Georgia News(Week 8) - Fate of Former Federal Lands in Question

According to a recent article, the land remaining after the closure of four Georgia military installations may be taken over by federal agencies. The article notes that Georgia should not have that difficult a time finding takers for the empty land, as "three of the state's condemned bases are in the Atlanta area." Federal agencies have first dibs on the land, and have up to a month to show interest in purchasing the land from the Pentagon. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has also expressed interest in the land, according to the article. FEMA would "acquire storage space at Gillem and develop a regional headquarters at McPherson," one of the areas remaining after the closure of the bases. This mass closure of bases stems from the BRAC, a massive governmental reorganization affecting many apsects of the government, such as employment and military bases. In addition to federal agencies, the article also mentions various community groups that are "developing community reuse plans,"many of which are real estate and commercial in nature. The article estimates that the fate of the land should be known by January. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the federal agencies decide to do with the land, as it can be an obviously profitable venture for them. The community groups' interests are also important, as they no doubt will want a share in the profit from these lands.

Link: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/1105/08brac.html?cxntnid=amn110805e