ATLANTA – Crews have started clearing the site of what was once the old Atlanta Medical Center campus to make way for a new mixed-use neighborhood where residents can live, work, and shop.

More than two years after its closure, demolition is now underway at the Old Fourth Ward site. 

The backstory:

Atlanta Medical Center, one of only two Level 1 trauma centers in the region, closed on Nov. 1, 2022, due to financial troubles, according to Wellstar. They also closed Atlanta Medical Center South, on the outskirts of the city, a few months before. 

Wellstar obtained the 460-bed facility in Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in 2016. The hospital, which originally opened more than a century ago, served area residents who were mostly poor and Black. Wellstar also closed or relocated more than a dozen other facilities affiliated with the medical center. The closures had a direct impact on the local residents, hospital employees and remaining hospitals and staff. ‘

The decision to close the hospital was initially widely criticized by Atlanta politicians, with Mayor Andre Dickens saying the choice left an “open wound in the heart of this community.”

In response, Gov. Brian Kemp boosted funding for Grady Memorial Hospital, and they added additional inpatient beds and hired former surgeons from AMC, primary care physicians and supporting staff to handle the influx of new patients. 

Initially, the City of Atlanta placed a series of zoning moratoriums on the property while it evaluated redevelopment options. Wellstar says a land-use plan was unanimously approved by the Atlanta City Council with the support of Mayor Andre Dickens. 

What we know:

Earlier this year, Wellstar announced that the Ferma Corporation, an engineering firm out of California, would oversee the next phase of development of the site.

According to Wellstar’s announcement of the plan, the 22-acre site will include affordable housing, residential properties, community and public green space, neighborhood-level retail, new street access, commercial uses, and health and well-being resources. 

What’s next:

The demolition is expected to last through most of the year.

There’s no word just yet on when the new site will reopen.