Politics & Government
Atlanta Mayor Places Moratorium On Redeveloping Atlanta Medical Center
The temporary moratorium, blocking any new projects at the center, will last until the Atlanta City Council's next scheduled meeting.
ATLANTA, GA — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens in an executive order Monday issued a temporary moratorium, preventing any re-purposing of the Atlanta Medical Center.
The 25-acre center, located in Old Fourth Ward, is slated to be closed by Wellstar Health System in November.
According to the city, the center is 120 years old.
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Dickens' order mandates the refusal of new applications for rezoning, building permits, land disturbance permits, special use permits, special administrative permits, subdivisions, re-platting and lot consolidations for projects relating to the AMC's 15 parcels of land.
The order does not pertain to "building permits for repair or remediation work required for emergency work related to any life safety concerns at a particular building."
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The moratorium is in place until the Atlanta City Council's next meeting, though Dickens plans to work with the council to extend it, city officials said.
“The Atlanta Medical Center campus is a vital cornerstone of the Old Fourth Ward community,” Dickens said in a news release. “The City of Atlanta has an essential interest in ensuring that any reuse or redevelopment of this property is in line with the community’s needs and master plan. This moratorium will provide the city necessary time to review the impact of the hospital’s closure on the community and consider possible rezoning.”
Dickens' order identifies the AMC as an essential infrastructure for the community and notes that some of its properties fall within the BeltLine Overlay District and the BeltLine Affordable Workforce Housing District.
Fox 5 Atlanta reported that Grady Hospital will be Atlanta's single level one trauma center should the AMC close.
In a letter to Wellstar in early September, Dickens wrote that the health system "still has a responsibility to this community. Wellstar needs to provide immediate answers to the community about what you are doing to mitigate the harm to the community of this closure.”
Fox 5 Atlanta reported Wellstar lost more than $100 million in 2021 through the AMC.
The Atlanta City Council has a meeting planned for 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3.
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