I like the fact that commissioners are getting serious about addressing the blight issue facing Macon-Bibb. This, along with the schools are the biggest issues holding the city back imo. I also like the fact that there is talk among the commission about having a future SPLOST dedicated to blight removal and urban redevelopment.
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Commissioner Bert Bivins hosted a forum at Bethel CME Church on how $1 million in blight money could be spent in his district. About 60 people in attendance were able to rate six places in Unionville and recommend other projects in neighborhoods such as Pleasant Hill and the area around Bartlett Crossing.
The nine members of the County Commission each have $1 million that can be spent on blight projects.
Some of the areas highlighted Monday by Bivins were places with dilapidated buildings, overgrown vegetation, and garbage along streets such as Moseley and Lilly avenues.
There also has been discussion among some commissioners about having a future special purpose local option sales tax to raise $40 million to $50 million to spend on future revitalization projects, Bivins said.
"What I'm trying to do is set priorities," he said. "We cannot do everything we need to do with $1 million. We're trying to come up with a project we can do in Unionville and pick something based on what we see here tonight."
Delois Harmon, of Harmon & Harmon Realtors, said the approach that should be used is similar to a strategy in Atlanta where an entire block is revitalized instead of just one blighted lot along a street.
"The spot improvement is not going to do well when you approach investors," she said. "If they improve one house, you're not going to get a buyer wanting to purchase it with a blighted house right next to it."
Read more here: Macon-Bibb residents offer ideas for neighborhood blight projects | The Telegraph
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Macon-Bibb residents offer ideas for neighborhood blight projects | The Telegraph
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