Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens addressed a small crowd in an abandoned lot on English Avenue Monday morning. Standing in the shadow of multiple completely burned out homes that sit next door to a completely removed two-story home complete with a porch and Ring alarm system on the door, Dickens spoke about the issue of blight throughout the city and how the city’s newly installed “blight tax” will help restore neighborhoods like English Avenue to its previous glory.
The “blight tax” would allow the City to penalize property owners that fail to redevelop or maintain their property. With the amount of land being purchased in and around metro Atlanta by developers and development companies, this ordinance can help restore neighborhoods like English Avenue, one of the city’s historic Black neighborhoods. During the walk through up North Avenue, NW and James P/ Brawley Dr., NW there were several homes in disrepair. Others were unoccupied and had steel seals over the windows and doors.
Members of Atlanta City Council, Atlanta Housing CEO Terri Lee, Invest Atlanta COO Dawn Arnold, and Westside Future Fund CEO John Ahmann took part in the short walk and subsequent press conference along with Dickens.
One of the local homeowners that greeted Dickens and the others on the walk was Destiny Motley, a first-time homeowner. Motley, 36, was excited to see Dickens walking near her home because she knows that first-person appearance might mean there will be continued improvements on her street. Motley’s home is on North Avenue, NW and sits adjacent to an empty lot and to the right of a burned down home. Despite her surroundings she is proud of the okra that she is growing in her backyard.
“I’m ecstatic, this is my first home and just to be able to have my own home is amazing,” said Motley, who told The Atlanta Voice that she had experienced homelessness in the past.
The Mayor gave Motley a hug and listened to her and other residents talk about their experiences in the neighborhood. Dickens said the City’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative is something his administration is taking seriously in order to keep the fabric of neighborhoods like English Avenue together. Dickens added that the City has to do more to support its legacy residents.
“In order to make Atlanta the best place to raise a child, projects like this are necessary,” Dickens said during the press conference that followed the walk around the neighborhood. “We know that vacant, abandoned, and deteriorating properties stand in the way of progress.”