A massive Douglas County property once slated for more than 1,300 residences has been sold to a company with apparent ties to entertainment mogul Tyler Perry.
The company, ETPC Company LLC, acquired 856 acres about eight miles southwest of Six Flags Over Georgia. The property is just south of Sweetwater Creek State Park and I-20.
What plans Perry might have for the property are unclear, but the parcel is far larger than the site of his production studio in southwest Atlanta near I-285 and Greenbriar Mall.
A publicist for Perry did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Douglas County and Douglasville officials have not returned messages.
But the movie maker’s name has been bouncing around the Facebook message board of a nearby community, Tributary at New Manchester.
Sweetwater Creek State Park and the Tributary community are a hub of activity for families and haven for nature lovers, said Richard Segal, a resident of the neighborhood since 2006.
Tributary and Douglas County have been featured in films and TV before, including 2010’s Killers starring Ashton Kutcher.
“We’re no stranger to having Hollywood with us,” Segal said, adding that Perry would “fit right in.”
Perry, an actor, movie and TV producer and director famous for projects including his Madea film series, has also been a real estate investor.
He has recently taken on more work, including a partnership with Oprah Winfrey in her OWN cable channel, and a starring role in the 2012 film Alex Cross, based on the protagonist in several James Patterson novels.
The Douglasville property was once slated for a development called the Villages at Riverview and is about 20 miles west of downtown Atlanta. It is zoned for mixed-use development, and the original plans called for 1,095 houses, 325 townhouses and 14 acres of commercial space, according to marketing material on the property.
Read more: AJC
