A handful of Peoplestown residents who have so far refused to sell their homes to make way for a flooding retention pond will meet with Mayor Kasim Reed this Thursday.
City officials say the proposed park and retention pond are critical to addressing decades of flooding in the neighborhood. Unveiled in 2013, the retention pond is part of the Southeast Atlanta Green Infrastructure Initiative, a $66 million dollar plan that also includes stormwater storage vaults and other flood control measures.
The vast majority of property owners, about 20, already have sold their homes to Atlanta, according to the Department of Watershed Management, but four or five property owners have yet to reach a deal with the city. Some of the hold-outs say the city hasn't offered enough money for their property, or convinced them that there's no other way forward.
In recent months, much of the focus has turned to 93-year-old Mattie Jackson, a Summerhill resident who has lived in the neighborhood for decades. City officials have been in back-and-forth talks with Jackson’s family and a representative, but the elderly woman has made it clear that she doesn’t want to move.
Monday, she was among about a dozen residents who descended on Reed's office, following weeks of rallies and appearances at Atlanta council meetings to speak out on the issue. To hear what Jackson had to say about the proposal, visit myAJC.com.
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