The 100 block

of Golightly Street in Fairburn will be getting a whole new look. The

eight lots which were offered on the open market were snatched up by Chinh

Nguyen, a real estate investor who is looking to revitalize the area.

"I believe

we will have a great success with these lots to provide affordable housing."

Nguyen said.

Nguyen submitted

his application for variances on lot size for the eight lots, seven on

Golightly Street and one on Dodd Street, and received a thumbs-up from

the Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday night.

The existing

lots were recorded May 20, 1959, and have grandfather status with an average

lot size of 4,000 square feet and width of 50 feet. The houses that stand

there now are in very poor condition, so much so, that City Administrator

Jim Williams said he "wouldn't board his dog there!"

The new dwellings

being planned for the existing lots are about 1,300 square foot homes

with three bedrooms and two baths. Ideal as a first home, a vacation home

or an empty nester, the quaint domiciles will have a midrange price of

around $110,000.

In transforming

some of these problem properties, Nguyen sees this move as an "extremely

good and effective way to handle deterioration."

In addition

to the houses on Golightly Street and Dodd Street, a variance request

was denied by the board. Plans to put side entry garages on these properties

brought up some past dealings with the subdivision's developers.

When approval

was given before for side entry garages, it was found later that several

lots did not have the garages placed on the side as proposed. It was also

a concern that these garages would become potential living spaces, converted

into bedrooms and dens somewhere down the line, officials said. The board

saw this as defeating the purpose of the side entry garage and the architectural

plans of the development.