The Connector 01: I-75 Corridor – GA to TN Market Intelligence

by | Apr 10, 2026 | The Connector | 0 comments

Issue 01   —   March 2026 Get a Quote     706-979-6009
The Connector — I-75 Corridor Intelligence — Atlanta to Chattanooga
Clark Tompkins, PLS

Welcome to The Connector.

We track the deals, the capital, and the players shaping the I-75 corridor from Atlanta to Chattanooga — so the people who build the Southeast never get surprised by an RFP.

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In This Issue

Hines Mixed-Use  ·  Canton Corporate Park  ·  Qcells  ·  Novonix
West Star Aviation  ·  The Great Locomotive Chase

 
Projects to Watch — Exclusive Corridor Intelligence from The Connector
Mixed-Use / Development Bartow County, I-75 @ Mile Marker 293
Hines

Hines drops 2,390 acres at the I-75/411 interchange
— a 10-year build

A massive 2,400 acre site — formerly the Pine Log Wildlife Management Area — is about to undergo a decade-long transformation unlike anything the Georgia corridor has seen.

The Hines led project is arguably the largest single land development event on the Georgia corridor since Highland 75 launched.

When complete, the new development will deliver residential, retail, grocery, office, and industrial space.

Bartow County backed the project with $250M in Tax Allocation District bonds, approved February 4.

What’s Going In:

•Residential, retail, grocery, and office
•Industrial component on the back end
•Infrastructure groundbreak targeted Q2 2026
•Full build-out over 10 years

Survey Demand:

ALTA, boundary, and topo on phased commercial parcels — for years.

The Deal:

$250M TAD bonds
2,390 acres
Q2 2026 groundbreak
10-year build-out

Connection to Watch

Novonix feeds the same EV supply chain as Bartow County’s SK On/Hyundai battery JV. North end to south end — same corridor, same supply chain.

Source: Urbanize Atlanta · Bartow Daily Tribune · Feb 2026
 
Corporate HQ / Expansion Cherokee County, I-75 @ Mile Marker 273
Canton Corporate Park

Canton Corporate Park lands its first tenant
— 130,000 sq ft HQ under construction

CBBE — Commercial Bank & Business Equipment — makes architectural millwork for banks, hospitals, and hotels. They’re headquartered in Canton. And they’re staying.

$25 million expansion. 130,000 square feet. First building at the new Canton Corporate Park on Knox Bridge Highway.

By the Numbers:

•130,000 sq ft new HQ — up from 50,000
•70 new jobs created
•Site work nearly complete
•2 additional parcels still available at the park

Cherokee COED also posted big 2025 numbers: $100M in capital investment, 122 new jobs county-wide.

The Deal:

$25M investment
70 new jobs
130,000 sq ft
Canton Corporate Park

Connection to Watch

Two more parcels are available at Canton Corporate Park. Cherokee COED is actively marketing them — watch for the next tenant announcement.

Source: Cherokee COED · Tribune-Ledger News · Jan 27, 2026
 
Clean Energy / Manufacturing Whitfield County, I-75 @ Mile Marker 333
Qcells

Qcells triples solar output with third Dalton plant — 1,000 jobs, $379M

Qcells is South Korean-owned. They’re already the largest solar panel manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere.

And they’re building a third plant in Dalton.

Why It Matters:

Clean energy manufacturing is expanding across both ends of the corridor.

The Scale:

•$379M investment — Dalton phase alone
•Part of a $2.5B Georgia commitment total
•~1,000 new jobs, hiring already underway
•Daily output: 14,000 panels → 42,000 panels

Connection to Watch

A second Qcells plant is also planned at Highland 75 in Cartersville — same corridor, both ends heating up. Clean energy manufacturing is becoming the corridor’s second spine. Worth watching for land activity between Dalton and Bartow.

The Deal:

$379M (Dalton phase)
~1,000 new jobs
3rd Dalton facility
Whitfield County

Source: Georgia Trend · Dalton-Whitfield JDA · 2024
 
Industrial / Advanced Mfg Hamilton County TN, I-75 @ Exit 9
Novonix

Novonix breaks ground on second graphite plant
— $1B, 500 jobs at Enterprise South

Novonix makes synthetic graphite for EV battery anodes. Their first Chattanooga plant is already running.

Why It Matters:

EV supply chain activity now spans the full corridor.

Now they’re doubling down.

The Deal:

•$1B investment approved 2025
•182-acre site at Enterprise South Industrial Park
•500 new full-time jobs
•50,000+ metric tons synthetic graphite annually by 2028

Connection to Watch

Novonix feeds the same EV supply chain as Bartow County’s SK On/Hyundai battery JV. North end to south end — same corridor, same supply chain.
$1B investment
500 new jobs
182 acres · Enterprise South
Hamilton County, TN

Source: Choose Chattanooga · Chattanooga Area Chamber · 2025
 
Aviation / Infrastructure Hamilton County TN, I-75 @ Exit 4
West Star Aviation

West Star Aviation expands at Chattanooga Airport
— 40,000 sq ft maintenance hangar

West Star Aviation is adding a 40,000 sq ft maintenance hangar at Chattanooga Airport. Completion expected end of 2026.

Connection to Watch

Chattanooga’s north end is stacking industrial, EV manufacturing, and now aviation maintenance in the same corridor pocket. Follow the infrastructure permits.
40,000 sq ft hangar
Completion end of 2026

Source: Choose Chattanooga · Chattanooga Area Chamber · 2025
 
Clark's Take — Clark Tompkins, PLS — Resident Expert, The Connector

“Development in The Corridor is moving faster than at any time I’ve seen in years.”

What stands out isn’t just the volume — it’s the pattern.
The same developers and engineers keep showing up in deal after deal.

If you know who the active players are, you’re never surprised by an RFP.

That’s what this is built around.

— Clark Tompkins

 
History of the I-75 Corridor

The most audacious military heist in American history happened on this corridor.

April 12, 1862. Marietta, Georgia. 22 Union soldiers steal a locomotive — The General — and head north toward Chattanooga.

•Their goal: destroy bridges, cut telegraph lines, and sever the rail connection.
•What followed was the only locomotive chase in American military history.
•Every county along today’s I-75 corridor. The same corridor driving every project in this report.

The raiders failed. But the logic didn’t.

The same freight corridor that made this route strategic in 1862 is driving development here today.

Some corridors just run forever.

The General is on display at the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw. The Texas is at the Atlanta History Center.

 
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