ATL Standard

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has chosen to extend the ban on redeveloping the former Atlanta Medical Center site for an additional six months, emphasizing community-driven decisions regarding the property's future. The extension aims to carefully evaluate potential healthcare-centered or mixed-use development options for the 25-acre site located in the Old Fourth Ward.

According to a report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mayor Andre Dickens officially confirmed his decision to prolong the city's prohibition on redevelopment for an additional six months at the former Atlanta Medical Center site. The ban was implemented following Wellstar Health System's unexpected announcement of the hospital's closure, causing widespread surprise within the city. Wellstar's sudden decision to close the safety net hospital and convert another AMC location into a clinic has left many individuals angered. Some community members believed that the system provided essential services for a patient demographic predominantly composed of low-income residents of color lacking insurance. Wellstar cited financial losses as the reason for the closures.

Councilmember Keisha Sean Waites has proposed converting the location into a "diversion and crisis center," offering medical care, mental health assistance, substance abuse treatment, and short-term emergency housing. Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed a six-month extension of the ban on redeveloping the former Atlanta Medical Center site, emphasizing the need to carefully consider community interests.

Mayor Dickens stated, "As we're coming up on a year moratorium, we will be extending that once again to make sure that we try to get the best deal, the best option, for our community. We'd love another hospital or another medical care facility right here."

The former AMC properties are recorded with a total assessed tax value of approximately $118.86 million on Fulton County's official website. The upcoming meeting on October 16 will see the Atlanta City Council vote on the mayor's proposal for a moratorium.

A spokesperson from Wellstar expressed the healthcare system's commitment to a meticulous and deliberate process aimed at determining the optimal future use for these sites.