Georgia 2, January 25, 2023

By Irwin Rapoport

CORRESPONDENT

The state of Georgia is growing at an immense rate via new residents and companies and with such an influx, the state’s highway infrastructure is experiencing a massive investment.

Last year alone, more than $1.8 billion was spent on constructing new roads and bridges and upgrading and rehabilitating existing infrastructure, much of which is administered by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

But allocating money to build new highways is insufficient. For the work to be completed, a large number of contractors, subcontractors, technical and engineering consultants and material suppliers are required to ensure that projects can be delivered from the concept stage to actual construction crews on the ground. Hence the importance of the Georgia Highway Contractors Association (GHCA), a trade

BlueStar Studios Plans $180M Film/TV Complex Near Atlanta

BlueStar Studios, a $180 million, 53-acre campus planned to be built at the former Fort Gillem Army post in Forest Park, Ga., is the latest in a stream of projects to address booming demand for production space in the state.

With film and TV studio space scarce everywhere, Georgia’s 30 percent tax credits are a huge draw for companies. In addition, the cost of doing business is lower in the Peach State than in the traditional production cities of New York, Los Angeles or Vancouver, which is why BlueStar Studios founder and CEO Rich Goldberg decided to set it in the Atlanta suburb.

The former executive at Jaunt and DirecTV brought on Georgia native Mark Parkman as BlueStar’s COO, who led the International Olympic Committee’s global content strategy, including the launch of a direct-to-consumer service, as well as broadcast operations for 12 Olympic Games.

BlueStar will house 600,000 sq. ft. of production and

office space along with 18 sound stages from 5,000- to 40,000-sq.-ft. in size. The historic Fort Gillem headquarters building will serve as a centerpiece of the campus, set in the Atlanta metro area 20 minutes from the airport and 10 minutes from downtown.

The plan is to open next summer with construction and development continuing in phases through 2024, reported Deadline.com, an entertainment industry news source. Atlanta-based Gala Media Capital, a division of Peachtree Group, originated the financing for the first phase of construction. Offices are available for lease, Goldberg said, adding the hope is to find a streamer or studio anchor tenant.

BlueStar Complex Latest New Studio

Deadline.com reported that a surge in content creation in recent years with the rise of streaming created a squeeze on available sound stages. Private equity firms, real estate developers in partnerships with executives, studios and financiers have all entered the mix.

Netflix has been expanding, including a recent winning bid to build a new studio at New Jersey’s Fort Monmouth. Among others building or expanding sites around the country are Robert Halmi’s Great Point and Lionsgate studios, Shadowbox Studios (formerly Atlanta-based Blackhall Studios), and New York’s Steiner Studios. Trilith, the former Pinewood Studios Atlanta, has developed an entire town around its complex.

Goldberg noted that productions will have access to two intersecting 100GB fiber lines for supporting all technical needs, including cloud services and virtual production.

“What that means is in the unlikely circumstance that one went down, they would have the second one. Engineers love the word redundancy,” he explained. “So many producers are based in New York and Los Angeles, and the editing and special effects are done remotely. When you have a fiber line, you can instantaneously send it to [either location].”

The BlueStar Studios campus includes six historic buildings being repurposed to ensure preservation of the former Army base’s architectural legacy and contribute to the project’s sustainability under an environmental review process with the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

Final design elements include rehabilitated steel windows and brick walls, restored painted signage, and new windows and doors created based on archival photographs and original drawings.

BlueStar currently has 45,000 sq. ft. of woodworking and metalworking buildings for mill and wardrobe, a nature trail, an onsite café and a dog run. The campus has kept much of its original 1940s-era architecture, according to Deadline.com.

“Fort Gillem has long been a significant presence in our community, so we’re thrilled to see such a transformational development through this substantial investment,” said Forest Park Mayor Angelyne Butler.

“BlueStar Studios preserves the charm and history of the surrounding area while also bringing new production capabilities and boosting our local economy. We look forward to welcoming productions and their highly skilled professionals to Forest Park.”

