Atlanta's Buckhead Plans to Secede Over Upzoning

Residents in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood are campaigning to secede from the city, in large part because Atlanta is proposing zoning changes that would increase density and, according to the Buckhead City Committee, a pro-secession group, "decimate the tree canopy, tangle traffic, and strain resources." As Brentin Mock reports, the city is working to increase affordable housing by allowing higher density and more transit-oriented development in single-family neighborhoods.

Atlanta planning commissioner Tim Keane called the city's rezoning proposal "surgical," as it only applies to specific areas near public transit and exempts much of the Buckhead area. Around the country, other cities and states have eliminated single-family zoning altogether.

Atlanta leaders are hoping to spur more construction of small apartment buildings through a "gentle density" approach. According to the article, "The city could create an additional 11,500 new units if just 15% of single-family zoned properties could be modified to add new dwellings." In fact, many Atlanta homes are already subdivided into rental units, a practice that was legal in the city until 1982.

Proponents of zoning reform argue that Buckhead's very existence relies on historically racist policies that will take concerted efforts to undo. "There is a reason that it looks the way it does, and it's not unrelated to questions of racial equity and wealth-building through homeownership," says urban geographer Coleman Allums. And unlike other newly formed cities surrounding central Atlanta, Buckhead City, if created, would take land that is currently part of the city of Atlanta. Buckhead's wealthy, mostly white tax base makes a significant contribution to Atlanta's tax revenue, making secession potentially disastrous for the city. "Ultimately," writes Mock, "the question of secession will be decided via ballot referendum in November 2022 if state lawmakers vote to allow it next spring."