Atlanta pauses Westside Beltline shelter plan for study
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Former industrial property now sits mostly vacant. Photo: Thomas Wheatley/Axios
A longtime Atlanta homeless shelter's controversial proposal to consolidate its services into one facility along the Beltline's Westside Trail is officially on pause.
Why it matters: The Atlanta Mission's plan sparked a debate over whether one of the Westside's most valuable Beltline-adjacent redevelopment sites should be used for social services or economic growth.
Driving the news: On Monday, the Atlanta City Council voted to pause development on the site until a "comprehensive community impact review" is conducted.
- The study would include an analysis of the project's impacts on public safety, transportation, land use and compatibility with the Beltline.
- Findings must be presented within 90 days, according to the legislation.
Catch up quick: In February, Urbanize reported that the nonprofit wanted to build a $200 million campus with a shelter and affordable housing on a roughly 15-acre property on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.
- The proposal sparked pushback from surrounding residents who said the nonprofit's project concentrates services in a historically underserved area rather than distributing them citywide.
Context: Microsoft's decision to pause (or even cancel entirely) plans to build a megacampus down the street from the proposed site put a question mark on the community's economic development future.
- The property is one of several adjacent to the Westside Trail that are ripe for development.
- The proposal swaps the kind of market-driven development that has fueled gentrification for large-scale focus on addressing homelessness.
State of play: The property is under contract with developer Allen Morris Company.
- The developer's earlier plans called for a massive mixed-use community with 1,600 residential units and hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial space.
What they're saying: An Atlanta Mission spokesperson told Axios the nonprofit is "intentionally spending time listening, gathering input, and exploring how the campus design can best reflect community priorities."
What's next: The city has 90 days to conduct the impact study and present findings to the council.