Atlanta eyes proposal to redevelop Atlanta Medical Center

ATLANTA - It’s been shut for more than a year and a half, but the site that used to be home to WellStar Atlanta Medical Center may get a new life.

City leaders want to convert the old hospital into a community hub, complete with housing, office and retail space. But some community advocates want to know if the proposal would include some type of emergency medical services.

AMC closed in the fall of 2022.

"We don’t have a hospital, and we don’t have people properly taken care of," said Jon’Luk Young, associate organizer with Georgia Cares healthcare team for the New Georgia Project. "It’s a major problem."

Young says the shuttered hospital left a void in medical care for low-income people of color in the Old Fourth Ward, nearly a-third of whom live in poverty.

"If these people don’t have any type of healthcare services, then that’s a detriment to us," Young said.

Atlanta wants to redevelop the property. The Department of City Planning introduced a proposal that would include more than 2-million square feet of residential units and hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial, retail and office space, no mention of emergency medical services.

The city imposed a moratorium on developing the site since parent company WellStar shut it down. Part of the site sits in Council Member Amir Farokhi’s District 2.

"It’s a smart and good vision for what those parcels can become," Farokhi said. "I’d love to see ample housing, retail, commercial, some healthcare component as well."

The proposal is in its embryonic stage. Right now, the city is negotiating with WellStar on the property’s future.

Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center Downtown in Atlanta (FOX 5).

"What we desperately need to see is absolutely something wellness-related, affordable housing and something that helps our under-resourced residents," said Council Member Liliana Bakhtiari, District 5. The bulk of the property sits in her district.

"There will be something wellness-related. It will not be a trauma center, it will not be a hospital, per se," Bakhtiari said. When asked if that would be enough, Bakhtiari responded, "No, that’s not enough."

Advocates like Young worry about the lack of emergency medical services.

"I see what they’re trying to do, but at the same time, we have people to take care of," Young said.

WellStar put out a statement:

"We understand that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the property and ensure any plan for reuse serves the needs of Atlanta and incorporates input from residents of the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.

 We support the land-use plan that is currently being proposed by the city. It envisions a mixed-use development with affordable housing, residential properties, a health and wellbeing component, neighborhood-level retail, and commercial development.

 We appreciate the mayor’s leadership and look forward to partnering with him, the city council, and other stakeholders on a shared vision for the future of the Old Fourth Ward site."