At the same time, the Georgia Building Authority signed aseven-year lease for 18,800 sf in the class A office tower. The GBAsigned on behalf of the State Data Research Center & Office ofEducation Accountability, which will move into the 25th floor bythe end of the year.

Rental rates Downtown average $22 per sf. The leases leave just50,000 sf vacant in the 637,000-sf building, according to leasingdirector Jeff Shaw. Insignia/ESG owns the asset. Five years ago,pre-1996 Olympics, only a handful of folks imagined the Downtownmarket would be hot. But hot it is with a mid-year occupancy rateof 91.8%. according to Richard Bowers & Co.'s mid-yearreport.

Much of that activity is around Centennial Olympic Park. Plansin that district include Turner's five-year expansion plan to add a25-story, 600,000-sf office tower overlooking the park.