Opportunity Lost

by Jack Murphy

The news landed in June that the deal to convert an abandon Alpharetta school into office space was finalized. While the plans include restoring some of the original buildings as a tribute to the school’s historic past, it’s hard to see this project as anything but an opportunity lost. This is an ideal location to create Hero Housing-places that our teachers, first responders, and health care workers could afford.

Why it matters: The school was built in 1949 to consolidate three segregated schools into the Alpharetta Colored School. By 1953, it was rededicated as the Bailey-Johnson School, after Warren Johnson, a former slave and proponent of African-American education, Warren Johnson, and George “Hard” Bailey, donor of the land.

The bigger picture: Alpharetta, like every North Fulton City, is losing available land at an alarming rate. As employers are facing job openings and workforce migration, cities should be concerned about where our essential workers will live.

·       The Baily-Johnson property is across the street from Avalon, the retail, hotel, and apartment giant. It is on a MARTA line, providing easy access for workers.

·       Indeed.com lists 182 job openings at Avalon as of 6/17/22.

·       Fulton County Schools currently has 150 openings in North Fulton.

·       Over the past 5 years, we have seen an explosion of higher income families moving into North Fulton. At that same time, the US Census found 8,130 fewer households earning less than $75,000 a year living in our neighborhoods.

·       Five of the six North Fulton cities include a lack of affordable housing as a challenge in their comprehensive plan, yet none have released a way to address the situation.

·       Only 7% of the North Fulton workforce live in the same city they work. The rest commute in. With rents soaring and the replacement of workforce housing with luxury apartments and townhouses, our congestion is only getting worse.

The bottom line: In a recent post, we called on community leaders to develop plans to create a place where all families can live and thrive. We are working to see beyond the next election to the next generation.

Scan and sign The North Fulton Promise and help become an architect of your future.