An August request to the Fayetteville City Council to have the Pinewood Forest and west Fayetteville developments designated with the mailing address “Pinewood, Ga.” has been withdrawn.
Above, Pinewood Forest President Rob Parker speaks to the Fayetteville Council. Photo/Ben Nelms.
Fayetteville City Manager Ray Gibson said Pinewood Forest officials recently announced the decision not to pursue the mailing address name change at this time.
Pinewood Forest President Rob Parker made the request at the Aug. 2 council meeting. He said the idea behind having a mailing address of Pinewood, Ga. while maintaining a Fayetteville zip code was to provide Pinewood Atlanta Studios and the Pinewood Forest mixed-use development with a marketing tool to attract “young creatives” to the area.
“We need to get them here first, and get our Pinewood brand better known,” Parker said in August. “It’s about place-making. The idea is to attract the next generation to the area.”
Mayor Ed Johnson at the meeting said he had no major objections to the designation, adding that the council would want the assurance that Pinewood would not propose to de-annex in the next 10 years.
Pinewood had hosted meetings of young creatives, with that group being asked if they would consider moving to the area. Parker said the interest in relocating was not significant, adding that the group’s perspectives might alter if such a place-making branding could be introduced.
Pinewood Forest representative Rick Halbert at the Aug. 2 meeting said the Pinewood, Ga. designation would also pertain to the 900 acres along Veterans Parkway under Pinewood ownership.
Parker at the Aug. 2 meeting agreed to work with Gibson to develop a strategy to accomplish the request, along with reasonable assurances that Pinewood would not propose a de-annexation for the next 10 years.
