Brookhaven City Councilman Joe Gebbia’s district runs along Buford Highway in DeKalb County. He said change along the thoroughfare known as the pulse of the region’s immigrant population is unavoidable and to be expected.
“This is the hottest market right here, and it’s going to flow over into Chamblee and Doraville eventually,” he said.
He is sensitive to concerns about property values rising so rapidly that local business owners and residents are squeezed out. There are no magical solutions.
“We’re really wrestling with how to address this issue and how to be effective in doing it right,” Gebbia said. “We haven’t come up with the answer.”
Gebbia points to the cranes that hover over the North Druid Hills campus of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, as well as the recently constructed Emory Sports Medicine Complex that houses the Atlanta Hawks' practice facilities.
As related businesses sprout up, the effects are bound to reach the immigrant corridor on the other side of I-85.
“This whole thing is just going to light up like a firecracker right here along Buford Highway,” Gebbia said.
MyAJC.com has much more about the development coming on or near Buford Highway and what local government officials and community advocates are doing to preserve its cultural significance. Read the full story on myAJC.com.
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