Atlanta affordable housing: City approves plan to revitalize rundown apartments

ATLANTA - City Council approved a resolution to transform blighted, a legal term for housing that is in disrepair, apartment complexes into thousands of affordable houses across Atlanta.

What we know:

The resolution was sponsored by Councilman Byron Amos, who represents parts of northwest Atlanta. 

The resolution targets property with at least 10% blight for at least 10 consecutive years. The complexes that will be revitalized are spread out across Atlanta.

What they're saying:

Councilman Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 At Large, said the city wants to hold people accountable who let their properties stay in disrepair. 

"One of the things we want to do is be able to seize blighted properties and make sure they can be rehabbed into things like affordable housing," said Bond. "We’re going to try to convince them either to sell to somebody else or perhaps sell it to the City of Atlanta to be rehabbed," Bond said.

Bond says a number of owners collect federal loans to rehabilitate their properties, but do little to maintain them.

"Those properties have received HUD loans for that last 50 years," Bond said. "They’ll do a minimum rehab to satisfy the conditions of the loan, then they’ll allow the property to go under again."

The other side:

Multiple affordable housing advocates worry the bill doesn't go far enough.

Tim Franzen, an affordable housing advocate with American Friends Service Committee, says the plan is well-intentioned, but he thinks the bill is short on specifics.

"You’ve got to give props to Councilperson Amos," Franzen said. "Who’s going to buy them? And who’s going to develop them and who are they going to be affordable for?"

Franzen hopes lower-income residents, many working multiple jobs, don’t get left out.

"You can go to any of the 100 homeless encampments in Atlanta, right now, today, and talk to people who are working full-time jobs -- $15, $20 an hour -- simply can’t afford, even with roommates, to afford anything in Atlanta," Franzen said. "These are folks having the make the tough decisions between medication and food, light bill and internet. If our affordability isn’t meeting those needs, we have to ask ‘how valuable is this resolution?’"

Anton Gudiswitz, with advocacy group Abundant Housing Atlanta, hopes the city makes good on its promise of affordable units.

"Atlanta absolutely needs affordable housing," Gudiswitz said. "We’re definitely in support of any attempts to expand and provide affordable housing. It’s definitely important to make sure that we are following through in creating those. It’s a possibility that we see these blighted apartments come down, but then no actual affordable placements come through."

Bond says the city could generate millions of dollars once the properties are revitalized.