Updated at 6:18 p.m.
The former Atlanta Medical Center site is taking another step toward redevelopment. Property owner Wellstar Health System announced Thursday that it has chosen a developer to lead the project — just two days after the City of Atlanta’s redevelopment moratorium ended.
Wellstar’s announcement comes almost two years after it closed Atlanta Medical Center, leaving Grady Memorial as the city’s only remaining Level 1 trauma hospital.
A zoning moratorium placed on the property by the city in 2022 expired on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Mayor Andre Dickens previously extended the moratorium while a study was conducted to ensure the former medical site could be put back to productive use.
After months of discussions with Old Fourth Ward neighborhood groups, community residents, and city officials over what should replace the complex, led by design firm Kimley-Horn, the Atlanta City Council recently unanimously approved a land-use plan for the site.
“This is a long-awaited new beginning for the Old Fourth Ward community,” said Atlanta City Councilman Amir Farokhi. “These properties have enormous potential to meet our city’s and the neighborhood’s need for more dense, mixed-use development, including, hopefully, new housing.”
Wellstar is working with Atlanta development firm The Integral Group on the project, which includes green space, retail and commercial business, and housing. Plans also include health “components.”
City officials, including Dickens, have stressed the urgency of replacing lost healthcare services at the site for months.
In a statement, Wellstar said the details of the new health-related options will be determined based on an analysis of the area’s healthcare needs and a community input process.
“At Integral, we believe that successful development starts with understanding the community’s needs and vision for the future,” said Eric Pinckney, senior vice president at The Integral Group, in a statement. “This project is about creating a neighborhood that serves everyone and builds on the rich history of this area.”
Integral officials say once the firm has drafted an implementation plan for the project, it will organize meetings with community members and representatives from Old Fourth Ward community groups to gather input on the plan’s details.
Demolition at the northwest corner of the AMC site, located at Ralph McGill Blvd. and Boulevard, is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Rebecca Etter contributed to this reporting.
