After a spirited debate that touched on, among other things, flooding and the need for jobs in one of its most depressed areas, Atlanta officials might move forward with plans for a 16-acre park in Vine City.
Historic Mims Park — including green space, gardens, a community pavilion, two large fountains, public art, administrative buildings and an 80-foot column topped with a statue of Chief Tomochichi of the Yamacraw tribe, considered the co-founder of Georgia — could eventually cost $55 million to build, according to estimates considered by the City Council.
But taxpayers wouldn't have to pick up the tab under the current plan, which was approved by the Finance/Executive Committee on Wednesday. The full City Council could consider it as soon as Monday.
Most of the land would come from the city's Department of Watershed Management and Invest Atlanta, the city's economic development arm. The National Monuments Foundation, an Atlanta-based nonprofit based in the Millennium Gate in Atlantic Station, would build and operate the park.
The park would cover land that is mostly undeveloped now and would be owned by the city.
Vine City, located a few blocks west of the Georgia Dome, has some of the highest foreclosure and poverty rates in the city. It has been the focus of several development efforts, including a new Wal-Mart store, but signs of trouble are hard to miss. The median price of a home in Vine City was less than $20,000 in 2010, according to an AJC analysis of housing data last year.
Makeda Johnson, who has lived Vine City for 25 years, has watched as dollars for new projects flow into other communities. She was the victim of a home invasion. She said her house has lost two-thirds of its value since she bought it.
"We must change our community, and we must protect people like me," she said. "This is a great opportunity for us to have a catalytic change."
The original Mims Park was donated to the city in the late nineteenth century by Livingston Mims, an Atlanta mayor and great-great uncle of Rodney Mims Cook Jr., president of the National Monuments Foundation. But the park disappeared when Bethune Elementary School was built.
The new park would be a few blocks away from the original site.
Several residents and activists said the park could reduce flooding and help struggling small businesses. The National Monuments Foundation vowed to use workers from Vine City to build and maintain the park.
"We need development today," said Rodney Mullins, who helps organize volunteers in the area. "We don't need it tomorrow."
But some said the neighborhood hadn't been given enough opportunities to shape the plans before they were put up for a vote.
"I would like to see more community engagement," said Yvonne Jones, chairwoman of Neighborhood Planning Unit L. " By not starting off that way, it brings the community into a bit of a struggle."
Councilman Ivory Lee Young Jr., who represents Vine City, said the project was crucial and should move forward.
"I'm asking you to not put this opportunity in jeopardy," he told Council members.
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