Third Portman tower in Midtown near Anthem’s hub, Coda is not guaranteed

For Atlanta development wonks, there’s been a whole lotta eyebrow raising lately regarding a key Midtown block dominated, for now, by parking lots at Tech Square.

It started back in July, when the AJC first reported that John Portman Holdings—the development wing of the Atlanta architect’s empire—was aiming to pull two towers, totaling 600,000 square feet, from the ground where West Peachtree and 4th streets meet, immediately south of the company’s ongoing Coda project.

Then, last week, Fortune 500 health benefits company Anthem announced they’d be claiming a new 21-story tower on the site.

But what about the second piece? That’s all TBD, it turns out.

Portman’s Director of Leasing, Travis Garland, recently told Bisnow Atlanta the company has no concrete plans for the remainder of the site. However, “a large office component” seems likely, possibly mixed with residences of some type, Garland told the website.

Portman could seek city approvals for a second building larger than the Anthem Technology Center (pushing the total beyond 600,000 square feet). But Garland told Bisnow he doesn’t expect the second piece to launch anytime soon, although he thinks Atlanta is generally “on the cusp of something special from an innovation perspective."

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The Anthem tower is expected to break ground in January. Within about two years, officials say it will open as a hub for about 3,000 multi-disciplinary IT pros.

It’ll be a glassy neighbor to Portman’s under-construction Coda tower, in the hotbed of innovative research facilities, incubators, and startups that Tech Square has become.

Coda is expected to debut in 2019.

• Despite Anthem Win, Plans For Second Midtown Tower Not Imminent [Bisnow]
• Unveiled: Portman-designed Midtown tower will house 3,000 IT professionals [Curbed Atlanta]