Why Southern Poverty Law Center wil build a new Atlanta HQ - and where - Atlanta Business Chronicle - Atlanta Business Chronicle
Southern Poverty Law Center is searching for a site to build a new Atlanta headquarters, inspired by the city’s efforts to lift up its communities of color, says the organization’s President and CEO Margaret Huang.
“Particularly Black neighborhoods,” she told Atlanta Business Chronicle. “It’s something that spoke to us and made us want to be part of the community.”
What’s next: Southern Poverty Law Center has released a request for proposals for its new Atlanta office building, a potential tool for advancing its mission. The project may offer partnerships with organizations focused on affordable housing; feature meeting and event space for communities; and include a food hall to help BIPOC-owned (Black, indigenous, people of color) restaurants launch or expand.
Deeper Dive: The project, ranging from 2 to 10 acres, may also set aside blighted land for redevelopment, a way to protect against one of the risks of rapid gentrification — displacement. The new Atlanta headquarters should also be close to a MARTA station, Huang said. Proposals are due Nov. 29.
Where it's moving: “We have taken a look at several parts of the city and the Westside and Southside seem compelling to us,” Huang said. “Those are areas we have toured and met with local folks who are developing projects. We have interest from people who may want to partner. I am hoping we will continue to hear from others.”
They said it: The new SPLC headquarters is "a testimonial to Atlanta serving as a global leader for intellectual thought and leadership addressing racial justice," said John Ahmann, president and CEO of the Westside Future Fund, one of country’s largest urban renewal and anti-displacement efforts.
‘More engaged:’ For almost 50 years, the Montgomery, Alabama-based organization has fought for racial justice across the South, including high-profile legal battles with white supremacist groups such as the Klu Klux Klan. But, its metro Atlanta office has been quietly tucked away in Decatur, a reminder of its need for security as it takes on extremist groups. The new Atlanta headquarters will serve as a prototype for Southern Poverty Law Center offices in other states, the first where “we will be less hidden and more engaged in the community,” Huang said.
Why now: The biggest reason for the new RFP is the lease for the Decatur office expires in 2024, and it will take about three years to plan, design and build a new Atlanta headquarters, Huang said. Even before the RFP was issued, Southern Poverty Law Center was exploring a desire to partner with a community in Atlanta. Plus, the systemic inequities exposed by COVID-19, the protests around Black Lives Matter, and the protection of voting rights also influenced the decision, she said.
A growth trajectory: The new Atlanta headquarters could increase the current headcount by just over 50%. About 60,000 square feet of the new building will include offices for staff. The expanded headquarters could employ about 140, Atlanta digital publication Urbanize recently reported. “I would be surprised if it did not go up from there,” Huang said. “We will have more community organizers, more policy advocates, more folks doing research, and we will hire more lawyers. We have a growth trajectory. It’s expansive.”
Why Atlanta: “Atlanta is exciting,” Huang said. “More people are coming to Atlanta. It gives us an opportunity to recruit.”
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source: https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2021/10/21/southern-poverty-law-center-hq-atlanta.html
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