DeKalb County recently demolished a blighted property on Regalwoods Drive, removing a house that had sat abandoned for six years at the main entrance to the historic Northcrest neighborhood in District 1, represented by DeKalb County Commissioner Robert Patrick.

The home burned about six years ago, then changed hands several times, with real estate companies abandoning renovation plans after discovering the property sat in a flood zone. The house deteriorated while sitting empty, becoming what neighbors called “a monstrosity” and “an eyesore” at the primary entrance to the 594-home community.

Commissioners Robert Patrick and LaDena Bolton and DeKalb County CEO Lorainne Cochran-Johnson attended the demolition, along with neighbors who had been pushing for action.

A Six-Year Problem

Christopher is a Northcrest resident who helped lead the community effort to get the property demolished.  Over the next six years, several real estate companies purchased the property. Each time, the new owner discovered the flood zone issue and walked away.

“Once they get in there, they realize it’s in a flood zone,” Christopher said. “They can’t build on it unless they build up. And no one’s willing to do that. So it just continued to sit and deteriorate.”

The location made the problem worse for community members. The Northcrest community has 594 homes and several secondary entrances, but this property sat at the primary entrance.

“Everybody has to drive past this in and out every day to see this monstrosity sitting there,” Christopher said. “And especially the people that live right around it, it’s just been such an eyesore and a blight on the neighborhood.”

The impact extended beyond aesthetics. Christopher noted that the property affected nearby home sales, with some houses sitting on the market longer than expected because potential buyers didn’t want to live next to the blighted structure.

Getting the property demolished took persistence. Every time the county moved closer to taking legal action, the property would change hands again.

“Every time they would get close to having to go to court, they would sell it to another entity, so that would start the clock over again,” Christopher explained. “So it was extremely frustrating.”

He reached out to Commissioner Patrick’s office about six months ago, which accelerated the process. DeKalb County worked through the legal requirements while Christopher and other neighbors kept pressure on officials.

“DeKalb County has been great to work with,” Christopher said. “They’ve just had to go through the hoops and check off the boxes as they went through the process.”

Stronger Tools to Fight Blight

The demolition happened shortly after the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners passed new legislation to address blighted properties more aggressively.

In November 2025, the Board approved item 2024-2012-38, which amended the county code to create stronger enforcement methods. The ordinance allows the county to charge a higher tax penalty for officially designated blighted properties, up to 10 times the standard rate.

CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, who co-authored the blight ordinance, spoke at the demolition about the county’s approach.

“There is a cost for failing to be a good neighbor in DeKalb County,” she said. “So it is our goal to deter prolonged neglect and encourage responsible ownership. Our message today is simple: DeKalb County will not allow neglect to define our neighborhoods.”

Partnership and Persistence

Commissioner Patrick emphasized the collaborative effort that made the demolition possible.

“This is also a testament to partnerships, partnerships between individual commissioners, the general and the super district,” Patrick said at the event. “Of course, we need the CEO at the table and actively engaged with us.”

He acknowledged the time it took to reach this point.

“To the neighbors that are in the area, it’s taken a minute, and I apologize for the time it’s taken, but we’re here,” Patrick said. “We’re actually going to take this thing down. No more concerns about the face of the building falling off, the shingles, kids getting into the old pool area.”

Patrick specifically thanked the neighbors for their persistence.

“This is us looking after a community,” Commissioner Patrick said. “This is us getting together and saying that protecting neighborhoods is a priority, not just of individual commissioners, but as the governing authority as a whole, from CEO to county commissioners to staff.”

The flood zone issue that prevented previous owners from rebuilding may actually benefit the neighborhood going forward. Christopher noted that the street floods during heavy rain, and he hopes the demolition and grading work will address storm drain problems.

Northcrest is a national historic district, and neighbors expressed mixed feelings about losing a historic resource. But the condition of the property left no option for preservation.

“Although we’re very sad to see this historic resource be lost, we simply cannot continue to have a home that is not able to be repaired or be rebuilt,” said Vanessa, another neighborhood resident who attended the demolition.

Eric, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2009, said he hopes the lot becomes either a green space or a new home that fits the community.

“It is nice to see so many other great neighbors moving here and trying to revitalize this neighborhood,” Eric said. “And with this eyesore going away, it would be nice to see what happens in the future.”

Beyond This Property

Commissioner Bolton, who represents District 7, connected the demolition to broader community revitalization efforts.

“Today is more than just a demolition for all of us. It’s actually a declaration,” Bolton said. “Regalwoods Drive has carried the weight of this neglect of this property behind us for far too long. But today, we have an opportunity to clear the way for renewal, for families planting roots, for elders reclaiming peace, and for children that play in these streets growing up with pride on their block.”

Bolton, who has been in office about a year, noted that she has attended every demolition in District 7 since her tenure began.

“This is what full circle looks like. This is what partnership looks like. This is what collaboration and cross pollination looks like,” she said. “Working together, turning blight into opportunity and vacancy into vision, is what we strive to do every single day.”

For Christopher and his neighbors, the result is straightforward: they can drive into their neighborhood without seeing the burned-out house at the entrance.

“Just to not have this ugly eyesore to look at as we go in and out of our neighborhood every day, it’s gonna be so exciting,” Christopher said.