Atlanta aims to crack down on blighted properties with new tax

A new Atlanta law is intended to crack down on absentee landlords including commercial property owners and clean up neglected properties.

The “Blight Tax” allows city officials to put levies on blighted property owners up to 25 times higher than current millage rates. The city wants to incentivize owners to revitalize or sell their properties.

The program will not apply to any occupied property to avoid displacing residents. Blighted properties subjected to higher taxes that are remediated and returned to productive use can be eligible for a discounted tax rate after the work is finished.

Large-scale properties such as former industrial sites that significantly impact neighborhoods would be singled out. Before redevelopment, those property owners would first have to agree to a development plan that addresses neighborhood objectives such as connectivity, transportation, and public amenities.

See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.

Image by David Harper from Pixabay - 2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants

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SOM's Shenton Way tower rendering SOM, Bezier

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