That gold-topped spire on the Atlanta skyline was not an accident.
Jim Overton, retired Lead Construction at Cousins Properties, helped oversee the construction of close to a dozen of Atlanta’s most iconic high-rises.
Jim breaks down how one of Atlanta’s most recognizable tower crowns came together, from the trapezoidal aluminum panels that formed the pyramid to the spire built on the ground and lifted into place.
And those gold-coated facets?
They were designed to reflect sunlight more than any other known material at the time.
It is a rare look inside the construction decisions behind the buildings that shaped Atlanta’s skyline.
Watch the full story with Jim Overton in Episode 1 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Great mixed-use is not just about buildings.
It is about creating a place people choose to be.
Mark Toro, Founder, Principal, and Chief Vision Officer of Toro Development Company, shares the lesson behind Avalon, Colony Square, and now Medley: the most successful developments become true community gathering places.
People want places that feel alive. They want activity, connection, and a reason to stay.
Now, that same thinking is shaping Medley, where the public space is being designed around restaurants, bars, patio seating, events, yoga, concerts, and the simple idea that people attract people.
The secret is simple.
Because it adds value.
Watch the full story with Mark Toro in Episode 9 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
At 14th and Peachtree, Colony Square has been part of Midtown’s story for decades.
Built in 1979, it was one of the first major mixed-use developments in the Southeast.
But nearly 50 years later, the project needed a new chapter.
After a major redevelopment and repositioning, Colony Square delivered with new restaurants, a food hall, public space, and amenities that helped bring fresh energy back to the heart of Midtown.
That momentum has carried into the surrounding office market, with nearby buildings seeing major leasing activity and renewed demand.
What was once an aging mixed-use project has become one of the anchors of modern Midtown Atlanta.
Drop your questions below. We’ll answer them in the comments!
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Atlanta is entering a new era as a global event city.
William Pate, President and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, shares why Atlanta is built to host on the biggest stage, from the World Cup and Super Bowl to conventions, championships, and the continued transformation of downtown.
With the world’s busiest airport, a walkable convention district, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Centennial Olympic Park, and major developments underway across downtown, Atlanta’s momentum is only building.
Who knows what’s next for Atlanta in 2030?
Watch the full story with in Episode 8 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Before The Battery became one of Atlanta’s most successful mixed-use destinations, the Braves looked across the country for the right development partner.
A big part of it came down to history in Cumberland, local relationships, and knowing how to execute a project with this many moving pieces.
The deal wasn’t just one development.
It involved retail, multifamily, office, construction management, leasing, and multiple partners all working around the Braves’ new home.
What looks like one massive project was really a series of coordinated deals that helped bring The Battery to life.
Watch the full story with Mason Zimmerman, CEO and Development Partner at Pope & Land, in Episode 16 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Timing is something no developer can control. The market is bigger than all of us, and success comes down to how you respond.
David Songy, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Songy Highroads, shares why integrity became the cornerstone of Songy Highroads, from lessons learned in South Florida to building with transparency and honesty in every partnership.
His philosophy is simple: tell the truth, be realistic, and let integrity lead the way.
Watch the full story in Episode 4 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Why is a four-acre dirt lot still sitting in the middle of Midtown Atlanta?
The story starts nearly 20 years ago.
In 2005, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra planned a massive new concert hall on the site, but after years of fundraising, the project fell short.
The land was later sold in 2014 to a New York-based developer for $21 million. Plans shifted from multiple towers to a 74-story super tower, to a 53-story condo project with units priced between $1 million and $12 million.
Then the project stalled.
Financing issues, weaker demand, rising interest rates, and a tougher post-pandemic market eventually led the site into foreclosure in November 2023.
Now, Midtown Alliance is working to turn it into a public park and attraction in the heart of Midtown.
A long-vacant site could become one of Atlanta’s most important public spaces.
For Atlanta, this could become one of the most important public spaces in the city.
