Once a street of blighted homes is now Wise Avenue Park

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – In Macon-Bibb’s 2020 budget, the county is changing the way they fight blight.

The county has used SPLOST dollars in the past for blight projects. They’ll still use SPLOST money for blight.

There’s going to be less money available for single blighted home demolitions.

Before, Macon-Bibb County had a goal to demolish more than 100 blighted homes a year. Now, they’re finding out in order to truly fight blight the county needs to focus on neighborhoods.

Less than a year ago, Wise Avenue, in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood, was a street of 22 blighted homes.

Wise Avenue is getting rid of blight with a multi-purpose sports field.

“It’s a real balance with putting a lean on the existing property owner, make it their responsibility, or take an area like this that was 22 homes and be able to do something with,” Macon-Bibb SPLOST Coordinator Clay Murphy said.

Murphy said if the county keeps buying vacant homes, there will be a lot of pocket parks in Macon.

“In some of the neighborhoods where you can go in and get a quantity of homes, it makes more sense,” he said.

Clay mentioned with those pocket parks, or empty lots where blighted homes were, it’s easy for people to dump garage, but if the county can find a bigger purpose, like the Wise Avenue Park, it’ll be a win for everyone in the community.

Wise Avenue Park is a $2-million investment. It will be finished within the next month.