Atlanta Public Schools threatens condemnation of apartments
APS looks to condemn land for new Buckhead high school, but critics say it’s the wrong location
- Courtesy Fulton Co. Tax Assessor
- The parcel in question
Apparently not content with the waist-deep pile of controversy and bad press in which it’s mired, the Atlanta Public Schools has decided to stir up another crap-storm of trouble by threatening to condemn a large apartment complex for a planned high school in a busy section of Buckhead that many area residents are already saying is a terrible location.
The school system has been looking for a site for a new Northside high school for a while now and reportedly had narrowed its search to a handful of options. Recently, however, John W. Grant, owner of the [http://www.rampartnersllc.com/Apartments/module/property_info/propertyid/19318/|Paces Apartments] — a sprawling complex occupying 30 acres at the northwest corner of East Andrews Drive and Roswell Road — received a letter from APS officials warning that if he didn’t agree to sell the property to the school system, he’d face eminent domain proceedings.
Grant’s reaction? He lawyered up, of course, hiring top real estate attorney Carl Westmoreland to defend his turf. According to insiders, Grant was already in the process of selling the 35-year-old apartment complex to a private developer for an undisclosed sum, under the condition that the tree-covered property remain mid-density residential. (Westmoreland has not yet returned our call.)
Apart from the potentially costly legal battle, locals are criticizing the decision to locate a school next door to the West Buckhead Village, which boasts a distracting array of boutiques and watering holes.
“It’s directly across the street from Buckhead’s largest bar district,” notes veteran neighborhood activist Sally Silver. “If other bars or restaurants wanted to open there, the zoning would prevent it.”