This post was originally published at The Cost of Living Project
The county’s property tax system exacerbates inequality between the northern and southern parts of Fulton County—and between Atlanta’s richest and poorest homeowners
A decade ago, Ed Hall’s property taxes were the equivalent of lunch for two at McDonald’s. For much of the 2010s, the annual bill for his three-bedroom brick bungalow in southwest Atlanta was around $20, he said. That changed when the Atlanta BeltLine popped up a few blocks away. The 22-mile loop of multiuse trails and adjacent projects—like nearby Lee + White, a sprawling redevelopment with breweries, restaurants, and shops—triggered real estate speculation that is driving up housing costs. “It used to be like a deserted village here, but it’s very different now,” said Hall. “It’s heavily gentrified.”
That has come with a price tag. Hall’s property taxes doubled from 2021 to 2022, to slightly below $2,000. Had Hall, a writer and editor, not enrolled in the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership’s Legacy Resident Retention Program, which helps low-income homeowners cover the costs of property tax increases through 2030. Without the partnership’s help, he might not have been able to keep living in his home. “It would be completely untenable for me to stay here,” Hall said. “An extra two grand a year for someone whose work can be unpredictable is a strain.”
Over the last decade, a wave of new development and what’s been described as a “real estate gold rush” has caused a massive spike in many Atlantans’ tax bills, especially for those living near the BeltLine. Property owners can try and push back on big tax increases by filing an appeal with Fulton County. One avenue for appeal is to have a hearing on a property’s assessed value before a board of equalization, which is a panel of citizen property owners. Regardless of the appeal’s outcome, the property’s assessment value…
Read the full article here
