Georgia Lawmakers Approve $392M For New Office Building, New Gold For Capitol Dome

Few are looking to build new office buildings amid soaring vacancy rates and construction costs, but the Georgia government is about to.

The Gold Dome At The Georgia Capitol In Downtown Atlanta.

The Georgia General Assembly on Monday approved $392M in spending to refurbish the golden dome of the state Capitol and build a 260K SF legislative office building, along with a 500-car parking deck, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The spending is part of the $68B state budget package that was approved and still needs to be signed by Gov. Brian Kemp. Rep. Matt Hatchett, a Republican who also chairs the House Appropriations Committee, told fellow representatives Monday that the budget is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to fund the full cost to refurbish the gold dome, built in 1889, and expand and modernize legislators' offices, according to the AJC.

Lawmaker offices are in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building on the south side of the Capitol, a structure built originally for the state health agencies but refurbished in the 1980s for legislators, according to the AJC. The building is insufficient to house offices and needs meeting rooms and new heating and mechanical systems, Gerald Pilgrim, the deputy executive director of the Georgia Building Authority, told the AJC.

“We’re bursting at the seams in this Capitol and across the street in the CLOB,” Hatchett said.

Instead, the state will develop an eight-story office building on the north side of the gold dome on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive that will also include a skybridge to the Capitol. If signed into law, construction would start in October and wrap up by the end of 2026.

The Capitol would also get improved heating and air systems, a new layer of gold over the curved roof and a restoration of historic features, including the restoration of the grand library, which has become offices.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Atlanta Newsletters
Related Stories

Demolition Underway On Hawthorne Plaza

Why Hines Is Restarting Its Development Engine

Sandy Springs Shopping Center Gets Incentives For Major Overhaul: The Atlanta Deal Sheet

EXCLUSIVE: Industrial Outdoor Storage Investor Continues Buying Spree In Metro Atlanta

Astrodome Conservancy Solicits Redevelopment Ideas

Food And Beverage Increasingly Becoming Anchor In Mixed-Use Projects

How To Streamline Operations And Accelerate Receipt Of Capital On Construction Projects

Builders Turning To Prefab Solutions As Speed To Delivery Becomes Critical Consideration

Making The Case For Preconstruction As Risk Management

Jackson Far Outraising Bottoms In CRE Donations In Georgia Governor's Race

Contractors Feel Squeeze As Prices Rise 7.4%, Backlog Shrinks

2 Steakhouses Land New Leases: The Atlanta Deal Sheet