How Ponce City Market recently adapted parking space for human uses

In ways noticeable to the public and not, Ponce City Market continues to evolve.

A phase-two growth spurt is percolating that would dramatically reshape two corners of the Old Forth Ward landmark’s property, erecting mid-rise towers along the BeltLine and Ponce de Leon Avenue. Inside, the famed PCM food hall is expanding.

But less conspicuous changes have also happened lately—ones that are paying dividends for property owners Jamestown Properties and reshaping PCM into less of a drivers’ destination.

As Dennis Hertlein, a Choate + Hertlein Architects principal, explains to Urbanize Atlanta, a third-floor section of PCM’s parking garage has been redesigned to make an additional 70,800 square feet of creative office space. That section of the property had been functioning as internal parking since the mixed-use behemoth began opening seven years ago.

The space was originally used for Sears, Roebuck and Co. storage, as part of a railroad-connected facility along Ponce where the oldest section dates to 1926. Choate + Hertlein has been working with Jamestown to modify the complex—all thick masonry walls and steel windows—for a decade.

“We remain impressed with the historic building’s ability to allow for adaptation,” said Hertlein.

The project’s scope called for demolition of all the parking components added in 2014—along with construction of new cores with bathrooms and mechanical systems for future office tenants. The shell office space was completed earlier this year.

Hertlein says recent changes and advancements in society—remote working, ride services, shared-parking technologies, the BeltLine’s connectivity and popularity, and people generally living closer to where they work—means that “onsite parking is able to be converted to a more productive use.”

The conversion appeared to have paid off in June, when FanDuel announced it would lease almost the entirety of the third-floor space for a new technology hub, housing software engineering, product development, user experience, and user interface teams.

Over the next five years, the company expects to grow its Atlanta workforce to about 900 employees in the former PCM parking spaces.

“This historic building offers our employees a blend of old-world charm, cutting-edge sophistication, and modern amenities that will deliver an unmatched working environment,” enthused FanDuel Group’s chief product officer, Sarah Butterfass, in the leasing announcement. “Additionally, its location allows us to build deep ties to Atlanta’s diverse pipeline of talent coming from its many top-flight universities.”

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