Atlanta City Council moves to revamp blighted apartment complexes

The new resolution targets multifamily properties in the city of Atlanta where 10% or more of the property “has remained in a demonstrable state of blight for 10 or more consecutive years,” according to the resolution.

Credit: Ben Hendren

Credit: Ben Hendren

Also on Monday, council members approved a separate resolution allowing the city to begin eminent domain proceedings against apartment complexes Magnolia Park in Vine City, and Azalea Gardens in Bankhead, “subject to judicial oversight and due process protections.”

“Acquisition of Magnolia Park and Azalea Gardens through eminent domain will allow the city to intervene where market failure and property mismanagement have placed residents at ongoing risk, and to transition these sites into safe, dignified, and affordable housing developments in alignment with public health, safety, and welfare goals,” the resolution states.

The council approved the resolutions as part of the consent agenda, without discussion.

Magnolia Park was identified in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Dangerous Dwellings” investigation, which revealed violent crimes and neglected conditions, including structural problems, leaks and pests at the property.

Last year, the City Council approved a “blight tax” allowing officials to tax property owners 25 times higher than the current millage rate, and adopted a resolution creating a blight condemnation program to use eminent domain to take properties and quickly begin remediation.

The City Council also approved two additional measures on Monday related to homelessness.

First was a resolution for a second renewal option for the Center for Diversion and Services with Grady Memorial Hospital for two years at a cost of $10 million.

The city entered into an agreement with Fulton County in November 2021 to launch the center to avoid arresting and jailing unhoused people and those suffering from mental health, substance abuse and poverty, according to the resolution.

With the FIFA World Cup arriving in Atlanta next summer, some homelessness advocates have raised concerns about the city’s goal to clear downtown of homeless camps and house people by the end of the year, fearing some who refuse services might end up in the troubled Fulton County Jail.

Another ordinance approved Monday authorizes a 75-year ground lease agreement with Partners for HOME for development of the Waterworks Rapid Housing Project, a modular construction on Reservoir Drive in Berkeley Park. It’s another key component in ensuring there is enough housing for people as downtown camps are cleared.

The property is part of the Hemphill Water Treatment Facility complex, according to the ordinance, and “has served as a buffer area and potential site for future needs of the city’s water infrastructure for over 100 years.

“Despite its historical use for the city’s water infrastructure, specific portions of the property are now deemed underutilized, creating an opportunity to repurpose them to meet critical housing needs within the city of Atlanta,” the ordinance states.

That quick-delivery housing on public land is part of Mayor Andre Dickens’ goal to create 500 rapid housing units by the end of 2025.