The largest of the newly signed leases is a 25,000-square-foot space at 3950 Shackleford Rd. to be occupied by medical device firm Given Imaging. The tenant will relocate its North American headquarters from another site in the submarket. American Family Mutual Insurance Co. has made its debut in the market with a 10,186-square-foot lease at 1854 Shackleford Court, drawn to the building because of its access to Interstate 85 and amenities in the area including a nearby Marriot Hotel, says Craig Flanagan, vice president of leasing at Duke.

The submarket's proximity to major highways, retail centers like Gwinnett Place Mall and employee housing, have also driven a number of smaller tenants to locate to the region, along with several renewals and expansions. The I-85/Northeast submarket is enjoying the second lowest overall vacancy in the Atlanta Metro area at 8.6% and the lowest rental rates at $20.15, according to a third quarter Cushman & Wakefield market report. "Atlanta has traditionally been viewed as a place where quality of life and cost of living is very reasonable compared to the Northeast and other areas of the country," Flanagan tells GlobeSt.com of the influx of leases.

Motorola Inc. has renewed a 36,000-square-foot lease at Duke's 105,000-square-foot Huntcrest II located at 1745 N. Brown Way in Lawrenceville. Asbury Automotive, a tenant at Duke's 80,000-square-foot Sugarloaf VI at 2905 Premier Pkwy., has renewed and expanded its lease from 9,300 square feet to 21,678 square feet in order to relocate its New York corporate offices. Specific terms of the leases were not disclosed.