ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is asking the Atlanta City Council to authorize and initiate condemnation proceedings on five blighted properties in the city.
For that request, city officials have asked for a specially called City Council meeting in the coming weeks to consider the proposed resolutions.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot will bring you the latest developments on this new push to address blight in Atlanta, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News at 4.
The proposed legal action is part of the city’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, a broader initiative focused on reducing long-standing neighborhood disinvestment.
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If approved, the resolutions would authorize the mayor or his designee to begin formal condemnation procedures under state law.
The five properties targeted for potential condemnation are located at:
- 533 English Avenue NW
- 748 Neal Street NW
- 293 Sunset Avenue NW
- 699 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW
- 2795 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW
Dickens emphasized that addressing distressed properties is necessary to protect surrounding neighborhoods.
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“Blight is more than an abandoned building or neglected property. Blight affects quality of life, safety and economic opportunity of the families who live around it,” Dickens said. “Our Administration is using every appropriate tool available to us to address properties that have remained distressed for far too long.”
Dickens said the new push for action on blighted buildings was to help protect residents and make sure every Atlanta community benefited from the investments coming the city.
Under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 22-one-one et seq.), any property acquisition must be based on an independently appraised fair market value.
If eminent domain becomes necessary, the city is required to file legal proceedings in Georgia Superior Court to confirm consistency with state statutes. The proposed resolutions authorize beginning the condemnation process and do not constitute an immediate acquisition of the properties.
District 3 Councilmember Byron Amos shared his support for using legal tools to encourage revitalization on Atlanta’s Westside.
“These properties have been a concern for residents who have waited to see meaningful action and investment in their neighborhoods,” Amos said. “We have an obligation to use the tools available to us responsibly and strategically when persistent blight threatens the stability and future of a community. Addressing these properties creates an opportunity to remove longstanding barriers to neighborhood revitalization and help move the Westside forward.”
The Atlanta City Council is expected to vote on the authorization resolutions at the requested specially called meeting. If approved, the city will follow statutory legal steps, including formal appraisals, property owner notifications and judicial proceedings in Georgia Superior Court.
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