The City of Atlanta has long tried to acquire the land for a sewage system overhaul in Peoplestown, with several residents long holding out on giving up their homes.
ATLANTA — A long-running Atlanta political hot potato that has passed across multiple mayoral administrations has finally been resolved, according to the city.
Mayor Andre Dickens' office announced Monday night the final agreements had been reached with the last three families who had long fought the city to remain in their homes, in an eminent domain battle that arose out of the city's attempts to solve a major flooding issue in Peoplestown.
Going back roughly a decade, the city has worked to put a plan in motion that would overhaul the sewage system in the southeast Atlanta neighborhood - which has seen episodes of severe flooding off and on through the years.
RELATED: Peoplestown's last 'home defenders' ready for next legal hurdle in eminent domain battle
To do so, the city began purchasing and bulldozing nearly 30 homes, with the idea of revamping the sewer lines and installing a park and reservoir - like the now-popular one in the Old Fourth Ward - on the land for flood relief.
But several residents over the years said their homes weren't impacted by the flooding, and fought to remain in their homes that the city had targeted for removal. Tanya Washington, one of the residents, told 11Alive in 2014 she didn't think "we should use a jackhammer for a situation (in which) a scalpel may be more appropriate."
Washington was one of the residents who came around in the final agreements. In a statement she said she was now "at peace" with the situation. She, and the other two families who recently agreed on a settlement with the city, said they were all legally advised not to speak to media until the contract was signed. A source close to the impacted families told 11Alive Tuesday the families were feeling disappointed to face leaving their community, but they were glad to finally reach a solution. There is a fear among the families the deal might not go through because of a history of what they called "broken promises" when it came to interacting with the city.
RELATED: "Big solution" to Peoplestown flooding includes new park
“For nearly 10 years I have maintained, with my neighbors, a desire to stay in my home on Atlanta Ave. and in my beloved community of Peoplestown,” Washington said in a statement. “It is clear that the city will move forward with its plans and that makes it reasonable to seek a satisfactory resolution. My disappointment is curbed by the respect and integrity Mayor Dickens has shown in how he has dealt with us and this issue he inherited. We hope our fight will inspire other communities to stand up for themselves and inspire responsible exercise of authority by those in power. I am at peace with this outcome and grateful to Mayor Dickens for his role in achieving a mutually respectful result.”
According to the city, the sewer system revamp and flood relief project was required as part of federal consent decrees from the late 90s "to upgrade sewer infrastructure and improve water quality." The city had been sued by other Peoplestown residents over the years over the flooding issue.
The city is planning for construction to begin next year on the block that's bordered by Atlanta Ave. to the south and Ormond St. to the north, Greenfield St. to the west and Connally St. to the east. It's a few blocks west of the south end of Grant Park.
The terms of the agreements were not detailed by the city, though one such agreement that was disclosed in June provided for $925,000 to a family who owned a property on Ormond Street.
In a statement, Mayor Dickens said he had long "believed that we can treat these Atlanta families fairly while delivering this critically needed project to protect the larger community."
"I have spent this year listening to Peoplestown residents, working directly with the most-impacted families, and charting a course that will allow us to move forward in a way that is in line with our values and fulfills our obligation to alleviate the challenges that have plagued Peoplestown," Dickens said. "I thank all the families for their willingness to engage with me and for being passionate advocates for the city we all love. I know these families wanted to stay in their homes, and I am grateful for the sacrifice they are making for the larger community and our city."
The city provided additional statements from the family of Mattie Jackson, who had tried to preserve her home, and the Darden family.
The Dardens spoke to 11Alive in 2018, and had said "we shouldn’t have to leave our home that we have struggled through the hard times to stay here, to live comfortably as retired decent citizens.”
"This is where my family was raised at. This is where my life is,” Robert Darden said then.
In the statement issued Monday night, the Dardens said they were "proud to have stood should to shoulder with our neighbors" in fighting the city for many years, but that it was a "blessing to have this struggle brought to a satisfactory conclusion."
Their full statement said:
“Like all the other families that are parties to this settlement, we love our home in Peoplestown where we have so many memories accumulated over so many years. The threat of being uprooted was a great hardship and has taken a toll over the years. We are proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with our neighbors waiting for our cries to be heard and justice to be served. It is a blessing to have this struggle brought to a satisfactory conclusion, and for that Mayor Dickens deserves credit. He said he would get it done and he got it done. To Mayor Dickens we say, ‘thank you.’”
The family of Mattie Jackson said:
“Our mother, Mattie Jackson, was a legend in the Peoplestown neighborhood, a civic leader and icon who advised mayors and represented Atlanta by bearing the torch that symbolized the 1996 Olympic Games. The struggle to remain in our home over all these years, a home that she loved and cherished, was devastating to the family. Today that chapter is closed. The family of Mattie Jackson applauds Mayor Dickens for bringing resolution to this matter. As a candidate he promised he would do it and he has kept his word. No one can ask more than that. He has our sincere appreciation and our gratitude. We hope the City will find some fitting way to honor our Matriarch, Mattie Jackson in the public space that will be developed on the ground where she lived, raised her family, and so ably served the City of Atlanta. That would be a fitting last chapter for her legacy.”
