As the submarkets to the east, west and north of downtown become more populated with new and renovated housing, we are seeing this growth spill over into the downtown submarket as well. In fact, in the past year we have seen two of Atlanta's largest developers, Post Properties and Paces Properties, enter the downtown submarket with multifamily housing. Paces converted a decades-old office building into upscale lofts, and Post is building a large apartment complex on the cusp of Centennial Olympic Park.

This growing demand for downtown housing is further fueled by the new vibrancy of downtown that has been the result of world-class attractions such as the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, and the College Football Hall of Fame. Additionally, Georgia State University brings millennials downtown for education, and they become familiar with the submarket and seek to work or live nearby after graduation.

This desire to be and live downtown is driving demand for office space, as businesses wanting to hire millennials and urban sophisticates need to be where their work force wants to live. It is a cycle that is self-propelling. Attractions drive people, which drives retail and dining, which drives the ability and desire to live downtown, which ultimately fuels the office and retail markets and creates even more vitality and livability.

ATLANTA—Cushman & Wakefield's Dean McNaughton secured three top-tier restaurant leases at The Mall at Peachtree Center last summer, including Flex Mex at Tin Lizzy's, South African inspired pies at Panbury's and classic southern fried chicken at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. As he sees it, the leases demonstrate the explosiveness of Downtown Atlanta's retail market.

GlobeSt.com caught up with McNaughton to get his thoughts on how Downtown Atlanta has transformed in this cycle. Stay tuned for part two of this exclusive interview, in which he will discuss.

GlobeSt.com: How have you seen downtown Atlanta transform to become a place more people want to work and live?

McNaughton: Downtown Atlanta is undergoing a resurgence that is the culmination of a number of positive changes occurring simultaneously. First of all, you have Millennials as well as young sophisticates and empty nesters all desiring an urban lifestyle.

As the submarkets to the east, west and north of downtown become more populated with new and renovated housing, we are seeing this growth spill over into the downtown submarket as well. In fact, in the past year we have seen two of Atlanta's largest developers, Post Properties and Paces Properties, enter the downtown submarket with multifamily housing. Paces converted a decades-old office building into upscale lofts, and Post is building a large apartment complex on the cusp of Centennial Olympic Park.

This growing demand for downtown housing is further fueled by the new vibrancy of downtown that has been the result of world-class attractions such as the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, and the College Football Hall of Fame. Additionally, Georgia State University brings millennials downtown for education, and they become familiar with the submarket and seek to work or live nearby after graduation.

This desire to be and live downtown is driving demand for office space, as businesses wanting to hire millennials and urban sophisticates need to be where their work force wants to live. It is a cycle that is self-propelling. Attractions drive people, which drives retail and dining, which drives the ability and desire to live downtown, which ultimately fuels the office and retail markets and creates even more vitality and livability.