ATLANTA — Business owners are pushing back against a $4 million program that would build housing for homeless people in Downtown Atlanta.
Earlier this month, Mayor Andre Dickens’ office issued an executive order to start the development of this new program which would use shipping containers to rapidly house those without shelter.
The parking lot, which his administration said the shipping containers would go on, is located at 184 Forsyth Street.
Susana Chavez spoke out at the city council meeting Monday saying the plan won't be successful - at least not at that location.
“I know some people have a really difficult time and we need to help them, but it seems like a horrible idea to put this project in a food desert surrounded by bars," she said.
Chavez is the executive vice president of the parking company Park Place. She owns and leases several properties throughout the city, including one across the 184 Forsyth lot.
"What are they going to do to control? There are a lot of homeless in that area and we really work and spend a lot of money to not have tents in parking lots or feeding on the sidewalks," she added. "When people are done eating, they need to go to the bathroom. They need to wash their hands and there is none of that.”
Chavez explains that while she supports the mayor and his initiatives, she wrote him a letter stating her concerns.
"My concerns are there are seven bars within a four-block radius. There are no grocery stores in the area," she said. "How are they going to possibly do this?”
11Alive checked for nearby supermarkets and bars on Google Maps and confirmed Chavez' statement.
She wasn't the only one who shared concerns about the plan Monday.
Kevin Murphy with the real estate development company Newport RE also addressed the council.
"By giving the land over in very short order to temporary housing, that will affect the trajectory long term of the neighborhood," he said. "While the goal is incredibly important and noble, I want to make sure that a couple of things are done as part of that."
Murphy believes there also needs to be an operator on the facility and says that if the city plans on investing in this parking lot it needs to expand that mission.
"If there’s going to be investment here, that needs to be done holistically to take care of the entire area," he added.
One of the Atlanta city council members who introduced this ordinance, Jason Dozier, addressed those who are opposed to the location, explaining that their focus on Monday was ratifying the mayor’s executive order to receive the shipping containers donated from the state.
“As far as the location, it being 184 Forsyth, all those sorts of details, there needs to be additional legislation that clarifies the scope and the scale of the project," he said.