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Atlanta City Dismisses Code Violation Case Against Illegal Pension – WSB-TV Channel 2

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“It was surprising because we’ve been working on this case for over a year and we’ve been waiting for the city to decide,” said Collier Heights resident Harold Morton.

The Padsplit on McClendon Circle was the center of a protest in May News on channel 2 Investigation. It was first cited by the city’s code enforcement agency in 2022, and the case was ultimately scheduled to go to trial on July 8. But the court hearing lasted only a few minutes, as the city of Atlanta dismissed the case.

“The city will not move forward with this case,” city attorney Sharon Dickson told Judge Christopher Portis in Atlanta Municipal Court on Monday.

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Padsplits are modern guesthouses. Residents book rooms online to rent by the week.

The city announced it was dropping charges against the Collier Heights Padsplit for operating a rooming house in a single-family zoned neighborhood due to lack of evidence.

“There is no direct evidence, and the circumstantial evidence the city has is inconclusive,” Dickson said.

“What do you mean you have no proof? It’s very disappointing for our community because we’re zoned for single-family homes,” said neighbor Harold Morton. Justin Gray, Channel 2 Investigator after the hearing.

In our News on channel 2 At an investigation in May, Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond said the McClendon Circle Padsplit was a clear violation of the law.

“If you want to take the interior and cut it out, that’s an absolute violation of the city’s zoning code,” Bond said.

The first code enforcement citation was posted on the door of the Collier Heights home in September 2022.

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Owner Ivan De Figueredo Jr., Padsplit and Padsplit CEO Atticus Leblanc all received written citations in 2023 for operating a rooming house for a single-family zoned property, but the city said it was unable to serve the citations on Leblanc and Padsplit.

In late May, the city requested a 45-day postponement because no code enforcement officials showed up to testify.

The city has now chosen to drop the matter altogether.

“We have to close this case for lack of evidence,” Dickson said.

Collier Heights neighbors say they’re not done fighting Padsplit.

“When people know how to use the system, that’s where it’s at. So if we’re going to fight the system, that’s what we’re going to do,” Morton said.

Padsplit claims not to own the house. It is simply one of many homes listed for rent on its platform.

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