Avalon opens new phase ‘Boulevard East’ for advanced preview of hotel and office space – MDJOnline.com

As the dust from construction settles, Avalon quickly approaches the official opening of Boulevard East. on April 13.

On April 3, North American Properties President Mark Toro and Hines Real Estate Senior Managing Director John Heagy, directed a small tour to members of the media, giving an inside look at aspects of what increases the size of Avalon at least two-fold.

Phase two doubles the size of Avalon and then some, on one-third of the acreage, so it is a lot denser, said Toro, who noted the buildings are the tallest in Alpharetta.

According to Toro, the 10,000 building will actually be taller than the 8000 building.

8000 Avalon is the business center of the multi-faceted property, housing the new corporate headquarters and workspace for Microsoft.

According to John Heagy, Microsoft is anticipating relocating from Sanctuary Park, also in Alpharetta.

Heagy noted that Microsoft will occupy a 44,000 square foot space, including office and meeting space on one level and a beautiful training and education facility on another.

Heagy anticipated that the office building is 95 percent occupied once a couple leases, for companies he could not disclose, are finalized.

Avalons 8000 building will have its own parking deck providing free access for its retailers, key card access for hotel guests and office building tenants.

At the center of the retail expansion at Avalon is another technology giant, Apple, relocating from North Point Mall to Alpharettas city within a city.

According to Toro, Apple has been very quiet about the details of the inside of the state of the art new store.

Avalon will premiere Rumi's Kitchen (Persian cuisine), Brine Seafood Shack, Chick-fil-A, Barley Garden Kitchen & Craft Bar, Jeni's Ice Cream, MF Bar (Japanese cuisine) and District III (Vietnamese cuisine) to its restaurant roster.

New retail stores of Boulevard East include: Brooks Brothers, Urban Outfitters, Scout & Mollys, Levis, Williams Sonoma, Hammer Made, Boogaloos, Lucky Brand, Pottery Barn, South Moon Under and Boardroom Salon for Men.

A unique facet to the Levis store, according to Toro, will have the capability to measure and create custom jeans for customers.

A warehouse style storefront will be home to Sundance, a catalogue driven clothing and accessories concept founded by Robert Redford.

Catalogue and online retail are going brick and mortar. They already know their clientele is here [in Alpharetta], so they put a physical store in the markets where they have the most customers, said Toro.

Toro also noted that the stores opening in Boulevard East are new to Atlanta.

One of the new restaurants opening in phase two is Brine Seafood Shack, the first venture in seafood for Marc Taft, owner of Chicken & Egg in Marietta.

In addition to its casual dining concept with lobster rolls, clams, oysters and steamers, Toro highlighted the inclusion of a walk-up window at Brine.

We [at Avalon] have an open container policy, youll see many of our restaurants have walk-up windows, which Brine will participate in with their line of craft beers, said Toro.

An additional pedestrian element is what Toro referred to as a paseo, or a public walk or boulevard on the north and south side of Boulevard East.

The covered paseos will connect the office and retail spaces.

A surprise reveal from Toro is the opening of the number one requested coffee operator by Avalon guests, Starbucks, scheduled to open in January 2018, alongside The Hotel and Conference Center at Avalon.

All of our tenants are interested in what is going to happen with the Hotel. Companies are finding ways to incorporate those type of hospitality features into their sales process, so having this hotel within walking distance is right up their alley, said Heagy, referring to the amenities and features available at Avalon.

Heagy also mentioned the importance of the relation between office building and streetscape. With the paseo connecting the business and retail side, it gives the office customers a direct link to what will keep them here long term.

There is still a lobby off the paseo strictly for office tenants.

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When we first started Avalon, we always had a vision for a Class A office building to serve the corporate needs for Alpharetta, said Toro, describing Hines and Cousins as AA players in the business.

Toro noted that the coordination between all three companies constructing separate buildings, the streetscapes and all the places they interface has been phenomenal.

Just to come out here and see things happen the way they are supposed to has been fantastic, he said.

The concern of parking has been addressed, with a 550 space capacity deck for the hotel, which contributes to the total anticipated number of phase two parking to 3,300 spaces, increases Avalons total parking to 5,300 spaces.

What we have an opportunity to do here is reverse that or at least stem the tide of job loss in North Fulton by providing an urban experience in a suburban setting. If these employers have their employee base in North Fulton, they have a better chance of retaining them, said Toro.

An additional element of retention is creating an experience seamless to the user.

All entities encompassing Avalon: residential community, office building, hotel, retail at street level, contribute to the Avalon Experience Fee to accomplish this.

All contribute to fund that assures that when Tawny has a resident with a need, requirement or whim, we can do it. If you park your car at the hotel and end up at Oak for dinner, your car will arrive at Oak. The idea is to create a seamless experience and maintaining integrity of the Avalon brand, said Toro.

Everywhere you look there are subtle and consistent elements representing the Avalon brand and logo, he said.

Veranda at Avalon, the new residential element featuring high-end apartments, follows suite.

Available floor plans include varying models of one and two bedroom layouts, ranging in price from $1,800 to $5,000 per month.

More information about the new residential space at Avalon is available at http://www.verandaatavalon.com.

Phase two of Avalon will officially open on April 13 with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the morning, followed by a day full of festivities, all open to the public.

Avalons website, http://www.experienceavalon.com contains additional information.

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Avalon opens new phase 'Boulevard East' for advanced preview of hotel and office space - MDJOnline.com