Neighbors and city leaders weigh in on proposed Atlanta neighborhood blight tax. Here’s how it would work – 95.5 WSB

Thomas Hodges said investors bought the house next door to his, just steps from the King Center in the Old Fourth Ward historic neighborhood, after it was damaged by fire in 2019.

“There’s been a lot of vagrants coming and going here,” Hodges said.

It has remained vacant and damaged for almost five years now.

“We definitely need something that will incentivize these investors to actually take action on their properties instead of letting them rot,” Hodges told Channel 2 Action News.

For larger properties, the proposal would also require owners to agree to a detailed redevelopment plan. The plans would have to take into account what the city calls neighborhood goals related to connectivity, transportation and public amenities.

The mayor’s office said the proposed blighted property tax would be used “to combat neglected properties that contribute to blighted conditions and disinvestment in Atlanta’s neighborhoods.”

Jim Moss lives a few doors down from this vacant house in the Old Fourth Ward.

“I don’t think investors are necessarily concerned about taking care of their property the way they should. And maybe this tax could encourage them in some way to do that,” Moss said.

Councilor Amos says the penalties under the current municipal code are not severe enough to deter some bad landlords.

“The reason this is so important is right now we can only find $1,000 per incident in court,” Amos said.

Under the plan, the ordinance would allow the city to push owners to repair or redevelop blighted properties while allowing the city court to impose the tax on the properties in question, “fundamentally changing the economics of careless land speculation.”

All occupied properties would be exempt from the blight tax program to ensure that no one living there is involuntarily displaced.

“If we can find a way to hold investors accountable, not families trying to own their own homes, I’m all for that,” Hodges said.

“Since taking office, our administration has acted with urgency to address substandard housing and root out negligent landlords,” Dickens said in a statement. “This new policy will give the city a powerful tool to crack down on absentee corporate landlords who view real estate as a cheap investment vehicle rather than part of the fabric of our communities.”