Fort McPherson/Tyler Perry vote up in air; residents want transparency

But State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, and many residents of the Fort McPherson area are calling for more transparency about the proposal to turn much of the former Army post into a major motion picture studio.

The residents said they’ve been cut out of the process during a Thursday press conference outside the gates of the installation in Southwest Atlanta. Many of them worked for years on a plan to remake the closed fort into a life-science and technology park, and question whether the Perry proposal is the best option.

“That is our concern — whether this is a good deal for our community,” said Allean Brown, a Cascade Heights resident.

Dianese Howard, who sits on a subcommittee of community leaders for the McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority, said even those closest to the redevelopment process were surprised by the proposal to sell to Perry.

“If I can say the process is not transparent, it’s not transparent,” she said. “….How can you keep people out of the process in the neighborhood who worked on your behalf?”

The future of Fort McPherson and Perry’s plans are expected to be front and center Friday when the redevelopment authority will meet in a special-called meeting. The agenda calls for considering a resolution regarding the “purchase and sale of real estate.”

Fort criticized Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed for negotiating a deal without the knowledge of community members. He believes that if a finalized deal with Perry is announced at the meeting: “I would call it nothing less than a betrayal of the public trust.”

Reed, for his part, has said such a development will draw other businesses to the area and further solidify Georgia’s growing reputation as a major player in the film industry.

Reed also said in June that despite years of planning, there’s been no serious buyer interested in redeveloping the post.

“We’ve now been at this seven years, so for all of the planning that folks have discussed, no one has ever come up to Fort McPherson for anything,” he said at a June meeting of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a board of CEOs and academic leaders. “None of that has happened and no one has ever put up a dime.”

The AJC first reported in June that Perry, the city of Atlanta and the MILRA were in serious negotiations, and that Perry plans to establish a movie studio there.

It is not clear exactly how much land Perry might be negotiating to buy, as the number has been in flux.

Reed has previously said Perry could acquire more than 300 acres, and that the filmmaker will pay about $33 million, or about $3 million more than the MILRA’s purchase price of the entire post from the Army. The city of Atlanta and the Department of Veterans Affairs are expected to retain control of some land on the property.

Fort McPherson closed in 2011, andthe MILRA has worked with residents for several years to develop a master plan that calls for a science and technology park and a mix of shops, residences and office space. The same plan also requires historic preservation, dedicated green space and land set aside for homelessness service providers.

It’s unclear how a potential movie studio impacts that master plan, though Reed has pledged the city will retain control of a “significant” share of green space.

Still, Fort said he’s sending a letter to U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh about his concerns. In the letter, he’s calling for the military to urge the civilian authority to implement the redevelopment plans already in place.

Separately, another group that proposed building a film studio on about 80 acres at Fort McPherson recently sued Perry, the MILRA and other government agencies to challenge the possible sale. Perry and the MILRA have both asked the court to dismiss the case.