Pittsburgh Yards® is more than just a physical redevelopment project—it’s an economic catalyst. Over the next 10 to 15 years, it is anticipated that Pittsburgh Yards® will drive the creation of a wide range of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
To realize that vision, specific economic inclusion goals were built into every phase of building Pittsburgh Yards®:
- At least 50 percent of hires for phase I construction were made up of local residents.
- At least 50 percent of the new permanent jobs were for local residents.
- At least 30 percent of the contracted construction values and tenant lease agreements went to local, minority- and/or women-owned businesses.
- At least 30 percent of contracted predevelopment services went to local, minority- and/or women-owned businesses. (The goal was exceeded).
Initial assessments showed that there were more than 100 small businesses operating in NPU-V, some of which would be ideal candidates for Pittsburgh Yards®
Today, we have more than 140 businesses. The process of identifying businesses and entrepreneurs is ongoing.
In addition to the explicit focus on economic benefits for local residents, the community engagement process surrounding Pittsburgh Yards® was and is unlike that for standard real estate development projects. Residents continue to be engaged at every step and are continuing to help shape the Pittsburgh Yards® entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Pittsburgh Yards® is committed to ensuring NPU-V residents derive the greatest economic benefits possible from the redevelopment of Pittsburgh Yards®
In addition to fueling job creation and entrepreneurship, Pittsburgh Yards® is also a place to host neighborhood functions and other community-engagement events.
The property management group manages The Nia Building® and activities in the surrounding space. The property management group’s on-site staff includes a property manager, community manager, and maintenance staff.
There are still spaces available in The Nia Building®, and 1-hour tours are given by our property management team on the second Thursday of every month, twice a day at 11:30 a.m. and at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact us via email at info@pittsburghyards.com by phone at 470-890-5030.
There are a few types of businesses that will not be a fit for the first phase of Pittsburgh Yards. The Nia Building® is primarily designed for businesses that make things or provide services for other businesses, and the Shipping Container Courtyard is more retail and customer-focused. The pad sites are marketed to attract light-scale manufacturing businesses. We do hope that the business support activities that occur at Pittsburgh Yards®, such as workshops and networking events, will benefit businesses beyond those located on-site. We also anticipate that Pittsburgh Yards® will encourage people to patronize businesses in the surrounding area.
These are the types of businesses that are not a good fit within the vision for Pittsburgh Yards®:
- Massage parlor
- Hot tub facility
- Suntan facility
- Gambling facility
- Businesses that emit heat, smoke, or fumes beyond their workspace
- Businesses that require running water in their tenant space
- Retail stores whose principal business is the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises
- Check-cashing businesses
- Businesses with potentially offensive branding
- Businesses that require strict confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA compliance) in verbal communications
- Adult entertainment establishments
- Gun shops
- Pawn shops
- Night clubs
- Self-storage only
- Vape shops
- Businesses whose primary purpose is the sale or lease of intangibles (defined by the IRS as property that has value but cannot be seen or touched, such as goodwill, business books, records, patents,
licenses) - Sub-leasing
- Election campaign offices
- Lobbying organizations
- Political organizations
- Businesses that sell or produce CBD products that are illegal in Georgia or that violate FDA rules, such as dietary products
containing CBD
The property management group will review applications in the order they are received, sort them by qualified phase, then schedule in-person meetings and a property tour to discuss available office and maker spaces, coworking memberships, and ground-lease options.
After a tenant is approved and has selected a space, they will sign a lease agreement and pay a security deposit of one month’s rent to reserve their space.
- Willing to abide by The Nia Building®’s Code of Conduct (see The Nia Building® section for more details)
- Willing to assume a renter’s insurance policy with an effective date of the lease agreement
- Willing to periodically report on the number of employees, addresses of employees, and wages
- Willing to participate in a job posting board and to show preference in hiring local (NPU-V/Capitol View Manor) applicants if a qualified candidate is available
- Willing to consider second-chance hires who have not been convicted of sexual violence or meth-related offenses
- Willing to pay living wages if feasible or offer apprenticeship/upskilling opportunities
There are a few types of businesses that will not be a fit for the first phase of Pittsburgh Yards®. The Nia Building® is primarily designed for businesses that make things or provide services for other businesses, and the Container Courtyard is more retail- and customer-focused. The pad sites are marketed to light-scale manufacturing businesses. We do hope that the business support activities that occur at Pittsburgh Yards, such as workshops and networking events, will benefit businesses beyond those located on-site. We also anticipate that Pittsburgh Yards® will encourage people to patronize businesses in the surrounding area.
