In this article you will read:

1. That the City of Mableton is moving ahead with an Urban Redevelopment Agency
2. That Urban Redevelopment Agencies are bodies made possible by state law that give cities the tools to improve blighted areas identified in the cities
3. That URAs enable cities to directly purchase land in and adjacent to the blighted areas
4. That the Mableton City Council has developed a plan for a portion of Mableton Parkway and Puckett drive
5. That a public hearing was held as required by state law so the public could give input into the URA plan
6. You will also see a map of the land the city plans to acquire, and the photos offered in support of the “blight” designation

After a public hearing, the Mableton City Council voted 5-0 (with council members Oladapo and Ferguson absent) to approve the purchase of land in support of creation of an Urban Redevelopment Agency focused on the area around Mableton Parkway and Puckett Drive. The Council had earlier approved an enabling resolution to move forward with the URA.

Before the hearing, Associate Attorney Michael “Micky” Huening of Denmark Ashby LLC presented slides to explain the goals and requirements of the URA, and showed photos to demonstrate blight in the target area.

Huening said at the beginning of his presentation, “The use of this is to improve public health, safety, morals and welfare in specifically designated areas within the city.”

“So in order to go forward with this, you have to identify the area you’ll see on the screen here: Mableton Parkway and Puckett Drive,” he said. “The two parcels that straddle Mableton (Drive) are in yellow and blue.”

“That’s what’s been designated in the URA plan; the area which is being targeted for improvement,” he said.

“So part of this needs to be a determination that there’s pockets of blight in here, meaning that there are inadequate public service surfaces and streets and roads, overgrowth, dilapidated buildings, just general kinds of areas of blight, that can be a better higher use if the city were to target those areas, and then look to invest in reform through a mix of public and private enterprise throughout the area.” Heuning said.

He said that the plan would be consistent with the Mableton zoning ordinance, that no historical properties needing preservation were identified in the target area, and that there is no displacement of existing residents anticipated.

Before the hearing was opened to the public, Mayor Michael Owens said, “I am firmly in support of moving forward with this, particularly that western parcel.”

He said that due to a failed development, pipes where sticking up from the ground, and he had been contacted by a neighbor who said a lot of runoff takes place there.

He said there is also dumping around the eastern parcel “that’s creating more blight there.”

Owens said that the area also has the advantage of several civic buildings nearby, including a workforce development facility, a sheriff’s office, and a fire station.

No one who spoke during the public hearing opposed the URA, but opposition was raised to allowing townhomes on the parcels, and two people stated they wanted more specifics about how the plan would improve the area.

Photos showing evidence of blight

The following photos are from the Mableton Urban Redevelopment plan:

What is an Urban Redevelopment Agency?

Urban Redevelopment Agencies are defined by the State of Georgia Urban Redevelopment Law (O.C.G.A.
36-61-1).

Under that law cities wishing to set up URAs are required to

• Define boundaries of an Urban Redevelopment Area
• Develop a draft Urban Redevelopment Plan.
• Hold a public Hearing.
• Adopt a “Finding of Necessity”, declaring that there exist pockets of blight which
  constitute a serious and growing menace, injurious to the public health, safety, morals, and
  welfare of the residents of this state.
  This resolution declares that certain pockets of blight or portions thereof may require
  acquisition, clearance, and disposition subject to use restrictions. Additionally, this
  resolution declares that public money may be expended, and the power of eminent domain
  may be exercised for the purposes of removing blight.
• Adopt the Urban Redevelopment Plan and designate an Urban Redevelopment Agency
  responsible for implementation.

You can read Mableton’s whole Urban Redevelopment Plan, and the resolution enabling the Urban Redevelopment Agency, by following this link.