City of Atlanta cracks down on abandoned, vacant properties after ‘blight tax’ passed

ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta is cracking down on abandoned properties. Atlanta mayor and the council passed a ‘blight tax’ to go after negligent owners.

Monday morning, Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach got to tour one northwest Atlanta community targeted for transformation.

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Mayor Andre Dickens, District 3 Councilman Byron Amos and other city and community leaders toured a block of James P. Brawley Drive.

Some are under construction, others completed with happy homeowners. But, many others are still vacant or abandoned.

One legacy homeowner, who has been there for the last 50 years, is finally seeing positive changes in the community.

“We want to see things better. We’re going to make it better,” homeowner Thelma Reneau said.

To do that, the city of Atlanta just passed a blight tax, charging up to 25 times the tax on a property, if negligent or absent owners don’t make need improvements, or sell.

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“We will use every tool at our disposal to root out bad actors holding our neighborhoods back,” Dickens said.

One new homeowner just moved into a new house on English Avenue and is excited to see the transformation.

“Just for other people to have the same opportunity (as) me. They created for me to be a first-time homeowner. I’m just excited to see this neighborhood become what it was historically,” new homeowner Destiny Motley said.

And, also make sure they’re not forgotten.

“You come back and visit anytime,” Reneau told Dickens.

“You put me to work when I visit, but I’m coming back,” Dickens told Reneau.

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The city says there are 540 homes, vacant lots, or commercial properties on English Avenue and Vine City communities. There are up to 3,000 blighted properties identified city-wide that they’re now looking at.

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