Jennifer Spivey’s Ecobroker Blog

As many of you know, I am a proud resident of the Old Fourth Ward and use every chance I get to highlight its potential.  When we moved to our neighborhood about six years ago, we had never heard of the Old Fourth Ward or Buttermilk Bottom.  We wanted an affordable condo in the city within walking distance of Piedmont Park.  What we got was a community.  The Old Fourth Ward is one of the oldest and most historically significant neighborhoods in Atlanta.  From the formation of the ward system in the late 1800’s to the great fire of 1917, to the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement to the systematic government sponsored displacement of an entire community known as Buttermilk Bottom, to the diversity and promise of today. 

Why am I blogging about my neighborhood?  Because last night, after a year of public meetings, the final version of master plan for the Old Fourth Ward was presented to our community.  The master plan will guide our growth and redevelopment over the next 25 – 50 years.  The plan is available at www.o4wplan.com,

In its heyday, the Old Fourth Ward was the most densely populated neighborhood in Atlanta.  It will be again. 

Here are some highlights of the plan –

      The three guiding principle outlined in the plan are 1) Social Justice, 2) Innovation, and 3) Diversity. 

          The plan calls for all new construction to be built to LEED, earthcraft, or future “green” building standards. 

      Our neighborhood is to become more pedestrian and bicycle friendly with more park space and community gardens (similar to Chicago).

      The emphasis will be on mixed use, high density development except in the historic single family areas.

      There will be ample senior housing; I noticed at least six different areas identified for senior housing.

      There will be no gated communities allowed (my development was described as a “fortress” which we all found amusing).

The plan is a good one, and I expect there will be a lot of changes in the next few years.  This will hopefully be real estate redevelopment at its best. 

On a very sentimental note, my condo (in a fortress), built in what was formerly known as Buttermilk Bottom, will eventually be demolished to become part of a linear park.  It somehow seems right; I just hope it doesn’t happen too soon.