Dunwoody eviction settlement intends to ‘buy the city peace’ to push forward with land sale

By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody has approved two $50,000 settlements with tenants of a city-owned property on North Shallowford Road, ending court eviction cases and allowing sale of the property for $7.78 million to proceed.

At its Feb. 27 meeting, the Dunwoody City Council voted unanimously to settle cases in DeKalb County State Court with Dr. Alan Miller and Dr. Jada Moore-Ruffin, tenants of 4553 North Shallowford Road in Dunwoody, making way for a sale of the 21,661-square-foot property to Summit Healthcare Group LLC.

City Attorney Ken Bernard said the settlement agreements will “buy the city peace” and resolve their tenancy issues without waiting on the lengthy court eviction process, which could take months or years.

Bernard said officials still believe they are justified in their attempt to evict Miller and Moore-Ruffin from the property, but waiting for the court to resolve the issue isn’t in the city’s best interests.

“We can wait and prove a point and try to win the battle,” Bernard said. “But you're gonna lose the [Summit Healthcare Group] deal because of the economy, their commitments … They