Forbes • January 27, 2020

Looking for an environmentally friendly community where you don’t have to drive everywhere? This new community might just be the answer for you. (And it is next to a large movie studio if show biz is your dream.) The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences has teamed with Pinewood Forest and the Georgia Film Academy, located at the studio, to create a Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media program. During their second year, students will work on capstone projects and internships at the studio while living at Pinewood Forest. 

Living In A New Urbanist Community And Up Close To A Movie Studio

By Sheri Koones Former Contributor

Jan 27, 2020, 02:38pm EST

Looking for an environmentally friendly community where you don’t have to drive everywhere? This new community might just be the answer for you. (And it is next to a large movie studio if show biz is your dream.)

The exciting New Urbanist community in Fayetteville, Georgia, meets these criteria. Pinewood Forest is just 23 miles south of downtown Atlanta and is an environmentally friendly community with many of the amenities people would now like to have in just walking distance.

Residents of this community are actors and stunt doubles, as well as doctors, teachers and business people.

This new community is conveniently located directly adjacent to Pinewood Atlanta Studios, said to be the second largest film and TV studio facility in North America. Set across 700 acres, Pinewood Atlanta Studios has expanded to more than 1 million square feet under the roof, with 18 sound stages ranging from 15,000 to 40,000 square feet and an extensive 400-acre backlot. Films such as Ant-Man, Spider Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Endgame have been shot at this studio.

Pinewood Forest, a 235-acre master planned residential and mixed-use development, is about 30 minutes south of downtown Atlanta. It will include a Town Center (which will include restaurants and shops) and single-family and multi-family homes to purchase or rent. There are currently models to choose from and custom options available. The community school, The Forest School, serves grades K-12, and the community includes a state of the art wellness center (Piedmont Wellness Center), a dog park, playground, and a resort-style pool. A hotel is planned for the future.

More than 100 homes, ranging from one to four bedrooms, have already been built while some are currently under construction. Prices range from $350,000 to $2 million with several models for people to select from. There are six micro homes (300 to 500 square feet) with plans for more. The current models are being used for artists-in-residence and are not for sale. More of these houses will be constructed in the future, with the price to be determined. There are investor-purchased one to four bedroom homes for lease both furnished and unfurnished. One to three bedroom lofts will be available in March, right in the middle of the community, ranging in size from 603 to 1,388 square feet.

With the environment uppermost in the minds of the project partners, Pace Lynch Corporation and town and residential planner Lew Oliver, the town was designed with many green features.

Homes run on geothermal energy, which reduces monthly bills by up to 70%, and are pre-wired for electric car charging stations. Some residents have included solar panels on their roofs. In addition, with the town center in the community, residents will be able to walk to shops, restaurants and work at the local studio. In general, many people in the community will decrease their time spent in cars on the road.

The community also includes 15 miles of nature/walking trails, and all homes are within a block of green space. According to the developers, “The plan for this community was to create one that thrives, is walkable to home, work, school, and the studio.”

When Pinewood Forest launched in 2017, it was expected that completion would take seven to ten years. Two more phases of home building are expected in the future which will include a total of 700 new homes, 600 apartments, 300 hotel rooms, and 270,000 square feet of commercial space with restaurants and retail. Construction of a movie theater will begin this year as well as the hotel on the premises.

The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences has teamed with Pinewood Forest and the Georgia Film Academy, located at the studio, to create a Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media program. During their second year, students will work on capstone projects and internships at the studio while living at Pinewood Forest.

For additional information about this community go to the web site of the Pinewood Forest.