ATLANTA — Ansley Park is a step closer to establishing a historic district for a single street, setting a new precedent in Atlanta zoning.
As neighbors continue to argue over restrictions that establishing a historic district may bring – and a fear of property devaluation – the movement has steadily advanced through City of Atlanta-required steps to make it official.
Peachtree Circle is a residential street on the western border of Ansley Park, running parallel to Peachtree Street between Beverly Road and 15th Street. Historic homes, some dating back to the turn of the 20th century, line the wide, tree-lined street.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The neighborhood has been in a push-pull over historic designation for decades. The last attempt at historic district designation in Ansley Park fell apart in 2022 after a lawsuit was filed by one of the property rights advocates.
Neighbors renewed their interest in a historic district after one of Peachtree Circle’s oldest homes was razed in January.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 6 Georgia officers, staff investigated for misusing Flock system in popular tourist destination
- Baseball player died in batting cage accident. His family just settled lawsuit with his school
- ‘Love & Hip Hop’ star charged with sex assault involving a minor arrested in metro Atlanta
While Ansley Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, that designation does not prevent the demolition or alteration of the facades of homes. Only a city-granted historic landmark designation can do that.
On July 27, the zoning committee of the Ansley Park Civic Association (APCA) declared that the proposed Historic District is consistent with the neighborhood’s master plan. With that stamp of approval, the proposal is moving on to NPU-E on Aug. 4 and the city’s Zoning Review Board on either Aug. 6 or Aug. 13.
APCA President Derrick Brown said some residents have expressed disappointment with the board’s decision.
“We respect those views and appreciate the significant participation throughout the process,” Brown said. “The fact that some residents disagree with the outcome does not mean their viewpoints were ignored.”
The committee was asked to evaluate the proposal as a whole and make its best recommendation based on the ordinance, the City’s findings, public testimony, written submissions, and information presented during the review process, Brown said.
Opponents of the proposal like Dr. Margaret Scarlett, a 40-year resident of Ansley Park, described the process as a “closed room, check the box to pretend we are getting input” meeting with “not much listening, only talking.”
Peachtree Circle resident Drew Gandy is requesting a 60-day continuance from the zoning board to obtain an appraisal on how the historic designation would affect his property. Gandy previously supported a historic district covering the entirety of Ansley Park, but says his concerns now are with this narrower, single-street proposal.
“A small group has reopened old wounds from prior historic designation efforts, further dividing the neighborhood,” Gandy said. “This isn’t coming from a reflexive anti-historic-district position. My concerns are specific to this proposal as structured.”
“I truly believe that if our street becomes designated as a Historic District it’ll just make it easier to convert the rest of the neighborhood, one street at a time,” Ansley Park resident Daysha Love wrote on a neighborhood social media page.
David Y. Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, is a proponent of the Peachtree Circle historic district. Atlanta’s protected historic districts have held and gained value, often increasing more than surrounding communities, he said.
“Peachtree Circle exemplifies the transition from streetcar-era living to the automobile age, features an Olmsted-inspired landscape, and combines architecture, green space, and cultural history in a way that is uniquely Atlanta,” Mitchell said. “The district ensures these defining qualities endure for future generations and preserves the identity of an unparalleled architectural landscape.”
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
