CarterBlog

Part 2: K-12 Trends from Carter’s Program Development Services

ATLANTA (Oct. 4, 2011) – Back in July, Carter’s Danny Jardine discussed some of the trends his team sees in K-12 planning and development. In part two, Danny shares some of the current challenges school districts across the nation are facing.

 

Danny leads Carter as program manager of Enid Public Schools’ $107 million construction and renovation project. The project includes two new elementary schools and extensive renovations or additions at all other system schools.

Danny has over 23 years of professional experience in facility planning, programming and management of the design and construction of educational projects, including more than 5,000 classrooms representing more than $3 billion worth of construction work. He is responsible for all disciplines during the planning phase of projects to determine project scope, preliminary architectural and engineering design, total project cost and the development of the construction phase.

Previously, Danny served as Assistant Superintendent for Support Services at Cobb County Public Schools where he managed an annual operating budget of approximately $60 million per year and a capital projects budget of $80 million per year.

 

Andy Feinour Speaks at Bisnow’s Atlanta Student Housing Summit

By Malloy Peterson, vice president of marketing, Carter

ATLANTA (June 16, 2011)- This morning Carter Senior Vice President Andy Feinour was a featured panelist at Bisnow’s Atlanta Student Housing Summit. The event, held at the Westin in Buckhead, packed a full house. Andy — along with fellow panelists Millard Choate, president of Choate Construction Company, Donna Preiss founder and CEO of the Preiss Company, and Cecil Phillips, Chairman and CEO of Place Properties — chatted about current trends in student housing from a development and construction perspective. Moderator Wes Hudson, a managing principal with the Reznick Group, guided panelists through a thoughtful discussion about how rent trends, equity sources and the economy are affecting the student housing market. See below for some of Andy’s thoughts on these topics. 

 

Georgia Ranked in Top Five States in U.S. for Film and Television Productions

By: Ward Entrekin, senior associate at Carter

Georgia has recently, and very apparently, become a hot spot for the film industry. Over the past couple of months, celebrities have been spotted all over metro-Atlanta deeming the area a new hub for the industry.

A recent press release from the Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), stated 16 Georgia counties have been named “Camera Ready Communities” as part of the new program.

In the state's ongoing efforts to bolster Georgia's growing film and television industry, the first 16 counties were designated Camera Ready at a special ceremony at one of Georgia's newest production facilities, EUE/Screen Gems Studio in Atlanta.

According to Heidi Green, GDEcD commissioner, "More than 50 Georgia counties hosted a film and/or TV production this year, making this a banner year for the industry in our state. Hollywood A-listers including Robert Duvall, Katherine Heigl, Sandra Bullock, and Jennifer Aniston have all experienced our unique locations, talented crew base and world-class southern hospitality, helping make Georgia the top filming location in the south."

The industry's economic impact in the state in FY10 came in at $1.33 billion, up from $1.1 billion the previous year. Georgia is now ranked number one in the Southeast, and among the top five states in the nation for film and TV productions.  Atlanta has been a welcome target for filmmakers and studios over the past few years due to statewide tax breaks and a low cost environment.

Another recent article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and one by CoStar suggest that legislature is closely examining the actual success of these incentives as it reviews the budget in light of cuts that will need to be made in 2011 to deal with the struggling economy.

Jennifer Brett, writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Peach Buzz has been keeping the city informed with her filming updates and celebrity sightings. Some movies Brett has mentioned in her blogs include: The Fast and the Furious V starring Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; Wanderlust starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd; Footloose starring Julianne Hough and Dennis Quaid; The Lost Valentine starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Betty White; Marry Me starring Lucy Liu and The Change Up starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman.

In May, EUE/Screen Gems signed a 50-year lease with the City of Atlanta for the former Lakewood Fairgound property, which consists of 30 acres of land as well as the fairground’s Spanish Mission Revival Exhibition Halls, which will be converted into sound studios. EUE/Screen Gems chose the site because of its location between Downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which is easily accessible to those travelling from out of state. Capital improvements of at least $6 million are required in the first two years, which will include the addition of approximately 40,000 square feet of new sound stages to accommodate TV, commercial, digital and film productions. This landmark deal is expected to generate up to 1,000 new jobs for the community, and should provide a boost to existing businesses in related industries.

This is good news for the West Midtown area of Atlanta, which is home to numerous recording and post production studios. The conversion of aging industrial/warehouse buildings has proven to be an attractive formula for a couple of reasons. First, the creation of sound studios in any building is expensive (it nearly always requires the demolition of any pre-existing build-out/improvements), so a less expensive building assists in keeping the overall costs at a manageable level. Second, due to the high profile nature of the industry and those that utilize the facilities, locations that are “below the radar” are preferred. Third, West Midtown provides a central location that provides easy access to the interstate highways and a short commute to the airport. 

At Carter, we have several active listings in the area, with many that could be optimized as facilities for this industry. For example, 348 14th Street which is pictured here.

Well-known recording artists and producers like Outcast, Dallas Austin, TI, and Ludacris have paved the way by establishing recording locations in West Midtown. While this industry has felt the impact of the recession, expect the trend to continue as the economy improves, and to accelerate as the impact of new film production on a grand scale begins to take shape at the former Lakewood Fairgrounds. As Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed told the AJC, “This transaction will move Atlanta into the top 5 cities in the U.S in motion picture production…..once the Lakewood Studio is up and running, every TV and movie sound stage in the city will be in use.”

Since joining Carter in 2007, Ward Entrekin has specialized in urban land and investment sales. With nine years of commercial real estate experience, he provides an expert understanding of the in-town Atlanta real estate market to his clients. Ward primarily focuses on the procurement of owner-occupied real estate for his clients, as well as the disposition of a number of bank owned properties throughout Metro Area.