Atlanta’s new problem property list drops some notorious apartments

City added 19 complexes for targeting but omitted six with data showing rampant crime or squalor
32Hundred Lenox Apartments, on Lenox Road NE, is one of 19 apartment complexes added to a list of complexes targeted by local officials as being persistently dangerous and unhealthy. Records show dozens of code complaints. Among the recent crimes was a triple shooting on Feb. 3, 2023, in which victims included a father and his 12-year-old son. (John Spink / john.spink@ajc.com)

Credit: John Spink

Credit: John Spink

32Hundred Lenox Apartments, on Lenox Road NE, is one of 19 apartment complexes added to a list of complexes targeted by local officials as being persistently dangerous and unhealthy. Records show dozens of code complaints. Among the recent crimes was a triple shooting on Feb. 3, 2023, in which victims included a father and his 12-year-old son. (John Spink / john.spink@ajc.com)

In July, Atlanta officials and Fulton County prosecutors announced that 43 apartment complexes would be targeted for crackdowns because of chronic crime or housing code violations. In January, that list grew to 54 complexes.

Added were a dozen complexes that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had identified as persistently dangerous in its 2022 Dangerous Dwellings investigation. The city also added several small properties, a senior housing complex and one large complex flagged in what Atlanta officials say is a new data-driven approach to evaluating multifamily complexes city wide.

“The City is constantly analyzing real-time crime, code, fire/EMS and water data to determine the highest priority properties for intervention,” Michael Smith, spokesman for Mayor Andre Dickens, said in an email. “The list of 43 was from June 2022, while the list of 54 is from January 2023, reflecting the most recent data available.”

Left off the new list, however, are six complexes that the Journal-Constitution found put tenants at risk, as well as another complex that Atlanta marked for targeting last year but that the AJC could never locate at the address the city provided.

Here’s what changed on the latest city list.

New additions

Ashton Browns Mill, 500 Cleveland Ave. SE. A 100-unit complex for those 55 and older. The complex was built in 2007 with funding in part from the Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs. The limited crime data for this address shows 15 property crimes and one robbery. The city shows 16 code complaints in the past five years.

Brentwood Alison Court, 2065 Alison Court SW. The 48-unit complex, now known as Brentwood Meadows, was flagged by the AJC for crime, housing conditions and other hazards.

Costa Rica Apartments, 345 Lanier NW. Records show this 16-unit complex, known only as 345 Lanier apartments, was built in 1963. Crime data for 2017-2019 and 2021 show that crimes included a homicide, six aggravated assaults, a robbery and four property crimes. Data for 2020 was not available.

Enclave on Cushman, 3164 Cushman Circle SW. This 48-unit complex, built in 1973, had 26 serious crimes from January 2017 to May 2021, including eight aggravated assaults, one robbery and one rape involving a gun. Atlanta lists 21 code complaints from 2017-2022. Among them were several reports of ceilings caving in and reports of rodent infestations, flooding in apartments, lack of heat and lack of water.

Fairway Gardens, 445 Cleveland SE. The AJC flagged this 200-unit complex for crime and housing conditions.

Flipper Temple, 2479 Abner Terrace NW. The AJC flagged this 163-unit complex, built in 1969, for crime.

Harvest Oaks, 2980 Delmar Lane NW. The AJC flagged this 76-unit complex, built in 1960, for crime and housing conditions.

Heritage Station, 765 McDaniel St. SW. The AJC flagged this 220-unit complex, built in 2007, for crime and housing conditions.

Hollyvale Terrace, 399 Holly St. NW. This 12-unit complex, built in 1965, had 11 crimes over a five-year period, including five aggravated assaults. Atlanta lists eight code complaints, but only three were marked for violations.

Lakewood Forest, 2600 Old Hapeville Road SW. This 80-unit complex, known as Bolden Forest, was built in 1969. Records show 36 code complaints over a recent five year period for this address. Among them were leaks, trash overflowing and lack of heat. Limited crime data was available.

Oakland Park Townhomes, 1240 Oakland Dr. SW. This 60-unit complex was built in 1950. Records show 31 crimes from 2017-2021, including four aggravated assaults and three rapes. Atlanta lists 13 code complaints over that same period.

Park Vista Apartments, 1940 Fisher Road SE. The AJC flagged this 344-unit complex, built in 1951, for crime and housing conditions.

Reynoldstown Commons, 1124 Wylie St. SE. The AJC flagged this 32-unit complex, built in 2005, for crime.

The Park at Castleton, 1994 Bent Creek Way SW. The AJC flagged this 164-unit complex, built in 1970, for crime.

The Point at Westside, 370 Northside Dr. NW. The AJC flagged this 267-unit complex, now known as Westley on the Beltline, for crime. It was built in 2004.

The Villages at Castleberry Hill, 600 Greensferry Ave. SW. The AJC flagged this 166-unit complex, built in 1999 for crime and housing conditions.

Venetian Hills Apartments, 1829 Campbellton Road SW. The AJC flagged this 120-unit complex, built in 1963, for crime, housing conditions and fire danger.

Verbena Gardens, 2190 Verbena St. NW. The AJC flagged this 23-unit complex, built in 1957, for crime and housing conditions.

