It closed a major road and crippled businesses waiting for the demolition to start. The demolition is a step that folks here say has taken way too long.
Investigators said fireworks sparked the blaze that destroyed a section of the Reserve at LaVista Walk on the night of Nov. 10.
Once the fire was out, the hulking ruins loomed over LaVista Road – a state highway and a significant thoroughfare.
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Photos | LaVista Walk Apartments fire
Its closure cut business at the popular Original Pancake House by nearly half, according to its general manager, Darryl Newton.
"I’ve been here 15 years. I’ve never seen it this empty," Newton said Tuesday.
Newton was heartened to see demolition workers on site after daybreak – tearing into interior portions of the mixed-use development.
The exterior looms over LaVista Road. The city closed the road because of a risk that portions of the façade could fall into the street.
Tuesday’s demolition sent exterior portions backward into the rubble. No public comment from the folks behind the project; the timeline is unclear.
However, Newton took solace from the work he considered long overdue. The closing of LaVista Road made it exceedingly difficult for his customers to get to his table at the restaurant across from the hulking, damaged building.
"I’m so excited," Newton said. "People already don’t want to deal with Atlanta’s traffic. And then you've got to... deal with (it) to get into a restaurant, to get into a parking lot? It’s just aggravating."