In the biggest news of the week, British movie firm Pinewood Studios is in talks to establish a 280-acre film studio in Fayette County. The studio would be the biggest of its kind in the state. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
In related news, Savannah College of Art and Design intends to create a campus at a vacant school in Fayette County. The facility would focus on filmmaking. (The Citizen)
In yet another victory for Fayette County, the American subsidiary of the Japanese animal feed company Calpis will establish its American headquarters in Peachtree City, along with a production facility. (AJC)
An education-focused nonprofit institution backed by Bill and Melinda Gates chose Atlanta as its headquarters. Separately, the Gates Foundation awarded a $28.8 MM grant to the Atlanta-based Task Force for Global Health, which focuses on eradicating tropical diseases. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
According to a report, over a quarter of Atlanta’s commercial mortgages are delinquent–the highest delinquency rate in the country. (AJC)
Delta released its January operating statistics. Overall traffic was flat compared with last January. Domestic traffic grew 0.5% compared with last January, while international traffic fell 0.7%. Transatlantic traffic fell by 6.4%, while traffic to Latin America grew 9%.
The Brookings Institution released a report on patenting in America. According to the report, Atlanta had the 16th highest patenting activity over the last five years–a somewhat poor showing for a city of its size.
Atlanta may at last meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s 1997 air quality standards. Unfortunately, the city still runs afoul of stricter standards enacted in 2008. (AJC)
According to a report by CoreLogic, Atlanta house prices are up 7.6% compared with a year ago. (AJC)
The studio should push Georgia legislators to ease up on marijuana laws designed to keep artists (stereotyped as left-thinking) out of Georgia. Otherwise the studio will wake to their talent being unable to drive to work because their drivers license is suspended or they are in prison.