$10M deal to secure closure of Atlanta’s Peachtree-Pine shelter is ‘imminent’

The infamous Peachtree-Pine shelter, located along Peachtree Street at the northern edge of downtown, could soon be closing. Possibly for real this time.

According to Atlanta Progressive News, a legal settlement is imminent that would pave the way for the closure of the facility. City officials and neighbors have been fighting for years to force the shelter—known as a hotbed for disease and crime—to vacate the building just three blocks south of Midtown.

A nearly $10 million settlement could reportedly conclude more than four years of legal wrangling, which precipitated Atlanta City Council negotiations and even threats of Eminent Domain.

APN reports that a deal has been signed that would require the shelter’s operator, Metro Task Force for the Homeless, to abandon its claim to the building.

While it isn’t clear what entity would gain control of the nearly 100,000-square-foot building, sources indicate Emory University Midtown Hospital is very interested in acquiring the land.

Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless

According to the AIA Guide to the Architecture of Atlanta, the building at 477 Peachtree St. was constructed for the United Motors Services Building by prolific Atlanta architect A. Ten Eyck Brown in 1921.

Featuring a colorful two-story terra-cotta frieze, the structure is a unique element on Peachtree Street, and many hope the building could be repurposed for a new use.

More details should emerge soon.

• SETTLEMENT LIKELY IMMINENT, TASK FORCE SHELTER EXPECTED TO CLOSE [Atlanta Progressive News]
• Peachtree-Pine shelter is still open, despite indications of closure [Curbed Atlanta]