Downtown Atlanta Demolition Will Lead to Midtown Exchange

Demolition crews have been working steadily in the heart of downtown Atlanta for the last several weeks, barely taking time off for the holidays.

After chain-link barriers went up around former nightclubs, a restaurant, apartments (now fire-damaged), and low-rise offices late last summer, heavy equipment is currently wiping clean nearly a full block of buildings between 12th and 13th streets and Peachtree Walk, according to Urbanize Atlanta.

Only the establishments on Crescent Avenue will remain, the online news site reported recently.

The demolition work is preparing the site for Midtown Exchange, Selig Development’s next large-scale, mixed-use venture in the immediate area. The veteran Atlanta real estate and development firm completed the three-tower 1105 West Peachtree project one block west of the work zone in 2023 and has also built five other residential and office towers nearby blocks since the Great Recession.

Urbanize Atlanta noted that Selig is now preparing to develop a residential tower at Midtown Exchange standing 37 stories tall, in addition to a 26-story office building.

Atlanta’s Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio architecture studio designed a central court-

yard in between the two glass towers, which will be accessed from Peachtree Walk. Another 24,500 sq. ft. of retail space is set to be installed at street level.

The office building would encompass 619,700 sq. ft., and all 465 apartments at the

other Midtown Exchange tower would be market-rate, according to Selig officials. Next to the plaza is a proposed 10-story parking deck with 1,608 spaces, which would serve both buildings with access points on 12th and 13th streets, per Selig’s

plans.

The sloped Peachtree Walk section of the project — dotted with steel planter boxes and a bounty of plantings — is planned to be part of the proposed Midtown Art Walk, a promenade stretching between 10th Street and Woodruff Arts Center.

Development Brings Change to Midtown Atlanta

With the new construction, Midtown Exchange will replace a hodgepodge of former homes and older buildings that housed several cherished businesses for years.

Those include the longstanding Cosmolava club, the former home of Deadwood Saloon and Twisted Taco, along with a corner building most recently home to Stellar Bodies gym. Another Peachtree Walk building had served as offices for various marketing and insurance firms, while another property held surface parking for vehicles.

As a result of the Midtown Exchange construction, the Northern Italian restaurant Pasta da Pulcinella, a Midtown staple, will uproot from its Peachtree Walk bungalow to an early 1900s-era home two blocks away on West Peachtree Street. That building is currently undergoing renovation to convert it into a restaurant, according to Urbanize Atlanta.

BlueStar will house 600,000 sq. ft. of production and office space along with 18 sound stages from 5,000- to 40,000-sq.-ft. in size.

Rendering courtesy of Selig Development; designs, RJTR, via Midtown Alliance

Revised plans for Midtown Exchange’s Peachtree Walk (L) and 12th Street frontage presented to Midtown DRC in May.

$126M Classic Center Aims to Be Area’s Top Event Facility

The level of excitement in Athens, Ga., is still at peak levels following the University of Georgia’s (UGA) lopsided victory over Texas Christian University Jan. 9, bringing the Bulldogs their second straight college football national championship title.

But much of the city and the campus also is anxiously awaiting another sports-related development that is aiming to set a new bar for events facilities northeast of metro Atlanta.

Almost a year after it broke ground, the $126 million Classic Center Arena project has begun vertical construction on North Thomas Street in Athens near UGA’s North Campus and other landmarks, including the Athens Banner-Herald building and several downtown hotels.

Designed by the team of Perkins & Will, and Smallwood — two architectural firms with offices in Atlanta — the new arena is set to become a regional destination for music, sports, entertainment and other events, with 5,500 permanent seats and 9,000 for basketball.

The project, built by JE Dunn Construction, a contractor that also has an Atlanta location, is being described by venue officials as nothing short of “Northeast Georgia’s premier event facility.”

The new arena will provide the region with a new option for downtown concerts, conventions, tournaments and other events, plus a larger arena for the UGA Club Hockey squad and an ECHL minor-league professional hockey team.

