According to the resolution, the new resolution targets multifamily properties in the city of Atlanta where at least 10% of the property has been in a blight that may be seen for ten years or longer.
Ben Hendren is credited.
Ben Hendren is credited.
Members of the council also approved a separate resolution on Monday that permits the city to start eminent domain proceedings against the housing complexes Azalea Gardens in Bankhead and Magnolia Park in Vine City, subject to due process protections and judicial monitoring.
According to the resolution, the city will be able to step in where market failure and property mismanagement have put residents at continuous risk by using eminent domain to acquire Magnolia Park and Azalea Gardens. This will enable the city to convert these properties into safe, respectable, and reasonably priced housing developments that are in line with public health, safety, and welfare objectives.
Without debate, the council adopted the resolutions as part of the consent agenda.
According to The Atlanta Journal’s Constitutional Dangerous Dwellings study, Magnolia Park was the scene of violent crimes and neglected conditions, including structural issues, leaks, and bugs.
Last year, the City Council approved ablight taxallowing officials to tax property owners 25 times higher than the current millage rate, and adopted a resolution creating ablight condemnation programto use eminent domain to take properties and quickly begin remediation.
Two further measures pertaining to homelessness were also accepted by the City Council on Monday.
The first was a resolution for a second, two-year, $10 million renewal option for the Center for Diversion and Services at Grady Memorial Hospital.
According to the resolution, the city and Fulton County reached an agreement in November 2021 to open the center in order to prevent the arrest and incarceration of homeless individuals as well as those who are experiencing mental health issues, substance misuse, or poverty.
Homelessness advocates have expressed worries about the city’s plan to remove homeless camps from downtown and house people by the end of the year in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup in Atlanta next summer. They fear that those who refuse services could wind up in the notorious Fulton County Jail.
A 75-year ground lease deal with Partners for HOME is authorized under another law that was enacted on Monday for the creation of the Waterworks Rapid Housing Project, a modular building on Reservoir Drive in Berkeley Park. As the camps in the downtown area are evacuated, it’s another crucial element in making sure there is adequate housing for everyone.
According to the law, the property is a part of the Hemphill Water Treatment Facility complex and has been used for more than a century as a buffer area and possible location for future water infrastructure needs in the city.
According to the code, some parts of the property are currently considered underutilized despite having historically been used for the city’s water infrastructure, offering a chance to repurpose them to address urgent housing needs in the city of Atlanta.
Mayor Andre Dickens wants to build 500 rapid housing units by the end of 2025, and this quick-delivery homes on public property is a part of that aim.
