Chalk up one (more) shelved big-box industrial deal to the Great Recession. Apparently, Kimberly-Clark has indefinitely postponed plans for a new metro Atlanta distribution center, which puts the Hartman V building in the I-20 West submarket back in play.

Kimberly-Clark's brokers, Colliers International's Ben Logue and Price Weaver, worked with Hartman V's Jones Lang LaSalle leasing team of Steve Grable and Chris Tomasulo to bring the deal to fruition, but corporate earnings and the state of the economy dictated otherwise. Grable and Tomasulo represent a private fund managed by Founders Properties at the 570,000-square-foot distribution center.

"We have a lot more activity now, but it's harder getting deals to close," Grable said. "There's still plenty of activity in the I-20 West corridor, which helps the owner and brokers deal with the unfortunate circumstances we encounter when potential tenants put a transaction on hold."

Marcus & Millichap's Britton Burdette and Rob Fox have closed the sale of a Peachtree City flex property, which is a sign o' the times in a good way.

"This type of transaction would not have closed 10 months ago," Burdette said. "This transaction demonstrates that out-of-state private capital is interested in purchasing stabilized, non-institutional grade multi-tenant office/warehouse deals in suburban areas. Going forward, we'll start to see more deals like this."

Burdette and Fox represented the seller, Dividend Partners LLC, in the $5.2 million sale of the 117,221-square-foot flex building, which was 95 percent leased at closing. HJB Holdings, a private investor group based in California, acquired the property at 665 Highway 74 South in Peachtree City and was represented by Cushman & Wakefield alliance partner CRESCO Real Estate of Cleveland.

Tad Leithead has a lot on his mind these days, but, as chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission, it's his job.

For Leithead and the ARC, the three biggest looming issues are water, aging services and transportation. With a federal judge's ruling on Lake Lanier access hanging over our heads, mounting transportation funding woes and the fact that none of us are getting any younger, it's a lot to think about and even more to do.

"The ARC is in the middle of everything that's important for metro Atlanta over the next 10 years," Leithead said. ""Having the opportunity to be there when these things are being discussed at a level of implementation is very gratifying. It's a combination of more challenging and more gratifying than I expected."
The state and ARC are working against an August 2012 deadline to solidify metro Atlanta's access to Lake Lanier while also pursuing a "conserve, control and capture" strategy. That involves creating more reservoirs, which involves a lengthy permitting process; conservation; considering the Tennessee River as a source; desalinization; or reclaiming water and re-entering it into the Chattahoochee River's downstream flow.

As for aging, 20 percent of metro Atlanta's population will be over 65 by 2030, and, even though people are living longer, healthier lives, meeting this population's needs creates its own set of issues with healthcare and transportation, Leithead said.

On transportation, the ARC advocates adoption of a regional penny sales tax to fund projects, as well as a referendum that would give the state DOT more flexibility regarding project funding and delivery. Both measures are on this November's ballot.

"These are the two key votes that our population has to consider," Leithead said.

Rooster hit the road with BOMA last Tuesday to check out the green buildings of Midtown.  The "Tour of Atlanta" bussed about 30 CRE professionals to visit 1180 Peachtree, The Centergy Building and The Herman Miller Design Center.  Property managers in each building gave their recommendations on green/sustainability practices and construction efforts specific to the success of their businesses.

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