These are the types of businesses that are not a good fit within the vision for Pittsburgh Yards:
- Massage parlor
- Hot tub facility
- Suntan facility
- Gambling facility
- Businesses that emit heat, smoke, or fumes beyond their workspace
- Businesses that require running water in their tenant space
- Retail stores whose principal business is the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises
- Check-cashing businesses
- Businesses with potentially offensive branding
- Businesses that require strict confidentiality (e.g. HIPAA compliance) in verbal communications
- Adult entertainment establishments
- Gun shops
- Pawn shops
- Night clubs
- Self-storage only
- Vape shops
- Businesses whose primary purpose is the sale or lease of intangibles (defined by the IRS as property that has value but cannot be seen or touched, such as goodwill, business books, and records, patents, and licenses)
- Sub-leasing
- Election campaign offices
- Lobbying organizations
- Political organizations
- Businesses that sell or produce CBD products that are illegal in Georgia or that violate FDA rules, such as dietary products containing CBD
There are 200+ free parking spaces available on a first-come-first-served basis in lighted lots and along the private streets within Pittsburgh Yards®.
There are also three (3) electric vehicle charging stations available for an additional fee.
Contact the building manager by emailing info@pittsburghyards.com or calling 470-890-5030
Coworking memberships will be provided on a first-come-first-served basis.
Contact the building manager by email.
info@pittsburghyards.com or calling 470-890-5030
Coworking memberships allow for 24/7 access to The Nia Building® and access to amenity spaces in the North Wing during normal business hours of 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekdays.
- 24/7 access to the building and North Wing access during normal business hours
- High-speed Wi-Fi access throughout the building
- Conference, meeting, and event spaces that are available to rent
- Indoor courtyard and common spaces with built-in seating
- Metered printer/copier access
- Private lactation/wellness room for nursing mothers
- Centrally located restrooms with showers
- Programming and events plus newsletters and communications
- Privacy rooms in the North Wing for personal meetings or phone calls
- Free lot/street parking and access to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations
- Professional on-site management, maintenance, and cleaning
The Container Courtyard is a great solution for largely retail- and consumer-oriented businesses. These unique land leases provide an opportunity to conceive, create and construct your space in our courtyard adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine.
- Direct access to the Atlanta BeltLine Southside Trail
- Adjacent to The Nia Building®—the energized, dynamic heart of Pittsburgh Yards®—with common spaces and amenities, including exterior seating areas and porches
- Rare opportunity to design/build your container space inside a mission-based master-planned development
- Ground lease opportunities include an array of spaces to accommodate your preferred size of the shipping container.
- Infrastructure in place for establishing utility connections, stormwater management, and landscaping
Alternatives to a ground lease for a container would be applying to lease a move-in-ready space in The Nia Building® or reserving a coworking membership. Both have advantages, depending on your business needs. If you own a food business, then cooperating with other food businesses as a member of the shared-use commercial kitchen or the market in The Nia Building® might be a fit. We encourage you to complete an application so that the property management group can meet with you to discuss your options at Pittsburgh Yards®. The application is available at Pittsburghyards.com/application.
The property management team and community members collaborated to create the evaluation criteria for ground lease tenants.
Tenants may use building amenities, such as the amphitheater, classroom, meeting room, and rooftop terrace, by completing the event space request form with the property management group at least seven days in advance. To request a form, contact info@pittsburghyards.com
Community members must first complete the event space request form with the property management group at least 30 days in advance of the desired date of use. To request a form, contact info@pittsburghyards.com.
The kinds of events we do not allow to be hosted at Pittsburgh Yards®
include:
- Weddings
- Baby Showers
- Family Reunions
- Bachelor and Bachelorette parties
- Birthday Parties
- Political Events
- Non-Business-Related Parties or Events
Yes, but it depends on the level of disruption to our businesses, as they are our priority. Interested parties must do a walk-through, provide usage needs in writing and complete a mandatory Film/Photoshoot space request form 30 days before need. Rental fees vary based on the size and scope of the project.
Credits to Pittsburgh Yards® are required.
Depending on the scope and purpose of your request, we have a sliding scale. Please download the appropriate request form for to see what is required to use the space and how the use of our space is charged. If, after reading the request form, you still need more information, please reach out at info@pittsburghyards.com or by phone
at 470-890-5030.
