From Speculative Office to Beltline Ownership
For more than two decades, Atlanta’s Beltline has reshaped the city’s urban fabric, transforming former industrial corridors into some of the Southeast’s most dynamic neighborhoods for living, working, dining, and recreation. Long before cranes filled the skyline and institutional capital chased opportunities along the trail, Pollock Commercial was actively involved in helping businesses, investors, and visionaries find their place in what would become one of Atlanta’s most influential development corridors.
That history recently added another chapter with the sale of The Willoughby, a nearly 60,000-square-foot creative office building adjacent to the Beltline in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. Pollock Commercial represented the seller in the transaction, which culminated in Atlanta Beltline, Inc.'s acquisition of the property.
Delivered by Crosstown Realty Partners in 2017 as one of the first speculative newly constructed office developments directly along the Beltline corridor, The Willoughby arrived at a time when creative office demand in intown Atlanta was accelerating rapidly, but before the market had fully matured into the institutional asset class it has become today. While speculative office development along the Beltline was still considered ambitious by many at the time, the building validated the vision almost immediately, reaching full occupancy by the time it opened.
Its original tenant roster reflected the changing identity of the Beltline itself. Creative and technology-oriented companies including Stable Kernel, Dagger, and Blue Sombrero — now known as Stack Sports — were drawn to the building’s walkability, authenticity, and connection to the surrounding neighborhoods and trail system.
Pollock Commercial’s involvement with The Willoughby began well before the property became an institutional investment product. After representing Stable Kernel in its lease transaction at the building during the project's early leasing phase, the firm remained closely connected to the asset through its relationships within the intown development community and deep understanding of the evolving Beltline office market. Pollock Commercial later facilitated an introduction between the property and institutional investment firm Stockbridge Capital Group.
That introduction ultimately led to Stockbridge Capital Group's acquisition of the property, with Pollock Commercial representing the buyer. Pollock Commercial was then retained to oversee leasing efforts at the property as The Willoughby continued to establish itself as one of the premier office assets along the Beltline corridor.
As ownership objectives evolved over time, the property's next chapter began to take shape. Through longstanding relationships with the team at T. Dallas Smith & Company, discussions began around whether Atlanta Beltline, Inc. might be a logical long-term owner of the property. Given the organization's stewardship of the Beltline corridor and its mission-driven focus, The Willoughby was well positioned to support both a physical presence along the Beltline and the organization's broader community objectives.
As Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs noted following the acquisition, the purchase represented “a unique market opportunity to preserve an important source of commercial affordability in one of Atlanta's most competitive and rapidly evolving corridors.”
The team at T. Dallas Smith & Company that represented Atlanta Beltline, Inc. in the transaction included Dexter Warrior, T. Dallas Smith, Leonte Benton, and Mahze McQueen.
Jeff Pollock, SIOR, CCIM, of Pollock Commercial represented the seller in the transaction.
For Pollock Commercial, the transaction represents more than the sale of a single building. It reflects years of involvement in the evolution of the Beltline and the relationships that continue to shape its future.
The firm's Beltline experience stretches back to the earliest stages of the corridor's emergence and includes involvement with many of the corridor's most notable projects and stakeholders. Over the years, Pollock Commercial has represented owners, investors, and developers in transactions involving properties such as Studioplex, 154 Krog Street (Inman Alley), home of Kevin Rathbun Steak, The Blue Horse, Brasfield Overlook at Glenwood Park, Carriage Works, and The Jane.
The firm's Beltline-area tenant representation work has been equally extensive, helping companies secure space in projects including Ponce City Market, Stove Works at Krog District, Southern Dairies, King Plow Arts Center, Westside Paper, and numerous other office, retail, and mixed-use developments throughout the Eastside, Westside, and northern portions of the Beltline corridor.
The firm's work in the corridor has also included notable owner-user transactions, including helping Dad's Garage Theatre secure its long-term home in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward.
Among the more memorable moments was a transaction involving a commercial unit purchased by Ryan Gravel, the Georgia Tech graduate student whose 1999 master’s thesis became the conceptual foundation for the Atlanta Beltline itself. At the time, the idea of transforming former rail corridors into a connected network of trails, parks, transit, and redevelopment was still largely theoretical. Today, it has fundamentally reshaped how Atlantans experience the city.
The evolution of The Willoughby mirrors that broader story. What began as a speculative creative office development in an emerging submarket ultimately matured into a highly sought-after institutional-quality asset connected to one of the most transformative urban redevelopment projects in the country.
For Pollock Commercial, the transaction also represents a unique full-circle moment—from being involved in the sale of a commercial unit to Ryan Gravel, whose vision helped inspire the Beltline, to participating in a transaction involving Atlanta Beltline, Inc., the organization charged with carrying that vision forward.
And as the Beltline continues to evolve, so too do the relationships, businesses, and communities that define it.
In the News
The acquisition of The Willoughby by Atlanta Beltline, Inc. attracted attention from several of Atlanta's leading business and news publications. Read more about the transaction below: