ATLANTA—Hines Partners made a big bet on Atlantic Station, acquiring the a 586,000-square-foot Town Center in Midtown Atlanta in October. At the time, Hines managing director Kenton McKeehan, who leads the firm's Retail Resources Group, called it a "key addition" to the company's growing retail portfolio.

One of the first moves Hines made was to hire SRS Real Estate Partners to lead the leasing charge. GlobeSt.com caught up with Ray Uttenhove, executive vice president and market leader, at SRS, to get her thoughts on where Atlantic Station is headed in part one of this exclusive interview series.

GlobeSt.com: Atlantic Station has experienced a significant turnaround in the past few years. What's next for the retail center?

Uttenhove: Atlantic Station is a super regional destination—uniquely connecting East and West Midtown, Downtown and West Buckhead—and easily accessible with affordable in-town parking and access to public transportation. The 138-acre mixed-use community has an unbelievable identity within the market—often called a city within a city—and we plan to harness its dominant presence to attract tenants that will resonate well with our customers.

The community attracts a diverse customer base that includes Millennials, families, office workers and tourists. Along with an aggressive leasing strategy, we will continue to activate Atlantic Station's public spaces with events and experiences for the community to enjoy. For example, Atlantic Station currently hosts a 10,000-square-foot ice-skating rink, Santa's Cottage with Saint Nick, daily snow shows in Central Park, and other holiday festivities.

GlobeSt.com: Tell me about your leasing strategy for Atlantic Station?

Uttenhove: Our team has set dramatic goals to take Atlantic Station's retail core to a new level. We're targeting entertainment, restaurant and fashion tenants. Currently, we're talking to both regional and national retailers, and we expect to announce exciting new tenants early next year.

Our targeted tenants will respond well with the market and complement existing retailers, especially those in the fast fashion category. The H&M at Atlantic Station is one of the top performing stores in the country.