News
THIRD TIME THE CHARM?
July 8, 2010
| First came Motorola, then Opus South. Both companies tried to develop major projects at the Atlanta Falcons former training facility in Suwanee. Motorola bailed, and Opus failed. Now, a third group—from the land of the Cowboys—will give it a shot. | |
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| We headed out I-85 and snapped the entrance to Suwanee Gateway. Dallas-based Stratford now owns the developable property on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road. The firm, which filed plans for an $850M real estate fund in May, paid $8.5 million for 82 acres, according to Databank. Before its demise, Opus planned a huge mixed-use project with three Class A office buildings, townhomes, 340 apartments, 360K SF of retail, a full-service hotel, and more on the land. | |
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| One available office building is all that exists so far. Opus gained control of the property after Motorola canceled plans to develop a campus on the property. In September 2000, Suwanee officials confirmed Motorola?s plans called for a campus with 1.3M SF of office, distribution, and light-assembly space. Those plans were scrapped, and Opus stepped in about four years later. Opus South filed for bankruptcy in April 2009 and closed its Atlanta operation. |