Classic Center Arena

By Numbers

Other capacities, amenities and specifications for the new Classic Center Arena include:

• A total of 7,000 seats for end-stage concerts.

• Up to 8,500 seats in the round.

• Three basketball courts.

• Four volleyball courts.

• Space for 150 trade show booths.

• Room to accommodate 2,000 banquet attendees.

• Seven trailer load-in docks.

• An ice hockey floor.

• An arena floor space measuring 150 ft. by 358 ft.

Urbanize Atlanta reported that of the venue’s estimated $126 million cost, $33 million of that will arrive via the state of Georgia’s special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST), a financing method for funding capital outlay projects.

The rest of the financing for the arena’s construction is slated to come from municipal bonds, land leases, naming rights, vendor contracts, future tax revenue and other sources.

It will join the multi-use Classic Center next door, a complex that includes a performing arts theater, conference center and outdoor pavilion for weddings, concerts and sports.

Project backers have predicted the Classic Center Arena will create 600 jobs and generate 90,000 more hotel room nights annually,

with an overall impact of $30 million per year.

The 192,000-sq.-ft. effort broke ground last February and is currently expected to finish construction in February 2024, according to JE Dunn.

It joins other million-dollar condominiums and mixed-use projects of significant

scale in downtown Athens’ development pipeline.

More Parking Made Available for Arena

In December, the Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Commissioners approved a plan allowing a private developer to construct a 1,000-space parking deck, rather than a 500space deck proposed earlier, near the city’s Multimodal Center.

The structure will be privately built because lenders are reluctant to let ACC borrow more money for the project, Blaine Williams, manager of ACC, told Flagpole, an online Athens community news service.

As a result, the Classic Center will buy 41 percent of the parking spaces within the deck for arena use. Because it will be owned by a private company, the deck also will generate taxes that could be plowed back into the project through an existing tax allocation district encompassing the eastern edge of downtown Athens.

Despite his mixed feelings, ACC Board Commissioner Jesse Houle told Flagpole he voted for the plan because the Classic Center also put a $15.85 minimum wage in writing. His colleague, Tim Denson, also voted yes after adding language guaranteeing that the project will include affordable housing.

Rendering courtesy of The Classic Center Athens Classic Center Arena exterior.

Photo courtesy of JE Dunn Construction/Classic Center Construction progress on The Classic Center Arena project on N. Thomas Street.

GHCA Working With GDOT to Tackle Infrastructure Issues

association composed of member companies involved in the construction and maintenance of highways, streets, bridges and transportation systems throughout the state, which also serves as the lobbying organization for this industry and as the voice for industry with GDOT and other state agencies.

To get a better handle on the role and actions of the GHCA, Construction Equipment Guide spoke with David J. Moellering, president/CEO of GHCA, who also serves as the president/CEO of the Georgia Asphalt Pavement Association and the Georgia Concrete Contractors Association. These three associations work together to maximize shared common interests and share the same office in Alpharetta.

According to Moellering, he is confident that GDOT will maintain approximately the same level of spending in 2023.

“We’ll be in the same ballpark, depending on what is let by GDOT,” he said. “The general amount of money should be very close. We were the first state to open up after COVID and we’ve been working ever since. When Governor Brian Kemp opened up the state, that was monumental.”

Georgia contractors are delivering small, medium and large projects, whether they are straight-forward or more complex.

“Our DOT does a very good job of offering all sorts of projects for contractors to bid on,” said Moellering. “Our members have been very successful in delivering them ontime, even through COVID. In some cases, there are changes in cost and completion dates and with all things considered, we have a very good track record.”

Being innovative and efficient is necessary for Georgia contractors and subcontractors to meet deadlines.

