The city of Atlanta will continue pursuing a retention pond project, even though residents, including a Georgia State professor, may be forced from homes where the selected project site is.
Georgia State law professor Tanya Washington might be leaving her home in Peoplestown, because of the city’s new plan to construct a new park, which will contain multiple ponds to store excess rainwater and to prevent flooding.
The goal is for the pond to catch extra water if there is a major storm, like the torrential downpour in 2012 that flooded the Downtown Connector and filled the Peoplestown neighborhood with overflow from the city’s sewer lines, according to Washington.
Washington said she isn’t affected by flooding in the neighborhood, and doesn’t want to give up her home for a project that won’t benefit her.
She also said she feels like the city hasn’t been transparent enough about its intentions. Residents didn’t find out from the city that it intended to use their block for the project.
Instead, it was discovered through an Open Records Request after a neighbor’s lawsuit against the city in 2012, according to Washington. The city’s official response to her Open Records Request, dated July 7 2015, wasn’t sent to her until August 29 2015.
She said getting information from the city has been “like pulling teeth,” and she is disappointed in how the city has handled this case.
Peoplestown, one of the lowest points of elevation
Lilian Govus, director of communications for the City of Atlanta, said the city looked at 23 different projects before deciding on the Peoplestown location.
One of the 23 projects included replacing an entire parking lot at Turner Field with a park, containing walking paths, green areas, recreational fields and an amphitheater to hold concerts, according to NPR Atlanta.
However, the project was rejected by the city. A large portion of the area’s runoff flows through Turner Field’s parking lots, and could cause any retention ponds to quickly overflow. Govus said it would have been a mud pit.
The Peoplestown site was chosen, because it has the lowest elevation in the area, and is estimated that more than 1,500 acres of runoff flow towards that point, making it the ideal location for a retention pond system, according to Govus.
Some residents of Peoplestown, including Washington, said they aren’t affected by flooding, but others on the block have been.
“We received photos from homeowners with water up to the windows,” Govus said.
Some residents from surrounding neighborhoods sued the city in 2012 for damages when the flooding brought raw sewage into their homes, Govus said.
The city has offered to purchase homes from the residents who live on the selected site, according to Govus.
Washington said homes have been appraised based on home prices from surrounding neighborhoods, ranging from $80,000 to $400,000. Most have negotiated deals to sell their homes, but a few remain, and hope to fight the city for their homes.
Washington said the city offered her an “insultingly low amount” for her home, a 91-year-old brick home a short distance from downtown.
The city’s appraisers valued the home at $232,000, according to the appraisal information provided by Govus.
However, third-party appraiser First Multiple Listing Service, has valued the homes in the affected area at between $350,000 to $525,000. For individual homes, the difference between the city’s appraisals and the third-party ones was between $50,000 and $100,000.
City struggles to demolish remaining homes
The city filed for demolition permits for the houses it doesn’t yet own. This was not shared with the remaining residents, but was discovered before the hearing for the permits was scheduled, according to Washington.
Mattie Jackson, one resident from the neighborhood that is fighting to stay in her home, is 93 years old and has lived her entire life in the neighborhood. When the city asked her to leave, her neighbors, including Professor Washington, came to her aid and demanded that the city allow her to stay in the neighborhood, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
After protesting from the community and a proposal to delay the project from city councilman Michael Julian Bond, Jackson was granted permission by Reed to remain in the neighborhood.
“It was an executive decision made by the mayor based off her contributions to the community and the city,” Govus said. “All we can do is respect Mrs. Mattie’s wishes.”
However, this leaves the fate of the other remaining residents in question. Most of the homes the city still hasn’t purchased are on the edges of the block, while Jackson’s house is in the center.
“If it’s easy to leave a house in the middle, it should be easier to leave a house on the edge,” Washington said.
Despite protests and criticism, the project is still expected to begin this year. However, it is still in its design phase.
“We have to build around 80 miles of sewers,” Govus said.
The placement of those sewer lines dates back to the 1800s, and presents a major design challenge. But the city hopes to begin demolition on the houses it has purchased as soon as possible, Govus said.
Still, Washington is hopeful that the city and remaining residents of Peoplestown will reach a reasonable solution to the conflict, even though she is troubled by the government’s actions.
“I’m incredibly optimistic,” she said. “As is my nature.”
Citizens are exercising an important right to remain in a community that offers them the comfort and amenity of convenience to downtown and all areas they wish to live close to. Ms. Washington has proven that her home has not been subjected to any events of flooding or dangers of elevated level of waters of any nature during the course of her home’s existence. Let’s let those without threats of flooding, stay.
FYI, the City presented the plan to the community at two meetings so residents learned about it in September and October 2014.