DeKalb survey to study blighted properties

Cyclomedia vehicles have started collecting data, including photos of all properties in unincorporated DeKalb.

The DeKalb County Community Development Department is surveying unincorporated areas of the county in an effort to eradicate blight and revitalize properties. Last week, the county began collecting data for the Comprehensive Property Conditions Survey, which will provide a detailed inventory of property conditions within unincorporated DeKalb.

“The survey is an additional tool to revitalize DeKalb,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. “The data collected from the survey will help to create an interactive database that will track and record blighted properties in the county.”

Data collection, including street-level photos, will be conducted by Cyclomedia Technologies Inc.

The survey will include the condition and characteristics of nearly 140,000 parcels within unincorporated DeKalb, including pictures and occupancy status. Anticipated to be completed by June 2020, the final survey results will be used to develop a long-term intervention strategy for blight removal.

Since January 2017, CEO Thurmond has enhanced county blight fighting initiatives to address derelict properties with the county demolishing or abating more than 420 properties. Additionally, the county has focused on litter removal, illegal dumping, grass mowing, curb bumping, and removing debris, trash and grass from county streets, sidewalks, roadway drains, and rights of way through Operation Clean Sweep.

The Comprehensive Property Conditions Survey was approved by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17, 2019.