DeKalb County is set to demolish 56 “dilapidated and neglected” units at a condominium complex Thursday, officials said.
The Brannon Hill Condominiums just outside of Clarkston have been described as the “worst community in America” by a local nonprofit, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2017, when the county demolished 28 vacated condo units.
“The deplorable conditions at Brannon Hill Condominiums constitute a public nuisance, which imperils the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of that neighborhood,” the county said in a statement in 2017.
Credit: Chad Rhym
Credit: Chad Rhym
» RELATED: Government tries to intervene at squalid DeKalb condos
» PHOTOS: DeKalb begins tearing down squalid Brannon Hill Condominiums
The county has taken steps in recent years to fight blight and abandoned properties, allocating $3.8 million in funds in 2017 to address derelict properties.
“Our work to remediate blight is a journey and not an event. It did not begin at Brannon Hill and it will not end at Brannon Hill,” county CEO Michael Thurmond said in 2017, when the demolishing began at the complex. “We will restore DeKalb to be the place people choose to live, work and play.”
Credit: Chad Rhym
Credit: Chad Rhym
Brannon Hill deteriorated over the years due to fires and lack of repair. The county got a court order allowing it to demolish four buildings.
DeKalb has considered doing a comprehensive study of blighted properties this year. The study would "enable the county to develop a more comprehensive long-term strategy," DeKalb community development director Allen Mitchell said in December.
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