32 Hundred Lenox Apartments, 3200 Lenox Road NE. This 447-unit complex was built in 1965. Records show dozens of code complaints. Among the recent crimes was a triple shooting on Feb. 3, 2023, in which victims included a father and his 12-year-old son.

Dropped from the list

Amani Place, formerly Edgewood Court, 1572 Hardee St. NE. The AJC flagged this 200-unit property, originally built in 1950, because it had 67 crimes from 2017-2021, including three homicides, 21 aggravated assaults, a rape and a child molestation.

Apex West Midtown, 1133 Huff Road. The AJC flagged this 340-unit property, built in 2009, because it had 182 crimes from 2017-January 2022.

Bedford Pine, 461 Boulevard NE. The AJC flagged this 157-unit complex, built in 1928, because of violent crimes. It had 46 serious crimes reported over a five-year period, including 16 aggravated assaults, eight robberies, three rapes and one child molestation. It was also flagged for conditions, and parts of it had failed HUD inspections.

City View at Rosa Burney Park, 259 Richardson St., 570 Windsor St, 250 Fulton St. SW. The AJC flagged this 180-unit complex, built in 1973, because among the 44 crimes over a five-year period were 11 aggravated assaults, two robberies and two rapes. It was also flagged for housing conditions, with complaints about roaches, leaks and homeless people sleeping in front of residents’ apartments.

Glenrose Gardens, 85 Mount Zion Road, 2951 Macon Drive SE. This complex, formerly known as Highbury Court, has 238 units and was built in 1969. From 2017-January 2022, police reported 34 crimes at this address. The complex had repeated low HUD inspection scores, records show. Atlanta reports seven code complaints.

Griffin Street Apartments, 20 Griffin St. The AJC flagged this 13-unit complex, built in 1961, for crime, which included a homicide, a rape and a robbery over a recent five-year period.

Westlake Village, 1635-1655 West Lake Court. The AJC flagged this 76-unit complex built in 1951 for crime. The AJC did not have a complete list of addresses for the complex, but among at least 16 crimes over a five-year period were seven aggravated assaults and two robberies.

647 Centennial Olympic Park Drive. The AJC could find no information about a multifamily property at this address.

On both the July and January lists

Alexander at the District, 1750 Commerce Dr. NW

Ashley Cascade III, 1371-1381 Kimberly Way SW

Aspen Court, 1631 Stanton Road SW

Brentwood Creek, now The Premier at 1935, 1935 Alison Court SW

Colonial Square, 2637 Old Hapeville Road SW

The Commons, formerly Allen Hills, 3086 Middleton Road NW

Daron Village, now Vue at Harwell, 62 Harwell Road NW

Delta Appletree Townhomes, AKA Appletree Townhomes, 2328 Campbellton Road SW

Fairburn-Gordon I & II, 195 Fairburn Road NW

Forest Cove, 994 New Town Circle

Hidden Village Apartments, 3041 Landrum Dr. SW

Hollywood Shawnee Apartments, 1033 Hollywood Road SW

Lenox Woods, 2255 Lenox Road NE

Luther’s Landing, 1981 M.L. King Jr. Dr. SW

Magnolia Park, 806 Magnolia Way, 60 Paschal

Manor III, 1483 Arthur Langford Jr. Pl. SW

Martin Manor, 2950 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.

Martin Street Plaza, 600 Martin St. SE, 142 Georgia Ave.

Oxford Village Townhomes, 2980 Jonesboro Road SE

Park South, 2612 Steele Ave. SW

Pavilion Place, 532 Cleveland Ave. SW

Providence at Cascade, 320 Fairburn Road SW

Woodland Heights, formerly Rolling Bends, formerly Etheridge Court, 2591 Etheridge Dr. NW, 2500 Center St. NW

Royal Oaks, 3540 N. Camp Creek Pkwy SW.

Seven Courts, 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW

Shawnee Apartments, AKA Hollywood West, 1220 Gun Club Road NW

Terraces at Highbury Court, formerly Crystal Apartments, 50 Mount Zion Road SW

The Park at Greenbriar, 3000 Continental Colony Parkway

The Pines at Greenbriar, now The Hills at Greenbriar, 2909 Campbellton Road SW

The Square at Peoplestown, 875 Hank Aaron Dr. SW

Townhouse Atlanta, 450 Piedmont Ave. NE

Trestletree Village, 777 Eloise Ct., 956 Trestletree Ct. SE.

Vesta Adams Park, 1991 Delowe Dr. SW

Villages at Carver, 187 Moury Ave., 174 Moury Ave.

Westmar Lofts, 800 W. Marietta St. NW

Still not listed

The AJC identified dozens of other persistently dangerous complexes that have not been on either of the city’s lists. They include these that were flagged for three or more dangers:

1177 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW, flagged by the AJC for crime, housing conditions and other hazards.

Adams House and 1980 Adams House, 2280 Campbellton Road SW, 1890 Myrtle Dr. SW and 1895 Plaza Lane SW, flagged for crime, code and other hazards.

Elite at City Park, 415 Fairburn Road, flagged for crime, condition, fire and other hazards.

Pines at Mount Gilead, 3350 Mount Gilead Road, flagged for crime, condition and other hazards.

The Retreat at Greenbriar by ICER, 3000 Continental Colony Pkwy, flagged for crime, condition and fire.