UPDATE 2:
A civilian redevelopment agency voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with Tyler Perry that calls for the filmmaker to acquire about two-thirds of the sprawling Fort McPherson for a future film studio in south Atlanta.
Perry plans to acquire 330 acres of the 488-acre site and build up to 16 soundstages, city officials and. The tentative purchase price is $30 million, according to a city of Atlanta news release.
Under the deal, the McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority will retain control of 144 acres, or a piece of land about the size of Atlantic Station, for future redevelopment and to meet federal government requirements to provide assistance to the homeless. The Department of Veteran Affairs also has rights to property on the site.
A deal is not final. The U.S. Army must still sign off on any transaction.
No city of Atlanta funding is expected to be used as part of this transaction.
New green space and upgrades to streetscapes and transit are currently under discussion for the site. Funds from the Campbellton Road Tax Allocation District could be used to fund certain infrastructure improvements.
In a news release, the city said project could relocate 350 permanent jobs and produce more than 8,000 new jobs in the city.
Mayor Kasim Reed thanked Perry’s company and said he is “confident that this kind of development will bring hundreds of permanent jobs into the area, and attract robust additional investment into the Southside of our city.”
“It will also expand Atlanta’s footprint in television and film as well as strengthen our position as the cultural and economic center of the Southeast,” Reed said in the release.
UPDATE 1:
Filmmaker Tyler Perry intends to buy about two-thirds of Fort McPherson for conversion into a film studio under the terms of a proposed sale of land at the former military post, officials said Friday.
Perry would acquire 330 acres of the 488-acre site, and civilian authorities would retain about 144 acres — or a tract about the size of the Atlantic Station development, according to information unveiled during a meeting of civilian redevelopment board.
Felker Ward, chairman of the McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority, said the agency plans to close on a transaction Oct. 15. He said the agency has a Memorandum of Understanding with Perry and that the authority will retain control of the fort’s common grounds, and the authority will be required to honor certain obligations to the homeless under the terms of previous agreements with the federal government.
Perry, addressing the board and attendees of the meeting, said he previously purchased large tracts of land in Douglasville for a new home and planned to create a 300-acre studio in Douglas County, west of Six Flags Over Georgia. He also said he had informed Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed of his intent to move, which preceeded negotiations with the city and MILRA.
Original Post:
Filmmaker Tyler Perry and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed are expected to discuss Perry’s plans to acquire a large portion of Fort McPherson at a civilian authority meeting today.
The McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority, the civilian agency responsible for the revitalization of the closed Army post, is meeting today and Perry's plans for a film studio on the site are expected to be the central topic. Neighbors of the post have raised concerns and said they want more transparency about a potential deal.
Fort McPherson closed in 2011, and the 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.
Several residents involved in those long-range plans have told the AJC they feel cut out of the process.
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.
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.
Stay with AJC.com and MyAJC.com for more on this story, and look for more coverage in the print and digital editions of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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