FAA Increases Tradeport BTS to 100,000 SF

MOUNTAIN VIEW, GA-The Federal Aviation Administration has doubled the size of its build-to-suit project at the Tradeport industrial and office park from 50,000 sf to 100,000 sf. Raleigh, NC-based Highwoods Properties Inc. is building the project on behalf of the FAA on land owned by Highwoods. Construction has started and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.

The original price tag for the project was $10.2 million, but with the increased size, the cost has nearly doubled, Highwoods Properties Inc. vice president of the Atlanta division Jim Bacchetta tells GlobeSt.com. The building had originally been slated to be a two-story structure, but with the increased size, it will be four stories. The footprint of the building was slightly modified and some building systems, such as elevators, were changed to accommodate the larger structure. “We’re utilizing more land for the project, but fortunately Highwoods already owned the land,” Bacchetta says.

Bacchetta says the larger building, which will include office and some training space, was needed to accommodate the increased demands and responsibilities of the agency. Tradeport is located on International Parkway, near the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Interstate 75.

“Tradeport is a strategic infill-location in Atlanta that is becoming increasingly important as traffic at one of America’s busiest airports continues to grow,” says Highwoods president and CEO Ed Fritsch, in a released statement. “We currently own 622,000 sf at Tradeport, including three office and five industrial buildings.”