Atlanta Through the Archives

First Public Housing in Northside: Elderly Highrise (3657 and 3659 Peachtree Road NE near the intersection of Roxboro)

Summary

The Aldermanic Board votes 13-4 to overturn a previous zoning committee decision, signing off on the construction of public housing at the Peachtree Road site. The project was the first public housing constructed in Buckhead; there were three other public housing sites in the wider Northside area, but not in the exclusive northeastern enclave. In comparison, during the previous two years, eight projects were recently built or under construction in the southeastern part of the city.

This project was met with fierce community resistance. The Ridgedale Park Civic League claimed it violated zoning ordinances and filed a request to the Fulton County Superior Court to halt the Aldermanic Board’s approval. Their lawsuit also argued that required reviews of the property were not conducted, that the property owner did not approve of the zoning change, and that this decision violated the Sunshine law. Other community concerns included the traffic flow through a nearby intersection and the increased burden on the sewage system.

No significant evidence against the plan was demonstrated, enabling the project to continue. At the site, a highrise with 118 one-bedroom units for the elderly was constructed.