Housing advocates are raising red flags over a piece of legislation that would ban building tiny homes without the OK from City Council.
The proposal would prohibit development of single-family homes under 750 square feet unless the property is granted a special permit by the city.
According to a memo from the city’s office of zoning and development, the legislation aims to “provide protection for existing single-family neighborhoods.”
“The intent is not to create a ‘cookie cutter’ effect,” the memo says, “but to permit structures that are substantially similar to maintain established character in the neighborhoods of Atlanta.”
But housing advocates are worried that the restriction would make it harder for nonprofits and developers to build affordable homes.
Alison Grady, co-founder of Abundant Housing Atlanta, said that the legislation would make tiny homes “nearly impossible” to build in Atlanta through construction delays and additional costs.
“(The fact that) we’re creating extra barriers to build a small home but not to build a mansion tells us everything we need to know about who we prioritize in this City,” Grady said in a statement.
Council member Marci Collier Overstreet, who sponsored the measure, defended the bill during Zoning committee last week, saying that the legislation simply allows Council members to sign off on micro-developments but doesn’t completely prohibit them from being built.
“My paper is not prohibiting anything,” she said. “I just want to emphasize how important it is that Atlanta maintains all of the neighborhoods that we have — no matter the size of the neighborhood, the type of neighborhood, they all want to stay like they are.”
Overstreet said that the proposal does not impact accessory dwelling units.
The city’s Zoning Review Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing in March on the proposal.
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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was in Washington, D.C. last week for a mass meeting of city leaders gathered for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ winter meeting. While there, he moderated two panels — one on public-private partnerships and one on using federal funds to benefit local communities.
The trip also provided a key platform for the first-term mayor to cozy up to White House officials and Congressional lawmakers.
Dickens joined SiriusXM’s Julie Mason and said that he would be making his way to the White House to show off what Atlanta has been able to accomplish with federal funds.
“‘Hey, I got a picture of a shiny thing,’” Dickens said he was ready to tell President Joe Biden’s administration. “‘Look at what we’ve done with the money that you’ve bestowed upon us.’”
With a Democrat in the White House during his first term, Dickens has been able to easily manage federal-local relations to help accomplish his policy priorities. We suspect he and his staff are anxious about the outcome of the 2024 election as a Republican-held presidency would prove much harder to navigate.
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Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
City council members are just starting on their new committees this month after President Doug Shipman announced assignments at the end of the year. For new chairs, that means getting debriefed by city department heads on relevant problems and crafting their top priorities.
Council member Andrea Boone is the newest leader of one of the most powerful committees: Public Safety and Legal Administration. Lawmakers who sit on the committee work closely with both the Atlanta police and fire departments, get regular breakdowns of crime statistics and have the first crack at any public safety legislation.
Boone, who is serving her second term on council, told us that she wants to focus on rebuilding the public’s trust in law enforcement by reviewing training curriculum and increasing community-centered policing.
“While trust and great relations between our offices in the community are critical,” she said, “I also have to be mindful of their primary duties, which are to protect and serve.”
Boone said she also wants to prioritize senior safety and initiatives to aid first responders who are suffering from mental health issues.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
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