November 2009
ATLANTA — The Government Services Administration has leased the 406,989-square-foot Airport Distribution Center II from Principal Life Insurance Co. for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The property is located at 3780 Southside Industrial Court in Atlanta. FEMA signed a 10-year lease for the space and will take occupancy in March.
“It will be the Southeast hub,” says Luke Pope of Atlanta-based Republic Property Co. “If there’s another Katrina, they would service that through this facility.” Pope represented the landlord in the lease. Gainesville, Ga.-based Schair & Associates represented Nitelines USA, the prime contractor.
According to Pope, GSA chose the location because it liked the close proximity to the airport. Security was also a main concern when searching for a suitable property. The Airport Distribution Center II features a fenced perimeter and is sealed off from other buildings. “Everything they do now with government is very concerned with terrorism,” Pope says.
It took everyone 9 months to get the lease signed and all the government paperwork complete, but in the midst of the recession, every deal that takes a significant amount of industrial space off the market is worth the effort.
“It takes away the nicest 400,000-square-foot cross-docked building in close proximity to the airport,” Pope says. A large deal like this one, he says, will help fuel the Atlanta industrial market in this trying time.