Military Base Transitions Open New Possibilities
Published Nov 03, 2008
Redevelopment plans are in the works for Fort Gillem and Fort McPherson, which are scheduled to close by 2011.
When Fred Bryant surveys nearly 1,200 acres of soon-to-be vacant property, he doesn’t see a setback. He sees an opportunity.
Bryant, executive director of the Fort Gillem/Forest Park Local Redevelopment Authority, is at work on a plan to revitalize land that is now home to Fort Gillem, one of two Clayton County Army bases slated to close in the coming years.
Roughly 500 acres will become available when Fort McPherson closes around the same time.
“We really believe this project and others can help change the face, change the attitude about the south side of Atlanta,” Bryant says.
The Army has to approve applications from local entities before authorizing sales of the bases, including a detailed re-use plan for the property.
The redevelopment plan for Fort Gillem includes 717 single- or multi-family homes, 435,000 square feet of retail space, 8.2 million square feet of commercial, industrial and manufacturing space and about 1 million square feet of office space.
The project is expected to generate 18,000 jobs and roughly $243 million in new real estate taxes for Forest Park, compared to the city’s current real estate tax revenue of $236 million.
The Fort McPherson project envisions about 4,000 housing units and 4 million square feet of office, retail and white-collar industrial space.
“There will be more reasons for (people) to come here,” says Bryant. “There will be more job opportunities, new job opportunities.”
Story by Michaela Jackson
Current Weather Conditions In Jonesboro, GA (30236)
Cloudy and Windy, and 44 ° F. For more details?
Click here...
