Atlanta

Atlanta officials delay Forest Cove demolition after asbestos discovered during environmental review

By Sam Sachs, WSBTV.com

Forest Cove Apartments | Shirlan Beauford said her unit at the Forest Cove Apartments is a health hazard. She said water leaks from the bathroom downstairs into the living room, the ceiling is falling out and there is mold. (WSBTV.com News Staff)

By Sam Sachs, WSBTV.com

ATLANTA — An advisor to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said plans to demolish the now-vacant and long-troubled Forest Cove apartment complex had been delayed after an environmental assessment showed there was asbestos in all of the building’s units, officials confirmed to Channel 2 Action News.

As previously reported by Channel 2 Action News in January, Atlanta officials said they wanted to have the complex bulldozed within three months.

The mayor’s office confirmed the plan after Dickens came out forcefully following multiple fires in the abandoned property, having been on fire four times from early October to January.

In a December interview with Channel 2′s Karyn Greer, Dickens said the apartment complex has been a complicated challenge for the city for decades. As mayor, he said dealing with it is one of his biggest priorities.

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“Either they will tear this property down, or I will,” Dickens told Channel 2 Action News previously.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was also investigating the complex and its owners, putting Millennia on notice for its management of the property while receiving federal funding through Section 8 housing choice vouchers.

All of the recent developments at the now-vacant complex come after years of reporting on issues at Forest Cove by Channel 2 Action News, as far back as 2015.

Channel 2 Action News is working to get more information about how the demolition plan is being adjusted, and more specifics from the environmental assessment of the property and its 396 units.

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