Fort Gill residents vote to form neighborhood association; Army remediation, environmental testing reviewed

At a recent Forest Park convening, a resident advisory committee voted to move forward with forming a neighborhood association for Fort Gill residents, and staff discussed ongoing environmental testing and remediation obligations tied to former Department of the Army property.

The move matters to Fort Gill residents because the association would formalize resident-led organizing and help the community work with the convening board and consultants on land-use, environmental information and outreach. Staff and residents said the group will work with outside partners for structure and legal review before finalizing rules.

A staff member said the resident advisory committee "want[s] to move forward with creating a neighborhood association." The staff member said Partnership for Southern Equity is providing "a little bit of structure and framework to them around what a neighborhood association looks like." The convening board has hired that organization to assist residents, staff said, but the residents will lead the association's formation.

During the discussion, a resident asked whether the active residents who helped with surveys and presentations would sit on the neighborhood board; staff replied that the resident advisory committee has been the driving group and that the association would be resident-led with input and limited structural support from Partnership for Southern Equity and the convening board.

Environmental issues also featured in the discussion. A staff member identified OASIS as the environmental consultant that has worked on soil testing and other environmental reports for the area. A resident characterized the property's history, saying part of the site "was referred to as a Northwest Landfill" and describing visible past fill. The resident added that the site was cleaned by the Army "to a certain level that was acceptable," and said "the army is on the hook for correcting anything that we found once we started." A staff member said there is a binder of environmental testing and soil reports available and offered to condense and share those documents.

Staff said the convening board will work closely with the emerging neighborhood association but will not itself draft the association's rules; legal review was noted as a necessary next step. A resident also said the site in question is limited to commercial uses and "cannot be rent in the area," a comment raised during the discussion about future land use and allowable uses on the property.

No formal votes or motions were recorded on other board business in the excerpted discussion. Staff and residents said they expect further information and legal guidance before the association's rules are finalized and before making formal land-use decisions.

For next steps, participants said staff will continue to support the resident advisory committee, Partnership for Southern Equity will provide a framework for the association, legal staff will review any proposed rules, and environmental documentation will be made available to residents.