Former Atlanta Medical Center site: 'Stop work order' issued over permit
Demolition underway at former Atlanta Medical Center
Demolition has begun at the site of what was once Atlanta Medical Center to make way for a new mixed-use development in Old Fourth Ward.
ATLANTA - A "Stop Work Order" has been issued following an inspection at the site of the former Atlanta Medical Center in the Old Fourth Ward.
FOX 5 had been reporting all day on Friday that more than two years after the closure of the hospital, the real estate is beginning a dramatic transformation. Crews started early demolition work on the 22-acre property, clearing the interior of buildings ahead of full-scale teardown.
Fenced-off and bustling with activity, the site is now being prepared for redevelopment into a mixed-use neighborhood that will feature residential units, retail shops, green space, affordable housing, and health care services. Wellstar Health System, which closed the hospital in 2022 due to financial constraints, officially announced the redevelopment plans last fall after a city-imposed zoning moratorium expired.
What they're saying:
"It’s moving faster than I thought it would move," said Darin Givens, who lives next to the old Atlanta Medical Center,. "I can see it from our living room window."
Givens says he is glad work is underway earlier in the day.
"The loss of the medical center was obviously, you know, a big loss for Atlanta, but the presence of this dead space is also a big problem for the neighborhood," he said.
The redevelopment has people ready for what is next.
"That location is probably one of the last spots in the city where that much acreage is available for a level of development that we are about to see," said District 5 Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari. "The idea of it being mixed use and having those residents be able to walk or bike to what they need right outside their door is fantastic, this is going to be, in my opinion, an example of what we can see in more locations in the city."
For now, those plans are just plans until crews knock down the old to bring in the new.
"I will just appreciate the neighbors and the eyes on the street and the vibrancy, because, I mean, that's what you want in a city neighborhood," Givens said.
The other side:
FOX 5 reached out to the city of Atlanta about the demolition. Officials say a vertical demolition application was filed on April 21, but a permit has not yet been issued.
After reports surfaced work had begun on the site, officials paid a visit for an inspection. The building inspector posted a "Stop Work Order" at the site to cease working barring a permit being issued.
The backstory:
Atlanta Medical Center, one of only two Level 1 trauma centers in the region, closed on Nov. 1, 2022, due to financial troubles, according to Wellstar. They also closed Atlanta Medical Center South, on the outskirts of the city, a few months before.
Wellstar obtained the 460-bed facility in Atlanta's historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in 2016. The hospital, which originally opened more than a century ago, served area residents who were mostly poor and Black. Wellstar also closed or relocated more than a dozen other facilities affiliated with the medical center. The closures had a direct impact on the local residents, hospital employees and remaining hospitals and staff. '
Crews clearing site of Atlanta Medical Center
After more than two years, the site of what was once the old Atlanta Medical Center is starting its transformation into a new space where people can live, work, and shop.
The decision to close the hospital was initially widely criticized by Atlanta politicians, with Mayor Andre Dickens saying the choice left an "open wound in the heart of this community."
In response, Gov. Brian Kemp boosted funding for Grady Memorial Hospital, and they added additional inpatient beds and hired former surgeons from AMC, primary care physicians and supporting staff to handle the influx of new patients.
Initially, the City of Atlanta placed a series of zoning moratoriums on the property while it evaluated redevelopment options. Wellstar says a land-use plan was unanimously approved by the Atlanta City Council with the support of Mayor Andre Dickens.
What we know:
Earlier this year, Wellstar announced that the Ferma Corporation, an engineering firm out of California, would oversee the next phase of development of the site.
According to Wellstar's announcement of the plan, the 22-acre site will include affordable housing, residential properties, community and public green space, neighborhood-level retail, new street access, commercial uses, and health and well-being resources.
What's next:
No word on when that permit will be issued and the stop work order lifted.
The demolition is expected to last through most of the year. There's no word just yet on when the new site will reopen.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 5 Atlanta reporters Brooke Zauner and Tyler Fingert. Some information also came from previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting. This story has been updated to include details from the city of Atlanta about the stop work order.