Developer W.C. Bradley Real Estate's Riverfront Place mixed-use development in Columbus, Georgia, was off to a good start when it landed a headquarters deal last year with one of city's largest employers.
In March, financial services firm Synovus Financial Corp. agreed to lease about 120,000 square feet of space at a new four-story office building at Riverfront Place, committing to a 15-year lease at the approximately 284,000-square-foot building rising at 33 W. 14th St.
The lease with Synovus, with its headquarters now about a quarter mile away at 1111 Bay Ave., starts in May 2024, W.C. Bradley President and Chief Operating Officer Pace Halter said in an email.
The office building anchored by Synovus is expected to add hundreds of workers to the mixed-use complex that already includes a Hotel Indigo and The Rapids luxury apartments.
"The relocation of Synovus Bank headquarters to Riverfront Place is a significant step in both the progression and transformation of the city of Columbus," the development team said in a statement.
The size and significance of the deal earned it the 2023 CoStar Impact Award for lease of the year in the Columbus market, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market. Columbus is Georgia's second-largest city behind Atlanta, according to 2021 U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
About the project: Riverfront Place is a $260 million mixed-use development expected to contain more than 1.5 million square feet of residential, office, hospitality, dining, and retail space when completed. The project's first two phases are already complete and contain The Rapids Luxury Apartments, Mathews D. Swift Park and the Hotel Indigo Columbus.
What the judges said: "Riverfront Place will change the dynamics of downtown Columbus," NAI G2 Commercial broker Shaun Roberts said. "The development brings together shopping, corporate and residential into one nice package."
Jacob Glover, a real estate agent with Douglas Lane Real Estate Group, said that "Riverfront Place adds value to the tourist attraction which would bring in more revenue for the city. Riverfront Place's concept allows the river to become a part of the experience and drives more opportunities for businesses to create the same culture."
They made it happen: Pace Halter, president and chief operating officer, and Mike Webb, vice president of construction services, W.C. Bradley Co. Real Estate; Wes Kelley, vice president and division manager, Brasfield & Gorrie; Dan Joy, Rob Rule and Greg Blaylock, principals, and Shay Hopkins, senior associate, Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio.