Metro Atlanta’s economic boom historically has sprouted from downtown Atlanta to Buckhead and further north.The southside was largely left out. Not anymore, some of the region’s leading prognosticators told hundreds of business and civic leaders Wednesday.
“That pattern’s beginning to change. The southside is seeing growth in all sorts of areas,” Doug Hooker, executive director of Atlanta Regional Commission, told a standing room only audience at the 13th annual South Metro Development Outlook Conference in College Park Wednesday.
In the last few years, the southside has lured German automaker Porsche, British film giant Pinewood Studios and a slew of warehouse and distribution centers such as Kroger’s at Ft. Gillem and Home Depot. At the same time, economic activity has picked up briskly around Hartsfield Jackson International airport.
In fact the emergence of distribution, warehouse and logistics centers in the southern crescent may help the area position itself to be a leader in wholesale trade, warehousing and logistics while boosting Georgia’s standing in those areas, Kennesaw State University Economist Roger Tutterow told the gathering.
At the same time, the region has blossomed into a major film hub for Georgia. Senoia in Coweta County has remade itself into a destination spot for films and TV shows such as the immensely popular “The Walking Dead. The tiny town’s downtown has grown from five businesses to 50, according to Scott Tigchelaar of Senoia Enterprises.
Meanwhile, movie mogul Tyler Perry has plans to turn Ft. McPherson into a movie-making complex, according to Brian Hooker, executive director of the McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority. Perry’s investment would bring filmmaking to south Atlanta.
Similar plans are in the works in Union City to build 12 film stages at the abandoned mall there, Union City mayor Vince Williams said. To that end, schools such as Clayton State University and Fayette County schools are trying to address the growing need for skilled film workers.
But the biggest attention-getter at the conference, held at the Georgia International Convention Center, was MARTA’s foray into Clayton County, the transit system’s first major service addition in 40 years. Limited service begins in Clayton on March 21.
“We’re on the eve of restoring our transit system,” Clayton Commission Chairman Jeff Turner said, drawing applause. Clayton has in the “neighborhood of 2,500 jobs” coming into the area this year, Turner said. “With that we’re going to have to have a Class-A transit system to bring people to those jobs.”
MARTA CEO Keith Parker said Clayton will initially get 35 buses. Then, he added, “We’ll start a study group for the high capacity fixed route option.”
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