Tyler Perry Plans 1.3M SF Entertainment District Near Studio Campus
Tyler Perry is advancing plans for an entertainment district near his sprawling studio campus in South Atlanta.
Tyler Perry Studios submitted a Development of Regional Impact application on Friday, outlining plans to build a 1.3M SF mixed-use project at 1801 Lee St. SW on the historic, decommissioned Fort McPherson army base.
The 38-acre project would include office space, retail, a theater, parking and potentially other uses that weren't specified on the DRI application. The development, which would be led by Scott Samples, would include the demolition of nine buildings that encompass more than 200K SF.
A spokesperson for Tyler Perry Studios and Samples declined to comment. The application, filed with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, anticipates the development being finished in 2028.
Perry first acquired more than 300 acres at Fort McPherson in 2015 and opened his eponymous studio complex four years later. In 2022, he purchased the land for the latest development proposal, contemplating at the time building an entertainment district, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The project would be the first movement on the site since last year, when Perry announced he was placing an $800M expansion of his studio campus on pause as he grapples with the potential impact of an OpenAI artificial intelligence model on the movie and television business.
It has been a bruising year for the Atlanta film industry, known locally as Y'allywood. The impact of the writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023 and subsequent shift of many filming locations to Europe has led to a rise in vacancy and potential distress for studio owners, Bisnow reported last year.
