FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Some neighbors in Johns Creek say they are concerned about a piece of land formerly owned by famed media mogul Tyler Perry.
The 58-acre land is on Old Alabama Road near the Chattahoochee River.
Most of what made the property incredibly special has been scraped clean.
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Neighbors want Johns Creek city leaders to buy the property and turn it into something beautiful in North Fulton County.
The estate once held Perry’s mansion with sprawling gardens along the river, but he sold the land to a property developer who cleared the site for future real estate development.
The subdivision got no takers, and so now it’s back on the market and is virtually not being taken care of.
Irene Sanders lives in an adjacent subdivision. “They’ve turned into bad neighbors,” said Sanders. “It’s turning into an eyesore.”
Sanders showed Channel 2's Mike Petchenik the overgrown grass, abandoned spec homes and a leak from the pond into a stream that feeds the river.
While Sanders says she’d like to see the city buy the land and repurpose it, Major Mike Bodker said the city has attempted to buy the property about half a dozen times, both from the original owner and from Tyler Perry.
Bodker said both sellers wanted too much.
"We still have a fiscal responsibility to the citizens of Johns Creek. We simply can't bail out a bad deal just because people want us to,” said Bodker.