South of Atlanta, growing mini-city moves forward with rooftop cinema, theater

Roughly a half-hour southwest of the Interstate 285 Perimeter, a burgeoning mixed-use megaproject is bringing urban-style amenities to an otherwise isolated pocket of property anchored by a film studio.

Dubbed Pinewood Forest, the 235-acre Fayetteville community neighbors Pinewood Atlanta Studios. It’s fitting, then, that the development is poised to welcome a movie theater concept that project leaders have said is the first of its kind.

On Tuesday, crews broke ground on a nine-screen cinema that Pinewood Forrest officials hope will lure hundreds of thousands of patrons each year.

The signature feature: one rooftop cinema that, per project renderings, will offer views of the budding community and the stars alike.

In October, officials told Curbed Atlanta the theater was on track to debut this coming fall; however, an updated timeline provided this week suggests the first screenings won’t come until early next year.

The development’s theater aspect is being spearheaded by real estate firm Pace Lynch Corporation and Spotlight Theatres.

Beyond that, the under-construction Pinewood Forest project is ultimately expected to feature 700 new homes, 600 apartments, 300 hotel rooms, and some 270,000 square feet of commercial space with restaurants and retail.

The complex also houses the new 60,000-square-foot Piedmont Wellness Center, which opened in November.

With a rough timeline extending for several more years, Pinewood Forest is slated to be fit for 5,000 residents—1,300 front doors, officials have said—with 15 miles of multi-use trails weaved through its subdivisions.