Uptown district lands Georgia’s first dedicated STEMM school campus

An evolving district credited as being Atlanta’s first large-scale, transit-focused development is celebrating a significant tenant signing this month.

Tuition-free public charter school The Academy for Innovation in Medicine, or AIM, plans to open the first dedicated Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine middle and high School in Georgia at Uptown Atlanta (formerly Lindbergh) this year.

The STEMM school has leased a 30,000-square-foot space that fronts Uptown’s Main Street and Piedmont Road between Midtown and Buckhead, according to project officials.

Plans call for AIM to move in this summer in preparation for the 2026-27 academic year. It will enroll 260 students entering sixth and ninth grades, with expectations of growing to a population of 870 students across middle and high school grades.

AIM officials said Uptown’s onsite MARTA connection, vibrant commercial scene, and proximity to Interstate 85 and Ga. Highway 400 influenced the leasing decision.

Section of the Uptown Atlanta district recently leased by The Academy for Innovation in Medicine, with Piedmont Road shown at right. Courtesy of Uptown Atlanta/The Academy for Innovation in Medicine

The school “is committed to removing barriers to opportunity, which means location and access to transportation are critical,” Dr. Kristy Beam, AIM’s CEO, said in the recent announcement. “[Uptown’s] direct MARTA access and proximity to major transit corridors make our school reachable for families across metro Atlanta and enables students to easily travel to hands-on learning experiences with our healthcare partners.”

Those partners include Grady Health System and RedefinED Atlanta, which has worked with AIM to create a STEMM education model that provides graduates with high school diplomas, associate degrees, and “industry-valued career credentials” at partner institutions, with the aim of prepping students for either college or careers, according to AIM leadership.

By 2030, Georgia is expected to count 100,000 open jobs in the healthcare industry, according to the state’s Chamber of Commerce, per AIM officials.

CBRE is leading office leasing at Uptown. AIM was represented by Savills in the recent leasing transaction.

Where The Academy for Innovation in Medicine (at center) is expected to operate along Piedmont Road and Uptown's Main Street. Courtesy of Uptown Atlanta

Allison Bittel, Savills senior managing director, said AIM’s leasing decision “underscores how mixed-use districts can serve as powerful platforms for community impact.”

“This is more than a real estate decision,” Bittel continued in a statement, “it’s about embedding education, workforce development, and healthcare pathways into an environment where students can see their futures taking shape in real time.”

Spread across 47 acres, Uptown includes nearly 1 million square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, access to growing multi-use greenway PATH400, and communal gathering spaces.

The district’s retail and restaurant lineup today features 26 Thai Kitchen, Bene Korean, Sugarcoat, White Windmill, Madre Selva, J’ouvert Caribbean Kitchen, Roundhouse Kickboxing, The Commodore, and Bar and Chow À La Carte at Uptown Test Kitchen.

District developers Rubenstein Partners announced another leasing win last summer with the signing of Swiss company Stadler, makers of MARTA’s modernized new railcar fleet.

The first major international expansion of its Stadler Signalling Division has leased 7,236 square feet on the eighth floor of Uptown’s east office tower, to include laboratory space and a hub for Stadler’s growing US team with space for future expansion, all steps from MARTA’s Lindbergh Center station.

Courtesy of Uptown Atlanta