The Integral Group, as Manager of Doraville Sixty, is taking another step forward in the development of Assembly, the site of the former Doraville GM plant, by retaining Cushman & Wakefield to market and lease the project’s office developments in The Campus and The Yards segments of the development.

“Since starting demolition work at the former General Motors Doraville assembly plant back in September 2014, our redevelopment program has been moving forward on schedule,” said Egbert Perry, chairman and chief executive officer of The Integral Group. “In the last nine months, we’ve completed several key milestones: 

• Obtained approval for our master plan and entitlements for the 165-acre site,
• Sold a 20-acre outparcel, 
• Partnered with Third Rail Studios to redevelop a 130,000-square-foot building into Georgia’s newest film and TV production facility, 
• Partnered with Hotwire and have begun the installation to create a gigabit community,
• Substantially cleared the site for future development, and are now moving forward with the office component of the Assembly community,” 

Overall, Assembly is zoned for more than 10 million total square feet of office, residential, retail, and studio space.  Integral’s plans call for two complementary office projects:  The Campus and The Yards.

The Campus will be a more traditional office district, designed to accommodate up to three million square feet of commercial office space, with buildings potentially as tall as 30 stories.

“It’s a highly visible location right at I-285 and I-85, with flexible zoning, onsite public transportation, and incentives available through the project’s public/private partnership status,” said Aileen Almassy, part of the C&W team that will be the exclusive office leasing agents for The Campus and The Yards.  “We believe The Campus will be attractive to large corporate users interested in relocating to Atlanta or expanding their existing footprint.” 

The Yards will be an adaptive re-use of the former GM facilities, incorporating the 1940s’-era buildings into an innovation hub anchored by Third Rail Studios and several smaller, unique office properties.  The Integral team expects The Yards to appeal to Atlanta’s creative workers by offering an authentic and historic workplace, but with the state-of-the-art infrastructure required by technology, advertising/media, and other inventive industries.

Other components of Assembly’s future phases include The Commons, which will feature Assembly Park, a large central public gathering space capable of hosting a variety of events and experiences.  The Village and West Avenue will be comprised of residential and retail uses.  Station Square will integrate access to MARTA’s Doraville rail station.  In total, approximately 10 acres of Assembly will be committed to public parks, green spaces, bike and walking trails, and more.  

Phase one timing calls for completion of Third Rail Studio’s facility by year-end 2015.  Infrastructure improvements and construction/redevelopment of The Yards office buildings could break ground as early as year-end 2015, with completion scheduled for the following year.  Infrastructure improvements will also begin at The Campus, readying the district for future office development to start in 2016. 

“We are honored to work with the Integral Group team, and be part of such a game-changing project,” said John O’Neill, Cushman & Wakefield Atlanta Market Leader. “Assembly will truly be a transformational development for Doraville and the region.”

C&W’s Almassy is a leasing director and leads the firm’s agency leasing practice in Atlanta.  Andy Sumlin, a leasing director, and Laura Power, an associate, are also members of the C&W Assembly leasing team.