ATLANTA — Atlanta's City Council members approved a proposal to extend a development moratorium for the shuttered Atlanta Medical Center complex on Monday.
Mayor Andre Dickens put forth the proposal last month to extend the development moratorium another six months. The hospital complex, which at the time it closed last year was one of just two Level 1 trauma centers in metro Atlanta, has been vacant now more than a year.
Monday's vote was the council's third approval vote on the moratorium since before the center's closing last year. The moratorium will last 180 days after Monday's approval.
Mayor Dickens has said he wants to ensure any redevelopment of the facility is in line with community needs. The current moratorium pauses new applications for rezonings, building permits, land disturbance permits, special use permits, special administrative permits, subdivisions, replattings and lot consolidations for any project on the site.
At least one piece of proposed legislation put forth by city lawmakers in August would turn the former hospital into a crisis support center.
The property is still owned by Wellstar, the health operator who closed the hospital in 2022. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported earlier this month that the city intends to hire a contractor who would take charge of figuring out how to re-purpose the facility.
The contractor will be required to hold a series of public meetings and consult with residents, community leaders, and Wellstar, the property owner. The contractor will then come up with a proposal for the site, a process that could last into late next year.
"People have to have access... to medicine. People have to have access to health care," Atlanta District 5 City Councilwoman Liliana Bakhtiari said. "Right now, we are not providing that for them. "
Wellstar closed the hospital last November, citing falling revenue and increasing costs, leaving one of Atlanta's historic Black neighborhoods strained for healthcare.
Wellstar emailed 11Alive that it will help with the city's study:
"The City provided us notice of their intent to study the area surrounding the AMC site and we’re participating with the City’s efforts. We are committed to a thoughtful process to determine the best use for the future of this site. We continue to talk with members of the community and evaluate potential solutions. We do not currently have plans for the site and we are hopeful for a solution that benefits the community."
In the wake of AMC's closing, much of the trauma and emergency medical burden for the community has shifted to Grady or other area hospitals that 11Alive reported were being stretched thin in June.
State and local leaders acted to infuse additional investment at Grady to offset some of the burden ahead of AMC's closing, but healthcare executives, lawmakers and residents have reported still feeling the strain.