ATLANTA, Ga. — Five properties in northwest Atlanta that city officials say have been plagued by long-standing blight could eventually be condemned and demolished.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ administration is asking City Council to authorize condemnation proceedings for the properties, saying they have remained distressed for years and are affecting surrounding neighborhoods.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The properties are:
- 533 English Avenue NW
- 748 Neal Street NW
- 293 Sunset Avenue NW
- 699 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW
- 2795 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW
The five properties are spread across northwest Atlanta, with four clustered in the Westside area and another near I-285.
At the Sunset Avenue property, neighbors said the abandoned structure has been an eyesore for decades.
Gail Santelli, who lives directly across the street, said she has had to look at the deteriorating property every day.
“It’s not pretty. It is not. It’s not a good eyesight. It is an eyesore,” Santelli said.
Atlanta City Council member Byron Amos said the property was already abandoned when he was a child.
The city says formally labeling the properties as blighted gives officials additional tools under Georgia law to address them.
“The condemnation law is another one by putting this out, condemning it, calling it blight,” Amos said, explaining that the designation allows the city to take steps it otherwise could not through normal code enforcement.
The city says the proposed resolutions would only authorize the start of the condemnation process. They would not immediately transfer ownership of the properties to the city.
If condemnation ultimately becomes necessary, the city would have to follow Georgia’s legal process, including appraisals, notifications and court proceedings. Any acquisition would be based on an independently appraised fair market value.
But the push to condemn the properties may already be getting some owners’ attention.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Marijuana home delivery may soon be legal in Georgia
- Entire school board in Georgia district suspended
- National sandwich chain opening first Georgia locations
Amos said he hopes putting the properties on the list will encourage owners to take action. Channel 2 Action News found work crews at two of the five properties Wednesday.
“A lot of them come to the plan to turn the heat back down and disappear again,” Amos said.
He urged owners who are willing to address the problems to work with the city and their neighbors.
At the Sunset Avenue property, a man who identified himself as the owner, James Arpad, told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot he plans to demolish the structure himself. He said he has been waiting for a demolition permit from the city for about two years.
Arpad said he hopes to eventually sell the property, along with adjoining properties, to developers interested in building higher-density housing.
The Dickens administration says the effort is part of its Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, which aims to address long-standing disinvestment and strengthen neighborhoods across Atlanta.
City officials have requested a specially called City Council meeting at the earliest appropriate date and time to consider the five resolutions.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
