In a Sept. 26 executive order, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens directed the Department of City Planning to refuse applications to redevelop Wellstar Health System's Atlanta Medical Center, which controversially announced its intent to shutter last month.
The mayor ordered the department to refuse applications for rezoning, building permits, land disturbances, special administrative permits, subdivisions, replatting or lot consolidations for the 15-parcel campus.
The mayor said the city should have adequate time to conduct a planning review for the property and said there was an "urgent need . . . substantially related to the public health, safety and welfare" for an executive order blocking developments until then.
Previous city planning efforts "have designated the Atlanta Medical Center as a piece of essential infrastructure for the community, and further contemplated that the medical center would continue to be a staple in the community providing both health care and jobs," according to the order.
The mayor previously expressed concerns about the medical center's closure in a Sept. 9 letter to the health system's CEO.