With the sale of most of Fort McPherson to filmmaker Tyler Perry expected in the weeks ahead, a panel of experts on Wednesday gave their ideas about what might become of 144 acres of Army land that won’t be part of the deal.
An expanded Veterans Administration medical center, offices for federal agencies, government contractors and media companies as well as retail, restaurants and apartments were among the ideas outlined by a panel of development experts with the Urban Land Institute.
The 10 volunteer experts — including lawyers, architects, planners, developers and brokers — donated two days to studying the property and the local market to develop strategies for the shuttered Army post south of downtown.
The McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority (MILRA) and Perry are negotiating a complex $30 million transaction.
Perry will essentially pay for the authority’s acquisition of the post’s 488 acres, and he will retain about 330 acres for a movie studio. The authority will retain an inverted U-shaped tract bordering Lee Street and Campbellton Road for development.
The Perry deal was announced a year ago, but closing has been delayed and at one point Perry threatened to walk away.
Brian Hooker, the authority’s executive director, did not have an exact closing date but described it as “imminent” and others said within weeks.
Among the former post’s strengths, said Monte Wilson, a planner with Jacobs Engineering and chairman of the ULI team, is that the VA wants to expand their medical facilities. Other federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and federal contractors and media companies could be viable options for the existing office buildings the authority will retain.
The group recommended a launching point involving the rehab of the fort’s historic village in the northeast quadrant of the post and turning it into neighborhood retail and restaurants. (The fort’s historic parade grounds and officers quarters are to be bought by Perry.)
But high poverty and crime outside the post are a challenge for enticing retailers and other tenants.
Tyler Perry Studios will generate demand for retail and restaurants, and wooing other anchor tenants could help the community become more attractive, said Rod Mullice, a commercial broker with Colliers International and a ULI panel member.
Other issues include what entity — MILRA or private sector groups — will serve as master developer. MILRA board members said the authority will need more staff and director talent. There is also the question of sources of investment capital and infrastructure and streetscape issues.
“You have a lot here in front of you to do,” Wilson said.
Some neighborhood groups and many residents have expressed concerns about a fenced-off Perry studio continuing to isolate the community. The neighborhood also is hungry for jobs.
Alan Holmes, a West End resident, and Kahlil English of Capitol View Manor, said they’re concerned the authority lacks development experience.
“Honestly, I have a lot of questions whether MILRA is ready to assume this land and take on the remaining acerage,” Holmes said.
Mayor Kasim Reed and the authority have said the project will create thousands of jobs, including temporary construction work. The Perry plan and a smaller redevelopment effort replaced a prior plan that called for a life sciences campus and mixed-use project that the authority has said is not feasible.
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