Atlanta, December 9, 2014 – In a move to meet the rising demand for “class A” bulk distribution space in metro Atlanta, Ridgeline Property Group (RPG) today announced it will develop a 714,560-square-foot industrial speculative building in McDonough, GA., in the South Atlanta Industrial submarket. Clarion Partners will be RPG’s capital partner for McDonough Commerce Center, which will be built on a highly visible, 53-acre site located in the heart of Henry County’s industrial bulk submarket, directly off of the Interstate 75 and Hwy 155 interchange.
The speculative building’s modern and flexible design will provide maximum efficiency for large-scale distribution operations, including e-commerce order fulfillment. The project is scheduled to be delivered in late-summer 2015. Ben Logue and Price Weaver of Colliers International’s Atlanta office have been selected to market the property for lease.
“Atlanta’s industrial sector has rebounded strongly and the market is starved for high-quality, modern product,” said Mike Gray, President of RPG. “In particular, e-retailing has changed the landscape in the logistics arena, and this project provides sophisticated users optimal ceiling clear height, increased bay spacing, and greater car and trailer parking capacity.”
Gray added: “This state-of-the-art development enjoys an ‘A-plus’ strategic location, offering immediate access to I-75 via two interchanges in one of the most dynamic supply chain markets in the U.S. McDonough Commerce Center will enable any company to reach the Southeast US markets in one day and over 60 percent of the U.S. population in less than two.”
Located on Avalon Parkway, the project site is 1/4 mile from Exit 216 and less than 1.5 miles from Exit 218. Design features of the Class A facility include 36-foot clear heights, 56-foot-wide bay spacing, all concrete truck courts, ESFR fire suppression and high-capacity parking, including 431 car parking spaces and 160 trailer spaces (expandable to 240 trailer spaces).
RPG’s McDonough Commerce Center project announcement coincides with the ongoing resurgence of the Atlanta industrial sector, which absorbed 10.5 million square feet through third-quarter 2014. According to the Third Quarter 2014 Atlanta Industrial Market Report from Colliers International, the vacancy rate for warehouse and distribution properties is below 10 percent for the first time in nearly a decade. In addition, anticipated occupancy gains by the end of the year are expected to contribute to the highest absorption in Atlanta since 2006.
“We’re very pleased to partner with Ridgeline Property Group on this project. RPG and its team members have extensive expertise developing big-box industrial projects, and this project’s strategic location combined with the scarcity of existing space above 500,000 square feet in the Atlanta market makes this an opportune and appropriate time to develop McDonough Commerce Center,” said Thomas Flanigan, Senior Vice President of Clarion Partners.
Ridgeline Property Group’s principals have extensive experience in Henry County and have completed more than 5 million square feet of investment grade, industrial buildings in the I-75 South corridor, including distribution centers for The Whirlpool Corporation (1,504,800 SF), Georgia-Pacific (900,640 SF) and Kumho Tire (412,000 SF), among others.
About Ridgeline Property Group
Ridgeline Property Group (“RPG”), headquartered in Atlanta, is a privately held, commercial development and investment firm that operates throughout the United States. The company’s leadership team has over 100 years of combined experience in the commercial real estate industry and has developed in excess of 100 million square feet of industrial and office space. RPG serves as a capital deployment vehicle and a third-party operator for investors and users focused on investment-grade development and acquisition opportunities. Through its strategic relationships with both private and institutional debt and equity, the firm focuses on speculative and build-to-suit development, “value-add” acquisition projects as well as third party asset and development management opportunities. For additional information, please contact www.ridgelinepg.com.
About Clarion Partners
Clarion Partners has been a leading U.S. real estate investment manager for 32 years. Headquartered in New York, the firm has offices in major markets throughout the U.S., in São Paulo, Brazil and London, England, as well as a presence in Mexico. With more than $30 billion in total assets under management, Clarion Partners offers a broad range of real estate strategies across the risk/return spectrum to its more than 200 domestic and international institutional investors. More information about the firm is available at www.clarionpartners.com.
About Colliers International
Colliers International is a global leader in commercial real estate services, with over 15,800 professionals operating out of more than 485 offices in 63 countries. A subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, Colliers International delivers a full range of services to real estate users, owners and investors worldwide, including global corporate solutions, brokerage, property and asset management, hotel investment sales and consulting, valuation, consulting and appraisal services, mortgage banking and insightful research. The latest annual survey by the Lipsey Company ranked Colliers International as the second-most recognized commercial real estate firm in the world. For the latest international news from Colliers International, visit colliers.com/us/news or follow us on Twitter: @ColliersIntl