Norfolk Southern’s $575M HQ complex is moving forward in Midtown

As evidenced by a development cycle that just keeps going, sky-scraping cranes are becoming permanent—albeit roving—fixtures of the Midtown skyline.

And after today, developers with Cousins Properties could be closer to raising a few cranes to begin the ascent of railroad giant Norfolk Southern’s new $575 million headquarters—codenamed “Project Fusion”—in the neighborhood’s Tech Square area.

Tonight, the Midtown Development Review Committee will discuss proposed plans for a 22-story glass office tower that Cousins, with the help of Norfolk Southern, is creating to anchor the potential 1.4 million-square-foot development.

The tower, slated to rise at a Midtown block bordered by West Peachtree, 3rd, and Spring streets, and Ponce de Leon Avenue, would house 856,000 square feet of office space. The whole project is expected to bring 1.3 million square feet of offices total, as well as 141,000 square feet for facilities such as a technology center and daycare.

The tower would also boast a 3,000-square-foot café fronting booming West Peachtree Street and access to a roughly 2,000-space parking deck.

Ultimately, the site—650 West Peachtree Street—would have roughly 12,000 square feet of retail space, once the full scope is realized.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported last month the HQ building could start construction as soon as next summer, and Norfolk Southern—expected to close on the property in early 2019—could move in in 2021.

It seems the Atlanta City Council’s November approval of downtown’s Gulch development deal helped pave the way for Norfolk Southern’s Midtown HQ plans to move forward.

The railroad company still owns a chunk of Gulch land that it intends to sell to help fund the new facility’s development.

Just down the street from the proposed HQ site, CA Ventures is working toward creating a 27-story, student-focused residential tower.

And on West Peachtree Street, three side-by-side office projects by John Portman and Associates are progressing.

• Cousins Properties files plans for giant Norfolk Southern HQ in Midtown [ABC]