In SW Atlanta, under-construction Creative Village bags cash boost

Josh Green

Wed, 12/11/2024 – 08:13

Like much of the U.S., Atlanta’s TV and film industry is experiencing a well-documented slump in the wake of strikes and AI disruptions, but that isn’t stopping a Southwest Atlanta project from moving forward that aims to be a springboard for local creatives to better lives.

RYSE Creative Village, as the project is called, just scored a cash boost from Fulton County to help make that a reality.

Earlier this year, RYSE Interactive broke ground on the initial phase of a mixed-use transformation of the former Preston Arkwright Elementary School property. Situated about four miles from downtown at 1261 Lockwood Drive, the former Atlanta Public Schools facility in Venetian Hills has been vacant since its closure in 2004.

The Black-owned media and communications company plans to eventually invest $30 million (that’s up $5 million from previous estimates) over two phases to create RYSE Creative Village, described as a “pioneering” mix of tech-enabled studios, incubator space, and affordable housing with a goal of uplifting historically underserved communities a short drive from Tyler Perry Studios.

The first step is creating a “talent incubator” for careers in not just Georgia’s multi-billion-dollar TV and film industry but gaming, photography, music, immersive media, and other artistic fields, according to project leaders.

Last week, Develop Fulton’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a $125,000 grant for the RYSE project, with potentially more funding in the pipeline for 2025.

Scope of the full proposed village at 1261 Lockwood Drive SW.
Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

The former Preston Arkwright Elementary building, as seen in March 2020.Google Maps

Kwanza Hall, chairman of the county’s economic development arm, said the one-time grant is an “essential first step” in closing a $500,000 funding gap needed to make the project viable, but that public donations will also be essential.

“Our board is eager to consider doubling this commitment to a total of $250,000,” noted Hall in a prepared statement, “reinforcing our belief in the power of this initiative to uplift the creative community.”

Jay Jackson, RYSE Interactive founder, tells Urbanize Atlanta the project’s first phase is moving forward with financing from Carver State Bank in the form of New Market Tax Credits. Develop Fulton’s contributions will be used to help activate a future phase.

Phase one is on pace to be finished in late fall next year, according to Jackson.

Planned features onsite will include a screening theater, editing suites, a café and coworking space, a virtual reality and gaming center, podcast studio, and spaces for meetings and lectures.

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive

Future development of RYSE Creative Village is slated to include a residential component—the current tally is 91 units of affordable housing, adjacent to the reimagined school—along with additional, alternative education initiatives. The logic goes that Atlanta creatives would be able to live in relatively affordable apartments while attending field-specific classes next door.

RYSE purchased the school property for $485,000 in 2020, according to property records. Company reps have said several adjacent parcels are included in the deal for a total of more than 4 acres. The village’s $10-million first phase is expected to create roughly 85 jobs in Southwest Atlanta, officials said in 2021, as the project was in predevelopment phases.

The Venetian Hills venture is joining long-dormant Atlanta Public Schools properties that have been revived in recent years for more standard uses, such as classrooms and housing, in places like Old Fourth Ward and Adair Park.

Eight other “surplus” school properties were recently identified as having potential for redevelopment in coming years.

Find more context and an array of visuals for what RYSE Creative Village hopes to become (along with handy explainers) in the gallery above.

Courtesy of RYSE Interactive