The city of Atlanta plans to house 750 city employees at the former home of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mayor Kasim Reed told business leaders Wednesday.
Reed, in an address at the Central Atlanta Progress annual meeting, said the building at 72 Marietta St., will be renamed Two City Plaza, and add vitality to the corridor by relocating hundreds of city employees to the site near CNN Center and Centennial Olympic Park.
AJC parent company Cox Enterprises donated the newspaper building to the city after the AJC moved most of its news operations to a building near Perimeter Mall in 2010.
Reed said downtown is booming, with new investment — from the soon to open attractions like the College Football Hall of Fame and Center for Civil and Human Rights, to businesses creating jobs downtown, including Coca-Cola’s recent decision to move 2,000 IT workers in-town.
Reed thanked business leaders for their support of increasing the city’s police force, which has led he said to a 40-year low in crime. He also stressed priorities including cracking down on repeat offenders, with a goal of further reductions in crime.
In his remarks, Reed got a loud ovation for the city’s effort this week to begin the process to take full control of the struggling Underground Atlanta complex, with a goal of selling it to a new developer.
The city envisions a redevelopment similar to the new Ponce City Market, the $200 million-plus re-imagining of City Hall East.
He said Underground will become “a vibrant center of commerce” in downtown.
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