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Fight continues over Wellstar's closure of Atlanta Medical Center
The fallout from Wellstar's decision to close Atlatna Medical Center continues as Mayor Andre Dickens signs an order halting any type of development on the 25-acre site. Those opposed to the hospital's closure say it is not going down without a fight.
ATLANTA - Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has issued a new executive order temporarily preventing the Atlanta Medical Center site from being redeveloped.
Wellstar Health System's, which runs the 25-acre Atlanta Medical Center site, has previously announced plans to close the hospital by November. If closed, Grady Hospital will be the only level one trauma center in the city.
In an executive order issued Monday, Dickens directs the Department of City Planning to refuse any applications for rezoning, building permits, property divisions, and more. The order also prevents any attempts to consolidate the 15 parcels of land located within the site.
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Group protests Atlanta Medical Center closing
Community activists are pushing for Atlanta Medical Center to stay open. The rally outside of AMC comes two weeks after Wellstar announced its decision to close the downtown hospital this November.
In the order, Dickens notes that the hospital was identified as a piece of essential infrastructure for the community in the Old Fourth Ward Master Plan.
"The Atlanta Medical Center campus is a vital cornerstone of the Old Fourth Ward community," Dickens said in a statement. "The City of Atlanta has an essential interest in ensuring that any reuse or redevelopment of this property is in line with the community’s needs and master plan. This moratorium will provide the City necessary time to review the impact of the hospital’s closure on the community and consider possible rezoning."
The mayor says that he will work with the Atlanta City Council to try and extend the moratorium.
Dickens had previously expressed his concerns about the implications of closing the hospital, writing in a letter to Wellstar leadership that the company "still has a responsibility to this community as well.
"Wellstar needs to provide immediate answers to the community about what you are doing to mitigate the harm to the community of this closure," Dickens wrote.
Wellstar says the hospital lost more than $100 million last year, and they have not been able to find ways to keep the hospital sustainable.