Accelerating Land Development Across Atlanta

A Q&A With Nate Fuss

As Atlanta’s population is projected to grow by 1.8 million by 2050, reaching 7.9 million, the city’s development landscape is rapidly evolving to meet increasing demand. Fueled by strong job growth and a business-friendly environment, Atlanta is attracting investors and developers eager to tap into its booming market.

In this Q&A, Bohler’s Nate Fuss, Project Manager in our Atlanta office, shares insights on the biggest opportunities for growth in the region and discusses the challenges the development community faces keeping pace with the city’s expansion.

What are the hottest sectors in Atlanta right now–where is the most opportunity for development?

Commercial real estate, particularly program retail, continues to thrive. There’s a surge in travel centers along the interstates, along with growth in financial institutions and quick-service restaurants. With speed-to-market a top priority, we help our clients navigate local development challenges while maintaining consistency across multi-site retail programs. Our team has earned a reputation for leading successful nationwide development initiatives.

Multifamily development is one of the hottest sectors in Atlanta, with over 22,000 units delivered in 2023 and 34,000 more expected by 2025. However, success in this high-cost market requires strategic site selection, aligning amenities with demand, and leveraging cost-saving technologies. Affordable housing is also a key focus, particularly with initiatives like Atlanta Beltline aiming to create or preserve 5,600 affordable units.

Adaptive reuse is gaining momentum, transforming historic sites into vibrant retail and entertainment spaces, such as the Krog District and the Coca-Cola building. While complex renovations and regulations can be challenging, adaptive reuse projects preserve community heritage, offering benefits that residents often see as positive transformations rather than gentrification.

Data centers are another high-growth sector in Atlanta, and my colleagues here in Atlanta have built a dedicated team to tackle this specialized design and permitting process.

What is challenging the development community right now?

With Atlanta’s rapid growth, the local ordinances are ever-evolving. That means we have to stay flexible and ready to adjust, even mid-project. At Bohler, our established relationships with local agencies and reviewers help us stay ahead of and navigate changes to keep our projects moving.

A key challenge for Atlanta’s development community is the growing emphasis on sustainable stormwater management, driven by the updated Georgia Stormwater Management Manual and varying local authority interpretations. Developers face complexity in site selection and design, as many authorities now require site infiltration testing, significantly impacting project layouts and stormwater management strategies.

How is Bohler helping to navigate the development process?

Bohler approaches the development process by fostering collaboration between our survey and engineering teams, allowing for real-time issue resolution and adjustments. Our Atlanta survey team, led by John Newman, PLS, drives efficiency with advanced technology. Additionally, our team can perform desktop reviews to assess land features and general topography before deploying survey crews. This approach helps reduce costs and streamline workflows.

We adopt a multidisciplinary approach by integrating site planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering from the start. This collaboration allows the team to identify site constraints early, enhance design efficiency, and blend aesthetic and functional elements like stormwater management seamlessly. The result is a cohesive and efficient project that achieves both technical and user experience goals.

What are you most excited about in the coming year?

I’m excited to continue delivering the level of program management our retail clients have come to expect. With new retailers eyeing expansion in the region, we’re eager to bring the Firm’s national expertise to Atlanta’s local market.

I’m also looking forward to strengthening relationships with key industry players like architects and land use attorneys. Collaborating with these players will help our clients streamline the development process, improve speed-to-market, and take a more comprehensive approach to project design, minimizing permitting delays and costly redesigns.

With Bohler’s national footprint, our local Atlanta team can leverage expertise and insights from across the country. This empowers us to be a true consulting partner, helping clients make informed decisions on everything from building placement to transportation routes. Bohler’s integrated approach gives us the unique opportunity to showcase the value of having site civil engineers involved early in the land development process, and that’s exciting! It’s great to be part of a team that pushes boundaries and delivers innovative solutions.

Ready to accelerate development across Atlanta? Connect with Nate.