Two of Atlanta’s big property managers are ramping up their response to the COVID-19 pandemic with relief funding and safety measures.
Jamestown, the real estate investment and management firm behind Ponce City Market and The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, has announced a $50 million relief effort to help the small businesses located at its properties. The fund is designed to support businesses
and their employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jamestown began preparing its COVID-19 response in January. In addition to implementing its own contingency plans for global operations, Jamestown formed a task force to offer broader assistance to its properties in Atlanta, Boston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, as well as other cities around the country.
In late-April, as states began preparing to reopen, Jamestown recognized the need to expand its support to include financial assistance.
“In today’s economic climate, chefs need more from their landlord than just four walls
and a kitchen. We need a collaborative partner who understands there is a greater community benefit in helping our restaurant succeed,” said Chef Anne Quatrano, whose Pancake Social and W.H. Stiles Fish Camp restaurants are located at Ponce City Market. “I have always been grateful for the support I received from Jamestown, and that is especially true now. Knowing they have set aside resources to help chefs and restaurateurs get through these uncertain times is a huge relief.”
North American Properties (NAP) has launched its COVID-19 response program Better Together at Colony Square, which undergoing redevelopment in Midtown. The program is focused on creating a safe workplace because of the property’s significant office density, with unique initiatives that include a new elevator concierge program and an investment in UVC lighting.
NAP is spending $280,000 to install UVC lighting technology to purify and destroy airborne bio-contaminants as part of the existing filtration systems within the two Colony Square office towers. The Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) cleaning method kill or deactivate microorganism in the HVAC system. These lights are often found in hospital systems and labs, but rarely in office environments. In addition, Colony Square’s air ventilation is a constant volume system that provides five air exchanges per hour, meaning fresh air is constantly circulating. At the beginning of every day, Colony Square’s towers are fully purged with outside air.
Based on a tenant questionnaire, most office workers plan to begin returning to Colony Square in June. So, starting on Monday, June 1, one concierge team member will be stationed in each elevator lobby, welcoming office tenants back to work, answering any questions and helping them navigate the “new normal.”
“We are taking proactive steps to make our buildings and common areas healthier for the community,” said Tim Perry, managing partner at NAP. “Clean air is one of many priorities for our team, along with increased sanitization protocols, enforcement of social distancing and reprogramming our event plans and common spaces. When our office workers and guests return to Colony Square, they will find an environment that is still vibrant and still very much Midtown, while also being responsive to our new normal.”
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