Investors spend millions to revitalize Atlanta apartments once known for being a crime hotspot

ATLANTA — Guns, gangs and drugs plagued residents in the Sierra Ridge and Harvest Oaks Apartments along Delmar Lane in Atlanta for decades.

Gwendolyn Mathis told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln when she moved out of the Sierra Ridge Apartments in the 1970s, it was because of the crime.

“I had to protect my three kids,” Mathis said.

Christopher Copeland, a paramedic, says they would constantly get called to these apartments.

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“It could be from someone shot, someone overdosed, prostitution or someone beaten up by a gang member in this complex that we stand at now,” said Copeland.

City of Atlanta Councilwoman Andrea Boone says this area was slated for demolishing.

“The members in the community did not want it demolished,” Boone said.

After being boarded and closed for a year, two investors have spent nearly $30 million revitalizing both properties.

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“Because of Channel 2′s coverage we are here today,” Boone said.

In 2022, Channel 2 Action News reported on derelict conditions at the Harvest Oaks complex, showing mold, trash, and a burned unit.

“This community did not want a vacant parcel,” Boone said.

This property has been renamed to the Avenue at 3060.

Councilwoman Boone and other city leaders will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

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