Clayton County could get nearly 3,000 new jobs as the first step in the long-awaited redevelopment of Fort Gillem gets underway.
The first of two land-transfer deals at the massive military base in Forest Park is set to close on May 2, said Fred Bryant, executive director of the Forest Park/Fort Gillem Implementation Local Redevelopment Authority.
The authority plans to turn the military base into a sprawling manufacturing, distribution, warehousing and business park complex with 7 million square feet of space. The redevelopment could potentially transform Forest Park into a logistics and transportation powerhouse for the metro area.
“To say that I’m pleased is an understatement. I’m thrilled about the potential this holds for our city,” Forest Park Mayor David Lockhart said in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There’s finally real movement and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The authority is overseeing the redevelopment of 1,168 acres at the base which closed in September 2011. The U.S. Army will transfer the first part — 770 acres — to the authority on May 2. The remaining land is undergoing environmental cleanup and won’t be transferred until later this year, Bryant said.
An undisclosed distribution company is in talks with the authority to buy 320 acres at Fort Gillem to build a distribution facility that will employ 750 to 1,000 people, Bryant said.
The authority also is in negotiations with another nationally-known distribution company that wants to buy 150 acres and would employ 500 to 1,000 people.
“We’re looking long-term at 2,500 to 3,000 new jobs and more than doubling the tax base for the city of Forest Park,” said Bryant, who retired from the Army at Ft. McPherson in 1999 after 30 years. Bryant also worked for Governor’s Military Affairs Commission during the series of military base closing known as BRAC.
“We just look at this as an incredible opportunity to do something very quickly,” Bryant added. “Forest Park has always been transportation and logistics-oriented. This is just a perfect way to keep that legacy going.”
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