The on-site community manager handles the reservations for meeting and event spaces. Please contact the property management group via email at info@pittsburghyards.com or by phone at 470-890-5030 and complete the form.
The common spaces within The Nia Building® are open to the public from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekdays. Visitors are required to sign in at the reception desk.
The current guidelines for tenants and coworking members of Pittsburgh Yards® are as follows and may evolve to meet the needs of the culture and community within Pittsburgh Yards®
.
- Be a good neighbor.
- Do not restrict the access of fellow tenants to shared and common spaces.
- Contain any materials, emissions, heat, etc. within your leased space.
- Operate your business in such a way that it does not adversely impact others at Pittsburgh Yards or residents of the surrounding communities.
- Any alterations to your space, cosmetic or otherwise, must be approved in advance by the property management group.
- Actively participate in the sharing of resources, ideas and culture at Pittsburgh Yards®
. - Any posted signage must be approved in advance by the property management group. Uniform business signage for units and a listing in the business directory will be provided.
Businesses that are interested in becoming vendors at Pittsburgh Yards® should complete the contact form on the website and select the option for “Vendor/service provider opportunities” in the “Your Interests” drop-down
menu. The property management group will receive your submission and follow up with businesses interested in bidding on service contracts for Pittsburgh Yards®, with at least three bids per contract. Priority will be given
to businesses based in NPU-V or Capitol View Manor, but they will need to provide a competitive bid. Once service contracts are in place, information from interested businesses will be maintained on file for future opportunities and contracts that will be rebid periodically.
The property management group manages The Nia Building® and activities on the surrounding space. The property management group’s on-site staff include a property manager, community manager and maintenance staff. There are still spaces available in The Nia Building®, and tours are being given by our property management team by appointment only on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact us via email at info@pittsburghyards.com or by phone at 470-412-9273.
Any issues should be reported to the property management group staff at the on-site property management office or central reception desk in The Nia Building® during normal business hours. Issues can also be reported via email to info@pittsburghyards.com or via phone at 404-962-8639.
Businesses interested in becoming vendors at Pittsburgh Yards® should complete the contact form on the website and select the option for “Vendor/service provider opportunities” in the “Your Interests” drop-down menu. The property management group will receive your submission and follow up with businesses that are interested in bidding on service contracts for Pittsburgh Yards®, with at least three bids per contract. Priority will be given to businesses based in NPU-V or Capitol View Manor, but they will need to provide a competitive bid. Once service contracts are in place, information from interested businesses will be maintained on file for future opportunities and contracts that will be rebid periodically.
Apartment tenants must have an income at, or below, 60% of the area median income, which is an amount calculated annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The amount is calculated for different household sizes.
While we are not currently taking applications for apartments, please complete our contact form and select “Apartments at Pittsburgh Yards®” in the “Your Interests” drop-down menu to receive an alert when we will begin leasing efforts.
The first phase of Pittsburgh Yards includes about 15 acres. There are five pad-ready sites within those 15 acres. A real estate broker has been retained to assist with attracting businesses that will want to lease ground space and build locations for their businesses. Pittsburgh Yards®’ marketing firm is also assisting with this process. These businesses will need to align with the mission of Pittsburgh Yards. Please see the ground leasing criteria developed with community residents at PittsburghYards.com/grow/pad-sites-parcels.
There is a conceptual plan for the remaining 15 acres of the site, but there is not a timeline for development. The intent is to develop the rest of the site in a way that is compatible and aligned with the first phase.
The Pittsburgh Yards® site and the surrounding neighborhood have a rich history. Prior to any development, Clark College’s agricultural department used it as farmland. Following that, the Great Southern Trucking Terminal was
built; when it opened in 1951, it was the second-largest trucking terminal in the world.
Today’s kids will create tomorrow’s prosperity. To help them succeed, we must ensure all children can grow up in thriving communities that nurture their development and support the financial stability of their families.
For far too long, Atlanta’s systems, institutions, and infrastructure have left residents in the predominantly Black neighborhoods of Adair Park, CapitolGateway, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, and Summerhill—often referred to as Neighborhood Planning Unit V (NPU-V)—isolated from the educational, employment and business opportunities necessary for them to contribute to, and benefit from fully, the city’s growing economy. As a result, these neighborhoods’ unemployment and poverty rates are disproportionately higher than in the city’s wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods. That’s part of a broader trend: The unemployment rate for Black residents in the city of Atlanta historically averages 4.5 times that of white residents.
