Twenty-five years ago, vacant lots and abandoned properties dotted the streets of South Atlanta. But even then, neighbors like Mr. Jay Francis Springs and his wife, Nellie, believed in its potential.
The Springs family moved to South Atlanta in 1988 and quickly became advocates for the neighborhood’s renewal. They actively engaged with the Neighborhood Planning Unit and Civic League while collaborating closely with the South Atlanta Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity to bring new housing and infrastructure to the community.
For a time, progress was steady, but by the late 1990s, momentum had slowed. Many properties remained vacant or abandoned. Around that time, Mr. Springs, a broadcaster, interviewed FCS founder Bob Lupton on his radio show. Inspired by FCS’s work in other Atlanta neighborhoods, he began to wonder if FCS’s model could work in South Atlanta.
In 2000, Mr. Springs, along with his wife and the South Atlanta Civic League, extended a pivotal invitation to FCS and Bob Lupton. They asked FCS to walk alongside them in restoring the neighborhood, not as outsiders bringing in solutions, but as partners joining an already-resilient community with a shared vision for transformation.
To better understand the neighborhood, Bob Lupton met Mr. Springs at McDonough Boulevard and Jonesboro Road, a corner defined by a liquor store, a rundown tire garage, and a parking lot shadowed by years of disinvestment.
“You name it, it was happening on that corner – drug deals, prostitution, trouble,” explains Mr. Springs. “I told Bob, ‘If you are going to develop in this neighborhood, start here.’”
Over the next two decades, with patient investment and collaboration, FCS and the community began to do just that. That corner is now home to FCS’s offices, Carver Market, and Community Grounds. What was once marked by despair is now filled with connection, employment, nourishment, and welcome.
Despite his role in catalyzing change, Mr. Springs is quick to deflect credit.
“I don’t see myself as a significant part of the development,” he says. “I was just in the right place at the right time and said what needed to be said. I wanted to see this neighborhood become as progressive and impressive as others.”
But the seeds he and his wife planted grew. Abandoned properties were restored, and fresh construction brought new energy to the neighborhood. Families followed.
“When we moved onto Gammon Avenue in 1988, we were the youngest homeowners on the street. By the time I left, I was the oldest,” Mr. Springs says with a laugh. “FCS brought new energy. Young families. Babies. Hope.”
As FCS celebrates 25 years of partnership in South Atlanta, we remember that it all began with an invitation. From a community ready to see change, and a neighbor who saw potential on a forgotten corner.
