When giant computer chipmaker Micron Technology said in December 2021 it would open a research and development center in midtown Atlanta, the company didn't disclose exactly where it would locate the operation because it still was in lease negotiations.
The next month, in January 2022, Micron opened its Atlanta Design Center that's expected to create 500 new jobs at Portman Holdings office complex at 712 W. Peachtree St., where Micron leased just over 93,072 square feet.
The Micron design center joined a growing number of large companies that have opened operations in the midtown neighborhood, including Anthem, which has a namesake office tower at the site. Other tenants at Portman's Coda Tech Square include Cisco Systems Georgia Tech, WeWork, Invesco, Keysight Technologies, Dematic Corp. and Autodesk.
Micron's new center at the property dubbed 712 West Peachtree helped fortify midtown Atlanta as a favorite neighborhood for large technology companies and earned the office project a 2023 CoStar Impact Award for the best lease in Atlanta, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
Micron, based in Boise, Idaho, is expected to invest more than $15 million in the Atlanta Design Center.
About the project: Completed in 2021, 712 West Peachtree is a 20-story, 310,000-square-foot office complex located in the heart of midtown Atlanta's technology hub that also is the epicenter of tech employment in the city.
What the judges said: "This lease represents the growing technology trend growing in Atlanta and the midtown submarket," said Scott Amoson, associate field research director at CBRE. "This activity is what has fostered office market growth over the past number of years."
They made it happen: Travis Garland of Portman Holdings represented the landlord, and John Winter of Cushman & Wakefield represented the tenant.