Hollywood is coming to Bedford in the form of a large scale production studio.

           At the State of the City Address Wednesday, Bedford Mayor Stan Koci announced that plans are in the works for a new Hollywood-type movie studio to be located right here in town.  Dakar Studios has agreed to buy the property that used to house US Bank offices on Rockside Road for the purpose of filming productions onsite.

           The idea has been about a year in the works, and was brought to the attention of Bedford officials by former Bedford resident Arline Burks Gant, an actress, director and award-winning costume designer. A Bedford Schools Hall of Fame inductee, Gant was committed to getting the studios built within the Bedford School District so students could become involved in the creative process of filmmaking.

           “I think it is huge for our community,” said Koci. “(Gant) decided she wanted to come back here and give back to the community where she grew up and which she loves.”

           Koci said the whole process fell into place in the perfect spot. “They needed a place that was secluded so they could do all of their filming without being bothered by a lot of people.”

           The address for the building and land is Rockside Road, but the structure itself is tucked back about a quarter of a mile from the thoroughfare. According to the real estate website Cityfeet Inc., the building, which was built in 1993, is 78,000 square feet and is located on a 37-acre wooded campus. It is right across the railroad tracks from Pat Catan’s to the west.

           US Bank had been leasing the building since the time of the mortgage crisis in 2008. The lease was for a period of 10 years, and with the mortgage industry currently stable, the company did not have any further plans to stay in the building.

           Bedford School Board member Tim Tench said they first looked at possibly using the Chanel High School property for the studios, but it ended up being too small of an area.  Other options they looked into were too small as well, that is, until the US Bank site came open. And when it became available, Koci said things began to come together fast.

           Bedford City Manager Mike Mallis said that everything was agreed upon in early December. The official closing of the deal will be around the end of February.

          Some may wonder why northeast Ohio might be a target area for a movie studio. Mallis said the major underlying story here is that Ohio has been offering millions in tax credits for film productions. Scenes from Spiderman and Avengers movies have been filmed in Cleveland recently, but only outside filming could be done, since there were no sound stages available for indoor filming. According to Mallis, that will soon change.

           In addition to using the main building for offices, the studio will be building large sets for production on specific projects.  Mallis said there will be various soundstages, recording studios and green screen areas available.

           Mallis said the goal is to have some Bedford School District students intern at the studios to gain unique opportunities and valuable experience in productions.