The civilian authority overseeing redevelopment of Fort McPherson voted Tuesday to approve a new agreement with filmmaker Tyler Perry that outlines the land he wishes to purchase on the closed Army post for a new film studio.
The move comes days after word that Perry expected to pull out of a deal to buy most of the fort, and less than a day after Gov. Nathan Deal removed a critic of the proposal from the authority board and installed two new members at the behest of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
Messages seeking comment from Perry’s representatives were not immediately returned.
Under the new joint development agreement, Perry would still require about 330 acres of the 488-acre site. The property would include historic parade grounds and officers’ quarters, the fort’s former golf course and the former U.S. Army Reserve command building. Civilian authorities would acquire much of northern and eastern perimeters of the post, totalling about 144 acres. The remainder would be reserved for the VA.
Felker Ward, the chairman of the McPherson Implementing Redevelopment Authority, said after the meeting the group never received formal notice Perry was out of the deal.
“We understood there was a letter coming to that effect (that Perry was out of the deal), but we never received it,” Ward said.
On Monday, Deal removed Ayesha Khanna, a nonprofit executive who was first nominated to the board more than eight years ago by former Mayor Shirley Franklin.
Deal replaced her with two of the Atlanta mayor’s allies, including Reed’s campaign manager.
Reed originally brokered the deal with Perry in June before taking the project to the authority for approval. The civilian authority has been in negotiations with the filmmaker since August, but the deal recently appeared to be in peril and the authority has not yet finalized an agreement or closed on the sale.
“I do have concerns this deal will not provide the economic opportunity this community needs,” Khanna said. She did, however, pledge to continue to be engaged in the redevelopment process and thanked the board for her opportunity to serve.
For more on this story, return to MyAJC.com later Tuesday and look for a full report in Wednesday’s edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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