Construction firm sues Atlanta for $5.1M

Garage finished in 2019 serves Grant Park, Zoo Atlanta.

An Atlanta-based construc- tion company is suing the city alleging it still hasn’t been paid the full $48 mil- lion owed plus additional fees for work on a parking garage in Grant Park.

The Winter Johnson Group alleges the city of Atlanta still owes it $5.1 million for the project, dubbed the Grant Park Gateway, at 800 Cherokee Ave. in southeast Atlanta, according to the lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court earlier this month.

The 1,000-space parking garage was finished in 2019 and serves the Grant Park neighborhood and Zoo Atlanta.

Attorney Joe Henner, who is representing Atlanta-based Winter Johnson Group, said the nonpayment forced the construction firm and subcontractors to finance part of the project.

“We have some small subcontractors and minority contractors that are owed over $100,000,” Henner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “With the econ- omy and everything going on right now, we’re trying to make sure everybody who worked on the project gets paid.”

About 20 contractors are owed $1 million combined, Henner said.

A spokesman said the city does not comment on pending litigation.

The city has paid roughly $46 million of the $48 million contracted price it owed to Winter Johnson Group, according to the lawsuit. In addition to the contract balance of $1.7 million, Henner said the city owes his client an additional $3.4 million for delays and changes in the project related to the city’s tree ordinance appeal delays.

Plans for the Grant Park Parking Garage were announced in April 2017 under former Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration. The plans included a restaurant, outdoor green space and a way to harvest rainfall. Work on the property was complete in December 2019, Henner said.

The Winter Johnson Group is asking for a jury trial.