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The Housing Proposal That’s Quietly Tearing Apart Atlanta

Secession efforts by Buckhead residents are gaining momentum as the city proposes zoning changes to create more apartments and affordable housing.  

Homes in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. A new proposal would allow for smaller apartment buildings in some parts of the city.

Homes in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. A new proposal would allow for smaller apartment buildings in some parts of the city.

Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg

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For those leading a campaign to secede from the city of Atlanta, an uptick in crime has been a headline-grabbing way to rally residents to their side. But tucked neatly behind this issue is another that’s just as animating: housing.

Residents of the area collectively known as Buckhead in northern Atlanta are trying to ward off new proposals working their way through city planning channels that would allow for more multifamily housing, and many of them are willing to create a new city to prevent this from happening.