homes. Condominiums occupy both sides of Ralph McGill Boulevard, extending up to the redeveloped Bedford-Pines neighborhood. The former Georgia Baptist Hospital, later known as Atlanta Medical Center, and now defunct as Well-Star Hospital, is under a development moratorium. The Stitch project, funded with $157M from the Federal Highway Administration, is underway and aims to create 17 acres of green space and spur redevelopment in the area impacted by the highway construction of “The Connector” during the Urban Renewal era of the 1950s and 1960s. There are numerous development projects and business interests in the Stitch, including initiatives by The Civic Center, Atlanta Housing, and local churches that are in the process of developing their properties with various types of equity-minded projects. It is crucial to center the historical memory and the legacy of the Buttermilk Bottom, Butler Street, and other demolished neighborhoods of the Fourth Ward in the development process. There are demands lingering from community advocates of the past. Robert Thompson, Executive Director of the Atlanta Urban League, said that redevelopment was aggravated by the “persistence of racial intolerance” and the “failure of city leadership to deploy its resources effectively against squalor”. 276 Adding effective remedies like offering housing in the city center that is inclusive of low wage-earning households would complete the goals of these advocates. Bedford Pines straddles Boulevard. That neighborhood is currently undergoing a major redevelopment, with former subsidized housing being converted into market- rate townhomes and portions being redeveloped to improve and maintain the subsidized housing. There is also a section of Bedford Pines that was redeveloped into Renaissance Park. 277 Renaissance Park was slated to become a 568-unit neighborhood complete with low-rise and high-rise condos. 278
276 Scott, “Implications of Urban Renewal”. 277 Teasley, “Bedford Pine’s Master Plan Moves a Bit Closer to Reality”, 278 Teasley, “Bedford Pine’s Master Plan Moves a Bit Closer to Reality”.
B-50
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