This May will mark four years since Los Angeles-based developer CIM Group christened its $5-billion Gulch transformation Centennial Yards. Should the next four years play out as expected, the difference in blocks around Atlanta’s downtown arenas could be night-and-day.
In advance of a private event next month for Atlanta’s “who’s who of commercial real estate and construction industries,” the city’s Contractors Closers & Connections chapter is circulating a flyer that breaks down Centennial Yards’ development outlook in a compelling way for anyone eager to see the Gulch relegated to history books. [UPDATE: 7:02 p.m., March 13: CCC and CIM Group officials have reached out to say the Centennial Yards timeline imagery in promotional materials was based on a dated presentation and is no longer accurate; it's been removed from the flyer and this story, and the above headline has been tweaked. We're awaiting updated information on timelines and will revise this story when that comes.]
Alongside downtown landmarks such as State Farm Arena and future greenspaces, Centennial Yards’ phasing is illustrated with delivery projections out until the years 2029 and 2030. (Project heads have long maintained the new district could take a decade to fully construct.)
Should the megaproject stay true to this schedule, all aspects would be under construction by 2027. And most of it will have been delivered by 2026—as Centennial Yards Company president Brian McGowan predicted last summer—when Atlanta will join 10 other U.S. cities in hosting World Cup matches.
The CCC gathering at Wild Leap Brewing Co. in April, described as the “Centennial Yards Edition” of the group’s occasional forums, is a networking event for potential joint venture partners in all aspects of commercial real estate.
Eventually, Centennial Yards is expected to create a dozen city blocks across 50 acres, backed by a nearly $2-billion tax-incentive package, a record for Atlanta.
A fresh perspective on the view looking north to Centennial Olympic Park. Centennialyards.com
Centennial Yards’ splashiest groundbreaking to date came in November for two 18-story towers now fully under construction. Those are a 292-key hotel called Anthem and a 304-unit apartment community. Both are expected to deliver in 2025 across the street from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
More recently, the project’s nifty new pedestrian bridge to Castleberry Hill has opened.
Elsewhere, Centennial Yards developers have filed plans to demolish the windowless building attached to 2 City Plaza downtown where the AJC was long printed, setting the stage for office high-rises when either the market warms up or a big fish bites.
Example of potential facades for new interior streets above today's Gulch. Centennial Yards
Centennial Yards' first two high-rise components (a hotel, at left, and apartments) broke ground in 2022. Centennial Yards
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