Forest Park staff propose expanding redevelopment area to about 512 acres to spur corridor revitalization

Rochelle Dennis and URRA staff presented a proposal on June 1 to expand Forest Park's Urban Redevelopment Agency boundaries from about 122 acres to roughly 512 acres to allow the agency to target blighted and underutilized parcels along Forest Parkway and Jonesboro Road.

Dennis said the consultant team, TSW, used Forest Park and Clayton County GIS data, assessor records and field observations to identify candidate sites and selected one for detailed concept planning. The expanded area would include parcels fronting Forest Parkway and Main Street from the city's western limits to Jonesboro Road and commercial parcels along Jonesboro Road north to the city limits. "The expanded URRA area covers now approximately 512 acres," Dennis told the council.

Residents at the public hearing generally welcomed the prospect of new business and revitalization along Jonesboro Road. Anne Keith said she supported the proposal and hoped it would attract new businesses. Several council members asked for clearer maps and assurances that zoning controls would prevent unwanted uses (data centers, incompatible industrial uses or new gas stations) and that the URRA would focus on remediation of blight.

Next steps: This was a public comment hearing; the council deferred formal adoption to a future meeting (a second reading/adoption will occur at a later date). Staff and URRA members were asked to provide clearer maps, zoning constraints and project priorities in advance of the adoption vote.