The CDC Foundation, the philanthropy associated with the Atlanta-based government health agency, has agreed to move its offices from a building near Woodruff Park to Bank of America Plaza.
It's the first major new office lease for BofA Plaza in years and follows the building's recent purchase by San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties.
BofA Plaza, where Midtown meets downtown, is an emblem both of Atlanta’s skyline and the arc of the region’s economy since the 1990s. Nearly full when Atlanta’s Cousins Properties sold the tower for a record price during the real estate boom, the giant building is now about half-empty.
In a blog on its website, the CDC Foundation said it focused on “proximity to CDC’s Atlanta campuses; a location near the airport for out-of-town guests; access to major interstates and public transportation for our staff who travel from throughout the Atlanta area to work; and space to accommodate expansion as needed.”
A new leasing team from CBRE that helped turn Atlantic Station into a hub for creative companies was recently hired to fill BofA Plaza, and the firm is targeting both big name corporations and creative firms.
A CDC Foundation spokesman said the group will occupy about a floor and a half of the 55-story tower. The foundation has about 150 employees, including about 50 to 60 at its Atlanta offices.
The foundation was founded by Congress in the 1990s to help extend the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to help the CDC connect and work with nonprofit and private sector partners. Major supporters have included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and corporations including General Electric and UPS.
CBRE broker Jeff Keppen said the building has gotten renewed attention with new ownership. Shorenstein, a well-known national real estate company, has the money to finance major building improvements and has big plans for the tower.
“Midtown is super hot right now,” Keppen said, citing innovation labs and corporate relocations happening in the area around Georgia Tech.
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