College Park changes developers on billion-dollar mixed-use project

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — College Park just changed developers on a billion-dollar project, Six West.

The hotel and retail development is near Atlanta’s airport.

Channel 2′s Christian Jennings spoke with residents who have concerns about how the change could make it more difficult to attract future developers for the project.

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Over 300 acres are ready for development.

“We’ve come up with a master plan for it to become the next destination location on the south side,” College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom said.

The city has already invested in the infrastructure by building a new road for the project.

But last week, the Business Industrial Development Authority voted to end its agreement with the developer, Property Markets Group, choosing to replace them with NYSA Capital.

“Obviously this switch last week really does throw a wrench in the estimated timeline,” Broom said.

It’s a move that Broom, who sits on the authority, voted against.

“I think it sends a bad message to the development community at large and it opens us up to other negative consequences,” she said. “Developers like stability and this doesn’t reflect that.”

College Park resident Ingrid Van Orden also has concerns.

“We want to be friendly to good developers we want good developers looking south of I-20 and opening up opportunities to the people who live here and don’t want to have to drive to Atlantic Station,” she said.

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Mayor Pro Tem Roderick Gay sent Channel 2 a statement late Thursday supporting the authority’s decision, saying the previous developer had experience solely in multi-family apartment developments, while the new developer brings expertise as land planners and a record of nearly billion-dollar developments.

The mayor said despite what she views as a bad move, Six West is moving forward.

“I think residents should be encouraged that we have a vision and we plan to execute but we do need to work through some of these hiccups,” Broom said.

Gay also said in his statement that the Six West development project has used about $40 million in taxpayer funds since the early 2000s, but the project has yet to see any substantial development take place. They plan to change that.

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