Shopping Center Business

MAY 2017

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BATTERY ATLANTA 220 • SHOPPING CENTER BUSINESS • May 2017 east and want to get that brand recogni- tion in one place." MUCH-NEEDED DINING The Battery Atlanta and SunTrust Park are situated within the heart of the Cum- berland/Galleria submarket, which spans 6.1 square miles in northwest Atlanta. The submarket has more than 17 million square feet of office space, making it the second densest office submarket in metro Atlanta, behind only Central Perimeter. According to Fuqua, the submarket has heretofore been underserved as far as high-quality dining for its large population of office workers. "The daytime population is 150,000 people, and there's not a lot of good op- tions to eat," says Fuqua. "The site came along and it really couldn't be a better location to land on. It's regional but it's among a great demographic." "And it's closer to the season ticket holders," adds Zuckerman. "There is more office space in the Cumberland/ Galleria submarket than downtown Char- lotte. There's a void in the trade area for great restaurants so our project is filling that void." Battery Atlanta has 16 restaurants, in- cluding Punch Bowl Social and the three components of Live! at the Battery. Fuqua Development and the Braves decided to focus the majority of its dining options on local and chef-driven restaurants, which appeals year-round to consumers in the trade area, as well as game attendees. "We decided to focus as well on local chef-driven restaurants, all James Beard recognized," says Zuckerman. "From Linton Hopkins' C. Ellet's, Antico Pizza next door, Hugh Acheson is doing a hot dog and sausage concept restaurant called First & Third, and Hector Santiago's El Super Pan will open down the street." Situated between the Chop House Gate and Right Field Gate at SunTrust Park is Terrapin Tap Room. Athens, Georgia-based Terrapin Beer Co. part- nered with Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q to open the eatery and brewery, which faces the plaza where the media will broadcast pre- and post-game coverage. "Terrapin Tap Room brews its own beer on-site with three craft beers offered specifically for this project," says Zucker- man. "This is Terrapin's first Terrapin Tap Room, it's working on a second one as well." Wahlburgers, a burger concept owned by celebrity brothers Paul, Donnie and Mark Wahlberg, is opening at Battery Atlanta. The restaurant is situated at the bottom of the steps that lead to the pe- destrian bridge over Interstate 285. The bridge connects the ballpark and village to the Cobb Galleria Centre, which hosts around 1 million convention goers a year. Rounding out the restaurant and bar tenants are a 10,000-square-foot, two-sto- ry Yardhouse; The El Felix, a Tex-Mex con- cept from chef Ford Fry; Häagen-Dazs; Goldberg's Deli; FEED Fried Chicken & Such; and a freestanding Crú Food & Wine Bar, similar to the location at Avalon in nearby Alpharetta. SLIDING INTO HOME The scope and gravity of SunTrust Park and Battery Atlanta will be felt for years to come. Fuqua says the develop- ment has already generated a $3.5 billion halo effect in the Cumberland corridor. According to the Cumberland Commu- nity Improvement District (CID), there are 5,500 apartments coming on line, six more office towers and 1,400 new hotel rooms within a mile of the project. "SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlan- ta have undeniably impacted surrounding businesses and the community in a posi- tive way," says Malaika Rivers, executive director of the Cumberland CID. "The variety of retail, dining and entertainment experiences can be found nowhere else in Atlanta." "This is the most amazing economic driver we've ever witnessed," adds Fuqua. "We've seen investment multiply around multimillion-dollar projects before, but this has increased exponentially." Fuqua Development is currently leas- ing the rest of Battery Atlanta to other experiential retailers, most of which will be situated along the corridor anchored by the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre. Battery Atlanta opened at 80 percent occupancy for the retail space, which was by design. "We could be 120 percent leased, but we're waiting and being very selective on how we finish this out," says Fuqua. "Bat- tery Atlanta turned out better than we ever thought it would be in terms of the activity we're getting and the kind of project it is." In addition to leasing the remainder of the first phase, the developer is also planning the final phase of Battery Atlan- ta, which will be situated near the Cobb Parkway entrance and across from The Flats, one of the three apartment proper- ties within the village. "We'll start construction on our last phase later this year," says Fuqua. "We'll have a grocery store on the site, as well as office, retail and a three-level parking deck." SCB The Fuqua development team, including (from left) principal Jeff Fuqua and vice president of leasing Dotan Zuckerman, cultivated the tenant mix of Battery Atlanta using a heavy dose of experiential retailers and chef-driven restaurant concepts.

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