The bright lights are now on Gwinnett, where county leaders on Tuesday approved a massive movie studio project that will include a college, a hotel, offices and housing.
The location, at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85, has easy access to Atlanta and much of Gwinnett. But redevelopment has long avoided the area, and leaders hope the project, by the developer of Atlantic Station, will bring more than just movie stars.
“It’s going to totally change Jimmy Carter Boulevard,” said Chuck Warbington, executive director of the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District, which includes the area the studio will be housed in. “We’re already seeing it.”
The project will be built on the site of the fiber optic cable company OFS, which at one time employed 5,000 people, but now has several hundred. That company will continue to operate on the site.
Already, movie franchises like “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” have filmed in the space.
The full project will likely take a decade to complete, but movies will continue to film there as construction takes place and a school could be operating as soon as next fall. When everything is completed, the project could be worth close to $1 billion.
Michael Sullivan, an attorney who represented developer Jacoby, said the campus would be a transformative project that would have an economic ripple effect throughout the region.
“Decades from now, this will be pointed to as one of the biggest game-changers in Gwinnett’s history,” he said Tuesday. “The region is watching this case and tonight, we’re sending them a message. This is Gwinnett’s big move.”
Gwinnett Chairman Charlotte Nash said there was “no doubt” about her enthusiasm for the development. Redevelopment has been a priority for commissioners, but it has been slow to come.
At this site, plenty of projects have been floated, only to fail. Everything from a large shopping center to a gambling complex has been considered for the 107-acre property. Warbington has been working to bring development for nearly a decade.
“I’m just elated,” he said. “It’s the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Developers expect the campus to have seven soundstages in addition to backlots and to film two TV shows and two feature films a year. At completion, Jacoby estimated the project will bring $15.2 million in tax revenue to the county.
“Even if half of that comes through, that’s a hell of a project for Gwinnett County,” Sullivan said.
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