(ATLANTA, GA) — Almost a decade after the City of Atlanta purchased a vacant property in Pittsburgh with promises of revitalization, residents say they are still waiting to see change.
They spoke during public comment at the Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee Meeting on June 8.
Pittsburgh-area resident Zachary Perry said the city-owned property at 1029 McDaniel Street — formerly known as the Pink Store — as a visible reminder of neglect in a neighborhood that was promised investment.
Photo credit: YouTube
“Far from being the launching point for community revitalization as intended, this decaying husk of a building sitting at the heart of our community instead reflects a city that, while outwardly speaking of the need to address a tale of two cities, is actively perpetuating that inequality through its inaction on a property that it has owned for nearly a decade,” Perry said.
The city purchased the property in 2017 with plans for redevelopment, but Perry said residents have instead watched the building deteriorate.
Perry said city officials returned to the neighborhood in late 2024 seeking support for rezoning the property for redevelopment.
“Another promise to achieve the dreams sold to a community nine years ago,” Perry said.
A recent press release on the city’s website said the city and Invest Atlanta are currently looking for development partners to redevelop the site.
Public safety concerns later took center stage as Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum delivered the department’s quarterly crime update.
Photo credits: YouTube
“We continue to see positive trends building on an overall four-year drop of crime in our city,” Schierbaum said.
Still, the chief pointed to a recent homicide investigation as an example of ongoing public safety challenges. Police arrested Jahmare Brown in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred May 16 along the Beltline.
Photo credit: Youtube | Atlanta Police Department
Schierbaum said the victim was walking in the Zone 6 area around noon when she was randomly attacked with a knife. Moments earlier, the suspect had allegedly attacked another person during a break at a nearby post office, he said.
“If it were not for the camera infrastructure this council has invested in, we could not have brought this individual to justice as quickly as we did,” Schierbaum said.
That approach — connecting people to resources outside of jail — was also echoed by Moki Macias with Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative.
Photo credit: YouTube
She spoke in support of a resolution aimed at reducing jailings at the Atlanta City Detention Center for low-level crimes.
“As you're aware, recently the Fulton County sheriff announced that in the interest of public health and safety, he’ll no longer allow booking of most misdemeanors at the Fulton County Jail, a decision we applaud,” Macias said. “Every day we work with people who are headed to jail, but we instead divert to the housing, healthcare, and community support they need to stabilize their lives.”
Please email mia.s@lead4earth.com for questions, concerns or comments.
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