Atlanta Mayor Wants to Put a Moratorium on Housing Development, Wants Parts of the City to Remain Poor

According to an Alive 11 report back in February, that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms unveiled a moratorium on new development activity in Westside Park, a historically black community.

All of this was justified under the grounds of fighting gentrification.

“A key pillar to the Administration’s comprehensive affordable housing plan is ensuring long-term residents are not priced out of the neighborhoods they have built,” Mayor Bottoms said in a press release. “We know that every permit triggers some form of change in these communities, and it is of the utmost importance that development is carried out in a deliberate, fair and thoughtful manner.”

The moratorium is expected to last 180 days, approximately six months, and will apply to “new applications for rezonings, building permits for new construction, land disturbance permits, special use permits, special administrative permits, subdivisions, replattings, and lot consolidations for non-public project.”

It is expected to not affect existing projects.

The mayor’s office declared that the moratorium will allow officials to have more time for identifying an “Immediate Impact Area” that will be most impacted by development around Westside Park. In response to this, they will develop an “Equitable Development Framework” for that area.

The mayor’s office published a map of that potential area, which spans Grove Park and two smaller communities, Rockdale and Knight Park/Howell Station, which have already experienced significant levels of gentrification.

Grove Park is already seen significant rises in property values. According to the Zillow home value index, the media home value was $95,000 in January 18. Two years later, the home values nearly increased twofold.

According to the real estate company’s predictions, that number is expected to pass $200,000 by the end of 2020.

Although most cities would kill to have rising property values, which is a strong sign of a thriving economy, Atlanta prefers to limit economic opportunities by putting a halt on development.

Our Latest Articles