Atlanta Mayor Commandeers South River Forest Vision
CALL TO ACTION:
Email ARC Director Anna Roach: aroach@atlantaregional.org
Sample letter below.
SUMMARY:
Over a one-year period (January-December) 2022, the Atlanta Regional Commission planned and conducted a community engagement process throughout south and southeast Atlanta in support of the South River Forest vision. South River Watershed Alliance served on the Project Management Team. From the process the ARC produced the South River Forest Community Development Action Plan.
ARC’s role throughout the study process was “to serve as the facilitator and convener, to create an inclusive and engaging process, and to outline consensus-based recommendations for the City of Atlanta and Dekalb County to act upon.”
“In addition to a community engagement and preliminary findings summary, this document includes a series of recommendations by which the South River Forest area may be protected, connected, and activated. A suggested timeframe, responsible party(ies), and potential funding source(s) is specified for each recommendation. “
Instead of implementing the will of citizen residents, Mayor Dickens is now promoting his own Task Force and agenda for creating a police training facility centered on the South River Forest vision. Addressing environmental disparities to the extent envisioned in the SRF Community Development Action Plan (CDAP) has never been contemplated or even attempted by the City of Atlanta. Successful achievement of the goals and aspirations of the SRF CDAP as voiced by the residents of the area depends upon ARC’s continued active unbiased and uncensored involvement going forward. And not mired in the mayor’s contrived attempt to usurp a legitimate community process to further his own political agenda.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Subject line: Mayor's Task Force UNDERMINES South River Forest plan & ARC’s Report
Director Roach:
Please do not let the Mayor’s office commandeer the South River Forest Plan. South River communities deserve environmental justice and real investment just like Chattahoochee River communities receive.
Mayor Dickens' Task Force is conflating Cop City with conservation! His actions are out of integrity with ARC’s plan and public input. The South River Forest plan is a conservation area that includes the entire Prison Farm property as protected greenspace – representing the heart of the forest.
Further, ARC’s process clearly demonstrated that environmental justice is a #1 concern among hundreds of area residents and made it crystal clear that the “need to protect the South River Forest is increasingly urgent”.
The lease of 300 acres and development of 85-acres at the Prison Farm are incompatible with the SRF Plan. In fact, Atlanta cannot even meet the greenspace requirements of its own lease legislation. Planting trees or buying land will not make the Training Center development compatible or acceptable.
City of Atlanta has never attempted to invest in southeast Atlanta or address environmental disparities as envisioned in the SRF Plan. Achieving the goals and aspirations of residents depends heavily upon ARC’s ongoing unbiased and uncensored involvement. Please champion the integrity of the SRF CDAP that so many residents and stakeholders already participated in.
Sincerely,
Your name