Drop your questions below. We’ll answer them in the comments!
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Four stories. Rooftop decks. A bold new corner for Old Fourth Ward.
Three modern homes are rising near Ponce City Market, bringing a striking makeover to a once-vacant corner at Fortune Street and Ralph McGill Boulevard.
The homes have now topped out, each planned with around 2,700 square feet, four bedrooms, a study, rooftop hangout space, and city views just minutes from Historic Fourth Ward Park and the Beltline’s Eastside Trail.
→ Three standalone modern homes
→ Four stories with rooftop decks
→ Around 2,700 SF of heated space each
→ Four bedrooms, study, and 3.5 bathrooms
→ Located near Ponce City Market, Historic Fourth Ward Park, and the Beltline
Swipe for photos 👉
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Real estate rewards those who understand the cycle.
Development is rarely about what the market looks like today. It’s about where the market will be three to four years from now, when the building is finally ready.
Chris Ahrenkiel @chrisahrenkiel , Managing Principal at Cushman & Wakefield, explains the 10-year rhythm of commercial real estate: years of overdevelopment, years of absorption, and the advantage that comes from being first out of the ground when demand returns.
The best opportunities often show up when capital is hardest to find, and fear is at its highest.
Watch the full story in Episode 10 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Looking for commercial real estate in Atlanta? Let’s connect.
60 stories. 1 acre of amenities. Atlanta’s tallest new tower in 30 years since the Bank of America Plaza.
Fresh images reveal more of “Alina”, 1072 West Peachtree, the Midtown skyscraper set to become the city’s biggest skyline addition since Bank of America Plaza.
The tower is nearing its residential opening, while new details show off its “trophy” office component, including eight floors of Class A+ workspace and a massive indoor-outdoor amenity level above Midtown.
→ 60-story mixed-use tower
→ Atlanta’s tallest new building since the early 1990s
→ 357 apartments
→ 224,000 SF of Class A+ office space
→ 1-acre amenity level with pickleball, Pilates, saunas, spa rooms, and city views
→ Private outdoor terraces on each office floor → Minutes from Midtown and Arts Center MARTA stations
Swipe for the latest photos 👉
What do you think of Atlanta’s next skyline giant?
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
For Jerry Cooper, Founder of Cooper Carry @coopercarry , architects were the ones truly shaping the world people live and work in.
In Episode 12 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast, he shares how Bauhaus principles and the International Style shaped the way his generation was taught to think about buildings, from eliminating ornament to designing structures as objects in space.
Since co-founding Cooper Carry in 1960, Jerry has helped guide the firm to national prominence, earning more than 100 design awards and shaping projects across education, corporate, government, and office sectors.
A Georgia Tech graduate and former president of AIA Atlanta, his impact on the built environment is deeply rooted in this city.
Huge thanks to our sponsors!
-The Beck Group
-Songy Highroads, LLC
-USA Cabling & Technology Solutions
-Corporate Environments of Georgia
-Scott Contracting, LLC
Episode 16 of the Sunbelt Developers Podcast is now live! We continue Season 2 with Mason Zimmerman, CEO and Development Partner at Pope & Land @popeandland .
Pope & Land has been transformational in the Cumberland submarket of Atlanta. From office to mixed-use to transforming a dead coliseum into City Park, Mason shares the story behind some of the most consequential development projects in Georgia.
We cover:
• Partnering with the Atlanta Braves on the Battery
• Converting the Charlotte Coliseum into a mixed-use community
• Navigating the Great Recession with Dutch capital partners
• The vision for downtown Atlanta’s entertainment district
• Mason’s 40-year journey from Texas to leading Pope & Land
Watch the full story on Sunbelt Developers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple podcasts.
Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series:
• Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com
• Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.com
• USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com
• Scott Contracting - Scott-contracting.com
• The Beck Group – beckgroup.com
If you have a commercial real estate need, please reach out. My team and I have incredible resources through Cushman & Wakefield to help with any need you have.