“Our contractors are very interested in the latest techniques, but a lot of the techniques haven’t changed much over the years,” said Moellering. “The advent of GPS and some of the electronic grading systems have moved things forward, but generally most of the techniques are tried and true. We have employed best practices over the years, and

the DOT has embraced that as well. We have a very strong partnership with GDOT and are in constant communication. We see each other as partners —one can’t be successful without the other.”

And they have been successful. The GHCA, created in 1937, has several hundred members and membership is growing.

“Most of the main players in the state have been and continue to be members and we have a few that have been with us since 1937,” said Moellering. “We have a very strong membership.”

Ensuring that GHCA members have sufficient people to replace retiring workers and to meet the increase in overall projects is an issue that the association has taken on, with excellent results.

They’ve started two initiatives. The first is via the georgiaroadjobs.com web site.

“It is connecting people with our industry, with a focus on social media,” said Moellering. “We’re directing potential applicants to our membership so that they have an opportunity to hire the candidates.”

The second initiative is via high schools and technical schools, where it’s helped schools get students using heavy equipment simulators to learn how to operate equipment.

“There are six high schools that have been outfitted with simulators and they have students working on them today,” said Moellering. “In the first class, we’ll turn out more than 100 young people that will be eligible for us to hire and work on job sites.”

see GHCA page 8

The GHCA, created in 1937, has several hundred members and membership is growing.

GHCA has started two initiatives. The first is via the georgiaroadjobs.com web site, which connects people with the construction industry, with a focus on social media. The second is through high schools and technical schools, where it’s helped schools get students using heavy equipment simulators to learn how to operate equipment.

GHCA from page 1

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GHCA Hopes Its Initiatives Will Fill Construction Jobs

Six technical schools are at various stages in terms of being outfitted with simulators, and many more are being fabricated for installation.

“We are securing teachers and other elements to make the program a success,” said Moellering. “That’s all moving forward and I feel very good about our position in workforce development. Our governor and state legislature have embraced it through funding and support. They made it possible for us to really advance this. We’re in a good situation and we’re trying to double that program in 2023 and double it again in the following year.

“The construction workforce development program is something we have focused the most on lately,” he added. “It’s been a partnership with us, the Department of Education, our technical schools, our governor and our contractors. We have drawn other associations in and they have benefitted from it. We’re looking for people that want to be part of our industry. We don’t care who it is or what their background is. We’re not giving them a job, we’re giving them a long-term career. We’re talking about high school graduates, technical school graduates, college graduates, exmilitary, folks that came out of the penal system and those transitioning from other jobs. We have a place for everyone.”

Jobs in the construction sector pay well and offer opportunities for individuals to rise from crafts and operator positions to management at a variety of levels.

GHCA members are experiencing some of the same sup-

Last year alone, more than $1.8 billion was spent on constructing new roads and bridges and upgrading and rehabilitating existing infrastructure, much of which is administered by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

ply chain issues for key materials that are being seen in other sectors.

“The biggest issues are steel and ductile iron; they’re very hard to get right now,” said Moellering. “We’ve also seen a cement shortage, but that seems to be coming to an end. Some of the shortages are caused by transportation to the southern and southeastern parts of the state such as Savannah and Valdosta.”

The Buy America policy, in regards to materials, which has not been implemented yet, could create some potential problems.

“This is going to be a challenge,” said Moellering. “The [Biden] administration is making it very hard on us when you look at ductile iron, steel, PVC, wire, etc... Working through GDOT we submitted a list of affected items. Hopefully we’ll see some type of waiver allowing us to use the materials that are available. If not, we’ll definitely experience delays.”

With the state wanting to increase the size and scope of the highway and bridge program, and having to maintain the existing system, having a good working relationship with GDOT and other agencies is crucial to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Moellering is very proud of the proud of the accomplishments of the GHCA, especially the contributions of its members.

“We’re very fortunate to have some of the best companies in this state,” he said, “and we have an outstanding group of people that we work with.” 

(All photos courtesy of GDOT.)

Georgia contractors are delivering small, medium and large projects, whether they are straight-forward or more complex.

GHCA from page

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