New Developments: Fort McPherson

Fort McPherson Redevelopment: Named after General James Birdseye McPherson, this fort was founded in 1885 by the US Army and has been in use by the military since 1835 as a Confederate base during the Civil War.  It was also used as a detention center in World War I for German prisoners of war.  In September of 2011 the base was officially closed and the secretary of defense organized the “McPherson Planning Local Redevelopment Authority” or MPLRA which is a nonprofit corporation for the planning and reuse plus economic development of the real estate involved, a 488-acre tract.    (More information regarding Ft. McPherson from Wikipedia.org click here)

Redevelopment: Ft. McPherson will include a 127-acre Science and Technology Park with 3.5 Million square feet of office and lab space and 1,780 residential units in a campus-style environment.  The Strategic Plan (as first laid forth by Jack Sprott – Executive Director of MPLRA) will include a Bioscience Employment Center, a VA Clinic, a historic district, and other High-Density Mixed-use.

Latest News: Results from the two proposals submitted for the first phase of redevelopment will be decided at the next McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority “MILRA”  Board meeting on February 2, 2012. The two teams, Cousins and Carter where Cousins Properties, The Integral Group, and Forest City Enterprises and where Carter consists of H.J. Russell & Co. and Carter, have submitted bids in response to the November 21, 2011 Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the first 113-acre parcel/phase.

Other Interesting Links:

• Mayor Kasim Reed says Airport  ”greatest advantage”  for Atlanta
• Fort McPherson Outreach and Landuse Plan (2007)
• Carter, Cousins teams vie for Fort McPherson
• Gov’s office: too early to say which agencies moving to Ft McPherson
• McPherson historical housing quarters
• State of Georgia Aims to Invest (Gov. Deal) (AJC)
• Fort Mac at a glance (AJC)