Top Talent Demands a Culture-Rich, Mixed-Use Workplace

Beer fridges, ping pong tables and nap pods are no longer enough to create a compelling work environment. This new generation of talent requires an exceptional workplace experience that extends beyond the office lease lines; otherwise, they will opt for jobs with liberal remote-work policies. That exceptional workplace experience happens when offices are located in vibrant mixed-use communities – places where the ground floor is not a stark, grandiose lobby but rather an energized, human-scale environment that encourages community gathering, sparks conversation and fuels creativity.

Well-designed urban centers have been getting this right for generations. Unfortunately, outside of Central Business Districts, developers have largely gotten this wrong. Single land use, complicated zoning and, until recently, complex financing all but discouraged mixed-use development outside the city center. Avalon in Alpharetta is a recent ground-up version of such a community, while our other projects, Colony Square, Newport on the Levee and Birkdale Village, are decades-old mixed-use developments undergoing major modernizations. Whether building new or reimagining the old, a pattern has emerged in creating mixed-use communities with office space that attracts top talent. And it’s not just about building a mixed-use building, especially as workers return to the workplace post pandemic.

The 30-Minute Lifestyle

Office workers are mindful of their time, often looking to maximize the number of errands they can run during the workweek, ideally in 30 minutes or less. Whether running to the dry cleaners, picking up the kids or grabbing groceries, the tighter the ring of stops around their home or workplace, the more likely they are to accomplish their to-do list in that sought-after 30-minute window. When merchandised correctly, mixed-use communities offer a variety of services and retailers that meet those everyday needs. For instance, immediately downstairs at our mixed-use project Colony Square, we have a barber shop, nail bar, eye care, medical spa, Primrose School daycare and SunTrust Bank, all of which serve as great amenities to our 3,000+ office workers. Add to that all the amenities in a quarter mile walk and the 30-minute lifestyle is achievable.

Interesting Dining Experiences Elevate the Workday

The corporate cafeteria and office lobby deli have long lost their appeal. A cultural shift has given rise to the popularity of gastronomy and the younger generation wants to find an epic bulgogi or sofritas during their lunch break. Hiring managers are taking note and meeting prospective employees at the coolest spots in town as part of their recruitment efforts. When done right, the F&B offerings become an extension of the tenant’s brand, often showing up on their corporate social media pages and websites as proof of company culture.?

At Colony Square, we recently unveiled Politan Row, a design-forward food hall featuring 11 unique food-preneurs serving best-in-class cuisine to Midtown Atlanta at reasonable lunch price points. At Newport on the Levee, our riverfront mixed-use development in Newport, Kentucky, we added a shipping container box park to provide additional dining options for on-site office workers and guests. Bridgeview Box Park was recently voted the best outdoor dining in the greater Cincinnati area. This phenomenon is not just for urban cores either, as Avalon in Alpharetta, a suburb of Atlanta, provides 26 chef-driven restaurants for the thousands of shoppers, residents, office workers and hotel guests who frequent our property daily.? We are seeking to replicate this approach by further enhancing the food and beverage offerings at Birkdale Village, which is already an established dining destination for the region.

In addition, it’s worth noting that our resort-trained Concierge is available every day of the week to book reservations, arrange happy hours and coordinate other special F&B event experiences for our office tenants.?

Prioritizing Mobility???

Pedestrian trails are becoming a must-have amenity for office workers, as an increasing number prefer to walk or bike to the office. We are mindful of this when considering the connectivity of our projects. For instance, the Alpha Loop in Alpharetta connects Avalon to Alpharetta City Center, with plans to link into the Big Creek Greenway. Birkdale Village connects with the McDowell Creek Greenway, a paved trail that links the towns of Huntersville and Cornelius in North Carolina. In Newport, Kentucky, the Southbank Trail will soon connect six riverfront communities together, with Newport on the Levee situated right in the center of the network. Colony Square is located in one of the most dense, urban city centers in the Southeast and walkable to several hotels, Piedmont Park, the High and Whole Foods.

We also know cars are not going away as soon as the futurists predicted. If we’re going to expect office workers to leave their homes and commute to work, parking needs to be convenient, intuitive, safe and reasonably priced. If one of these is wrong, it can spell trouble for the entire property. Office workers want to know they can find a space and not have to walk a mile in the rain to the office. Restaurant patrons will simply find a different eatery if parking is not easy.?We also see great value in being near transit stations and are confident ridership numbers will rebound in the coming months.?The pandemic took a heavy toll on this mode of transportation, with national ridership numbers dropping by 79% in 2020 compared to 2019 (source: American Public Transportation Association). Whether people get back on board the way they did pre-pandemic is yet to be determined.

Curated Event Spaces?

We intentionally incorporate flexiform architecture into our spaces so that our tenants get to enjoy the benefits of several unique gathering areas without having to exclusively lease them. For instance, at Colony Square within a few weeks time we have hosted a Primrose graduation, Women in Business awards, Midtown Alliance board meeting, Battle of the Bands Broker Event, Hawks viewing parties and several yoga classes. Our tenants also have access to meeting rooms, soundproof studios, private events facilities with catering and bar options, two outdoor rooftop patios and even a speakeasy.? It is much more convenient for tenants to host events at our properties versus trying to go off site.

At all of our properties, our ExperienceMakers? curate events designed to bring people together after work and on the weekends. This includes free weekly yoga, Friday night live music and monthly comedy shows, all of which serve as popular meetups for our office workers. We also host spectacular seasonal events, such as tree lightings with Santa and Kentucky Derby watch parties, which become beloved traditions for the families and friends of our office workers.? All of this doesn’t just happen all by itself as our team of in-house ExperienceMakers? are resort-trained hospitality professionals.

Work from Anywhere?

Having the flexibility to work from anywhere is a must in today’s post-pandemic world. At all of our properties, we invest in WiFi connectivity in common areas, allowing our office workers to plug in from anywhere. We also design our common areas to provide a variety of soft seating and gathering spaces for impromptu meetings, private conversations or quiet solo work.?

Our parking data at Colony Square indicates we have exceeded pre-Covid levels of demand. This tells us office workers are choosing to come to the office at Colony Square because the experience is greater than that of working from home - but also illustrates substantial increases in transient use for those seeking out a highly active environment for their Third Place. Since acquiring Colony Square in 2015, we have reimagined the street-level with better design and connectivity, art and new restaurants and service retailers. We have simultaneously been able to raise office rents and sign major office tenants such as Whole Foods Market, Inc. and international law firm Jones Day.?

We’re seeing this trend play out at our other mixed-use communities, too.? At Avalon the office tenancy has remained very sticky.? Office leasing activity at Newport on the Levee has increased significantly after our grand re-opening earlier this year.? At Birkdale Village, we have successfully raised office rents on our property experience reboot alone since our physical improvements have yet to break ground.? As we consider our investments in 2021 and beyond, we will continue to seek value-add mixed-use opportunities that allow us to create exceptional workplace experiences for office workers in a post-pandemic society.?