Finally, residents of Felicia Moore’s northwest Atlanta council district will soon get something that so many take for granted -- a decent grocery store.
Two weeks after the Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to issue up to $35 million in bonds for the oft-delayed Perry-Bolton/Northwest Atlanta Tax Allocation District -- the first such issuance in the 10-year life of the TAD -- residents and Moore are hopeful for a developmental recovery.
The Perry-Bolton TAD was established in 2002 as a $350 million investment project in order to redevelop more than 500 acres of underdeveloped real estate in northwest Atlanta and stimulate retail, commercial and residential growth.
The council’s recent vote on the bonds is the first time any funds have been allocated for the project.
Moore said one of the top priorities was the transformation of Perry Homes from a dangerous public housing complex into a mixed-use, mixed-income community.
And according to the Atlanta Development Authority, once completed, the West Highlands at Heman E. Perry Boulevard will include more than 650 new single-family homes, 700 apartments, a PATH multi-use trail and new parks and green space.
“People have been waiting for that for a long time,” Moore said. “People are ready for it.”
As well as the grocery store, Moore said.
In 2012, a new shopping center, anchored by Publix, will open in a now-dilapidated shopping center at Moores Mill and Bolton roads.
In addition, on Wednesday, the council’s finance executive committee approved a $4.5 million project to build a new fire and police station with a community room on Hollywood Road. Moore said if the full council approves the project, it should be completed by 2012 as well.
“There have been so many things that have held this up,” said Moore, who represents District 9.
She said the main issues were legal and financial delays, manly because of a down economy.
Moore said the project had not been able to attract bond financing in the past because of the lingering recession and a lawsuit that questioned the use of property tax as security for bonds.
“We were back on again,” Moore said. “Things haven’t always been so favorable, but the economy has changed some.”
Peter Andrews, an Atlanta city attorney, said now that the bonds have been approved, the city has to be careful in its handling of them.
“The federal government has put everybody on notice about bonds, so we are reviewing all of the aspects of the transaction,” Andrews said. “We are going through all of our options and trying to figure out the best way to set it up. Instead of double-checking everything, we are triple-checking everything.”
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