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Trees Atlanta’s New Westside Headquarters Will Be Home to Four Environmental Nonprofits

Trees Atlanta Kendeda TreeHouse

 

Trees Atlanta’s new headquarters will be named Trees Atlanta Kendeda TreeHouse. We are on schedule to move into 825 Warner Street SW by the end of the year, and we’re bringing friends along!

Located on 2.9 acres of a former industrial lot, the new facility includes 1.5 acres of restored greenspace and two large buildings. The main building faces Warner Street and the Westside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine. This building houses staff offices and conference rooms, classrooms, and spaces with catering facilities for events and community gatherings. A second structure is our operations and logistics center for trucks and equipment. The buildings are surrounded by open and forested outdoor learning spaces with nearly 200 new trees that will be planted on the property.

 

Four Nonprofits Under One Roof

 

With 23,000 square feet of interior space, the new facility is designed to accommodate Trees Atlanta’s continued growth while also providing space to three other environmental nonprofit organizations: The Conservation Fund, Georgia Audubon, and The Nature Conservancy in Georgia.

Each of these organizations have an important presence in the metro Atlanta area, throughout Georgia, and beyond, and all have partnered with Trees Atlanta for many years. They are strongly aligned with Trees Atlanta’s mission to protect and improve our communities through environmental education, advocacy, and action.

Good Neighbor

 

Connie Veates, Co-Executive Director of Trees Atlanta recalled, “As we looked for property that could be our new home, it was important to us that we find a location with enough space to bring our entire team back together in one place, near the BeltLine, and accessible by public transit. We also hoped to improve the property through reforestation and that it would be near neighborhoods that could mutally benefit from our work.”

The property at 825 Warner Street required brownfield remediation and had only 3% tree canopy on the lot which includes a mature Southern red oak which stands in the western boundary of the lot. After the construction and landscape installation is completed, half of the land will be restored greenspace. With newly planted native plants and trees growing alongside the oak tree, the canopy cover will increase to over 60% in about 15 years. Greg Levine, Co-Executive Director of Trees Atlanta, shared his thoughts, “We want to be an example of how a new development can also bring ecological improvements. We hope to be a good neighbor and be a useful resource for education and employment opportunities for the neighborhoods nearest us while we work with communities across metro Atlanta.”

 

Bringing Others Along

 

The decision to share our office space was a confluence of timing and chemistry.

The Conservation Fund has offices across the country, and the choice to locate its Georgia staff at the TreeHouse is a strategic decision that will open up fresh opportunities for its current employees, as well as potentially attract new employees. “We want a vibrant and exciting workplace that will allow us to retain and attract talented staff,” according to Andrew Schock, Georgia and Alabama State Director of The Conservation Fund. “Working alongside other conservation colleagues will allow for more sharing of conservation ideas that will benefit the people of Atlanta.”

With over 2300 members across Georgia, Georgia Audubon rebranded in 2020 from local (formerly Atlanta Audubon) to statewide in scope. The move to the TreeHouse allows them to continue their hybrid work model that includes virtual, in-person, and hybrid events across the state. “Georgia Audubon is excited to be moving into this new, collaborative space with Trees Atlanta and other conservation nonprofits,” says Jared Teutsch, Executive Director. “We look forward to working with partners who share this space to expand our work and do more good for Georgia birds right here in Atlanta and across Georgia.”

In March 2020, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia closed their offices as a health precaution for COVID-19. As the months of the pandemic went on, they came to the conclusion that they worked just as effectively virtually as they did in a room together. By sharing space at the TreeHouse, they see the potential to use less office space and reduce their environmental footprint, while also having larger meeting spaces available as needed. “The last few years have presented us with many unique challenges. As much as we have all been able to do remotely, there are some things that are just better done sitting across the table from one another in a conference room,” explained Dan Ryan, Interim Executive Director.

Trees Atlanta welcomes the nonprofit partners who will share our facilities. We all look forward to being good neighbors in our new home on Warner Street.

Trees Atlanta Kendeda TreeHouse

Construction Progress: 825 Warner Street SW

 

Trees Atlanta Kendeda TreeHouse at 825 Warner Street SW, concept drawing courtesy of Lord Aeck Sargent

 

Related articles:

Concept Drawings of Our New Oakland City Home (9/18/20)

825 Warner Street: Building a New Home for Trees Atlanta (1/5/22)

 

Media contact: info@treesatlanta.org

 

Posted on September 23, 2022