GEORGIA
Mercury News

The Associated Press
POSTED: 04/18/2014

ATLANTA (AP) — Residents are objecting to the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s plans to renovate a house in the city’s upscale Buckhead neighborhood so it can be a home for a group of priests in the latest dust-up involving the home.

The dispute involves Atlanta Catholic Archbishop Wilton Gregory’s former residence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported (http://bit.ly/19h2mCB ). Earlier this month, Gregory said he would sell a $2.2 million mansion after parishioners complained it wasn’t in line with the tone of austerity Pope Francis has set. Gregory still lives in the mansion but plans to move.

Attorney Hakim Hilliard, who represents some residents near the house, said the planned renovation would create a dormitory for a half-dozen priests in a historic neighborhood zoned for single-family homes. Hilliard said the parish is trying to create a church annex in a neighborhood where such…