes also plans to convert the 76-acre site around the headquarters into a mix of townhomes, flats, apartments and retail. The development could feature more than 1,000 planned housing units. Anticipating that residential growth, NorthPlace developers have plans for ground floor retail. The site’s density can also be adjusted based on the needs of tenants, and it could accommodate build-to-suit projects from 20,000 to 100,000 square feet. “What makes us different is that we can dial up the density or go smaller,” said Kirk Demetrops, president and founder of MidCity Real Estate Partners. The joint venture has started marketing the property and needs significant pre-leasing before it would launch construction. Warner Summers – Architecture is designing the project. Across the central Perimeter, plans for new projects show how much demand Atlanta’s largest single office district is seeing from prospective tenants — and how much the market’s class A space is tightening. Overall vacancy is the lowest in over eight years, with class A vacancy dropping to 11 percent, according to market data. Roughly 2 million square of tenants in the market have leases expiring over the next two years, Demetrops said. Companies are also expanding. Atlanta Business Chronicle is reporting today Enterprise software maker VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) plans to expand its Atlanta-based AirWatch business — a move that would create more than 300 jobs. Palo Alto, Calif.-based VMware is said to be scouting the central Perimeter and north Fulton for at least 50,000 square feet of space. General Electric officials are also expected to tour buildings and sites across Atlanta as the company considers Georgia as a possibility to relocate its Connecticut headquarters. The Wall Street Journal recently reported a decision could come by the end of this year. Big blocks of class A Perimeter office space are drying up, as new development has been limited by tighter lending and rising construction costs. The last speculative office building to break ground in the central Perimeter was almost 10 years ago, according to data from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. One of the few class A blocks just became available after Newell Rubbermaid Inc. decided to move its corporate headquarters from one side of Georgia 400 to the other. Developers see an opportunity, especially along Abernathy and 400. Later this year, Hines plans to start a spec office project on 14 acres at Mount Vernon Highway, Abernathy Road and Georgia 400. Cousins Properties Inc., Ackerman & Co., and H.J. Russell & Co. also formed a joint venture to develop a mixed-use project on the same corridor. All this comes as rents soar to...
read moreCity Center Approved by Alpharetta
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – In a 5-2 vote, the Alpharetta City Council approved plans for a new mixed-use City Center. With a packed council chambers, the developer, MidCity Real Estate Partners, pitched their $80 million plan May 18. The team has worked on similar projects such as the Woodstock downtown. The development includes retail and restaurants on the ground floors of the buildings in front of City Hall, with offices and apartments on the upper floors. Plans call for 165 for-rent apartments in the development. In total, there could be as much as 50,000 square feet of retail and 30,000 square feet of office in addition to the apartments. Forty-two single-family homes are also planned for the development, across Haynes Bridge Road at the intersection with Thompson Street. This Article Originally Ran in the Alpharetta-Roswell Revue & News For More Information, Please Click...
read moreFOCUS Brands to Lease Entire MidCity Plaza For New Headquarters
ATLANTA – FOCUS Brands Inc. has leased MidCity Plaza, a Class A, 63,000-square-foot office building located at I-285 and GA 400 in Atlanta. MidCity Real Estate Partners purchased the property, located at 5620 Glenridge Drive, in mid-2013. The property was completely converted to Class A standards over the course of a nearly two-year process. FOCUS Brands is the parent company of Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, Schlostzsky’s Bakery and Cafe and Carvel brands. This Article Originally Ran in Southeast Real Estate Business Online For More, Please Click...
read moreDemetrops snags FOCUS HQ
This represents a huge win for MidCity Real Estate Partners’ Kirk Demetrops. Kirk’s firm purchased the building for a little more than $3M from a lender in 2013 and put the facility through a $7M renovation (which we profiled here). The building is situated on a mixed-use parcel that includes the Windsor at Glenridge, a 168-unit apartment complex by Wood Partners, as well as a string of restaurants, such as Blue Moon Pizza, Taziki’s and Sushi Nami. This Article Originally Ran on Bisnow For More, please click...
read moreFOCUS Brands Moving HQ to Perimeter
The building is the former home of Crawford & CO. (NYSE: CRDa). MidCity Real Estate Partners bought the property at 5620 Glenridge Dr. in mid-2013, and converted it to Class A space over two years. The building also is part of a mixed-use development that includes the Windsor at Glenridge, 168 luxury apartments developed by Wood Partners and restaurants Blue Moon Pizza, Taziki’s, Firehouse Subs, Qdoba and Sushi Nami. This Article Originally Appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle For More Information, Please Click...
read more$80M ‘City Center’ could transform Alpharetta
The development team, led by Atlanta-based MidCity Real Estate Partners and Morris & Fellows, is finalizing arrangements with capital partners. The project could include 220 housing units, 75,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 33,000 square feet of office. It’s an extension of the $30 million first phase of the Alpharetta City Center project that is anchored by city hall. This Article Originally Ran In The Atlanta Business Chronicle For More, Please Click...
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