Business Facilities - December 2007 - (Page 53)

METRO SPOTLIGHT Atlanta, Georgia By Karim Khan Before BeltLine says C onventional iswisdomalso thatthat Atlanta,GA the capital of the American South—but it grew too fast for its own good, creating traffic jams and a lack of greenspace in the process. That’s why proponents of the Atlanta BeltLine project are so excited. They say this project, one of the largest and most wide-ranging of such projects in the country, has the potential to transform the city. The BeltLine is meant to change the pattern of regional sprawl and organize future growth around planned parks, transit, and trails cir- cling the urban core. The BeltLine will add 22 miles of light rail transit that will connect to the existing Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) system, which already transports more than 550,000 passengers daily on a 47mile, 38-station rapid rail system with connections to 124 bus routes. New multi-use trails will follow the 22-mile transit loop, and 11 miles of additional trails will extend into surrounding neighborhoods to increase access to the BeltLine. The BeltLine will also improve the city’s transportation infrastructure by After BeltLine, projected connecting neighborhoods via sidewalks, streetscapes, and road/intersection improvements leading to a more cohesive urban street grid. Over 1,200 acres of new greenspace and public artworks will complement many other features to present a new side of Atlanta to the world. Allen Plaza Edges Toward Completion Atlanta Takes Steps to Connect With Its Companies PHOTO CREDITS: ATLANTA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY art of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s New Century Ecot was only in December 2004 that nomic Development Plan, which went into effect in 2004, Barry Real Estate Companies addresses ways in which the city can better work with its resannounced plans for a large office ident businesses to meet and hotel development to be aggressive economic developbuilt near Centennial ATLANTA FAST FACTS ment goals. Among the steps: Olympic Park in Atlanta; Mayor: Shirley Franklin Connectivity with Employtoday, the plaza is about City Population (2006): 486,411 ers: Develop processes to halfway complete. Allen Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA communicate with employers Plaza features two new 14-story office buildings, the Metropolitan Statistical Area on economic development first of which opened in 2005 and the second of Population (2006): 5,138,223 issues and opportunities. which (pictured here under construction) was comJob Creation Incentives: pleted in May 2007 and is anchored by internaTargeted Industries: Transportation, Support changes to the state’s tional management consulting firm Ernst & Young. distribution and logistics, health services, Regional Economic Business Under construction now is a 28-floor, 236-room W hospitality, higher education, arts and Assistance (REBA) program hotel topped by 83 condominium units; a 34-story culture, tourism and entertainment and the job tax credit prooffice building has been approved for the plaza as grams to promote business attraction in the city. well. A final 40-story building is still in the proposal stage. Workforce Development: Increase the funding for workThe project is expected to cost about $1.95 billion in total, force development to broaden employment opportunities for and will include 2 million square feet of office space, more the city’s residents. than 3,000 residences, and more than 500 hotel rooms. I P BUSINESS FACILITIES 53

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Business Facilities - December 2007 Contents First Word Snapshots Metro Spotlight: Albuquerque, New Mexico Corporate Moves: North Carolina 2007 Ecomonic Development Deal of the Year Awards State of the Year Seeking Supply Chain Solutions Mississippi Means Business Corporate Moves: South Carolina Biomedical Momentum in Florida's High Tech Corridor Trends in Offshoring Metro Spotlight: Stillwater, OK Metro Spotlight: Atlanta, GA Advertiser Information 2007 Salary Survey

Business Facilities - December 2007

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