The transformation of Pittsburgh Yards® is an unprecedented opportunity to change that picture and spur a more equitable distribution of income, wealth, jobs, and entrepreneurial opportunities for residents of color in NPU-V and other southwest Atlanta neighborhoods.
Located near many of the city’s other major redevelopment projects, including the Atlanta BeltLine, Center Parc Stadium (the former Turner Field), State Farmers Market, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and Fort McPherson, Pittsburgh Yards® provides ample opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business owners to benefit from convenient commuting and access to customers from all over Atlanta.
AECF Atlanta Realty, a subsidiary of the Annie E. Casey Foundation acquired the 31-acre Pittsburgh Yards site at 352 University Avenue from UPS in 2006.
After an extensive market study to explore potential uses, the search process for a developer began. In 2017, an agreement was finalized with Columbia Core Partners (CCP), a partnership between Columbia Ventures and The Core Venture Studio.
Resident engagement informed the development team in a variety of ways, including:
- participating in monthly community meetings and site tours in which the development team and new tenants briefed residents on the project process and solicited input (currently held virtually); and
convened regular working group meetings to discuss naming,
history, art, entrepreneurship, and jobs.
Prospective tenants and small business owners—such as welders, seamstresses, and bakers—informed the process by providing feedback on building design.
The site, formerly referred to as 352 University Avenue, was named “Pittsburgh Yards” as a result of community members’ efforts. The naming group developed several concepts, launched a call-in campaign to gather resident input on the proposed options, and announced the final selection at a community meeting on October 12, 2017.
The development team for Pittsburgh Yards® has been led by Columbia Core Partners (CCP), a partnership between Columbia Ventures and The Core Venture Studio. Residents of the NPU-V neighborhoods, including Pittsburgh in particular, and the Capitol View Manor neighborhood, have played key roles in the development process. The primary funder and supporter is the Annie E. Casey Foundation, along with other investors including: Enterprise Community Partners, Invest Atlanta, Brownfields CDE, U.S. Bank, Northern Trust, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).
No, Pittsburgh Yards® is not Black-owned. Many diverse entities were supporting the project, including Invest Atlanta, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Enterprise Community Partners, Brownfield Community Development Entity, and US Bank Community Development Corporation—all of which are committed to creating living-wage employment and long-term career and entrepreneurship opportunities for local residents and business owners and are still involved.
As these are historically African-American communities, Pittsburgh Yards® intentionally creates a space that respects that history. We welcome and support Black-led businesses, especially those in and around NPU-V.
Pittsburgh Yards® has also been developed through extensive engagement with residents from the surrounding area, predominantly African American, who have worked hard to see their history reflected in the site.
The first phase of redevelopment was approximately $26 million.
The well-being of our Pittsburgh Yards® community, including tenants, coworking members, staff, residents, visitors, and partners, is our top priority. The property management group has implemented several health and safety measures, including hand sanitizer stations, mask guidelines, intensive cleaning.
The property management group shares the following resources, and will update if necessary:
The CDC’s Guidance on Stopping the Spread of Germs »
Colliers’ Tenant Information Sheet for Re-entry into the Workplace »
Building management relies on tenants and visitors to cooperate with posted social distancing reminders. Elevator capacity is limited to two passengers, and tenants on the second floor are encouraged to use the stairwells whenever possible. Lobby furniture has been arranged to create adequate personal space. Instead of visiting the property management group in-person to make routine requests or schedule reservations for the building amenities, we ask that tenants send an email to info@pittsburghyards.com or call 404-963-8639.
The property management group will be following CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting the building, with frequent attention to high-traffic and high-touch areas, such as door knobs, handles, restrooms, elevators, etc.
Not at this time. However, should there be a spike in an infectious disease in metro Atlanta, we may make them mandatory again at the most and strongly recommended at the least. Currently, face masks are strongly recommended for smaller common areas of the building, including reception, management office, restrooms, the mail room and break room.
While building access was limited to tenants, their employees, and building management the general public is welcome. Tenants, however, must meet customers and couriers in the lobby or loading dock and escort them to the tenant’s suite.
Tenants may use building amenities, such as the amphitheater, classroom, meeting room and rooftop terrace by scheduling a reservation with the property management group in advance.
Any issues should be reported to the property management group staff at the on-site property management office or the central reception desk in The Nia Building® during normal business hours. Issues can also be reported via email to info@pittsburghyards.com or via phone at 470-890-5030.