Bush to visit housing project

ATLANTA - President Bush plans to make his sixth visit to Georgia next week, touring an Atlanta housing project touted as a symbol for rebirth of a blighted neighborhood. <br> <br> ``He is coming. He will be here on Monday,&#39;&#39; Sandra Walker, spokeswoman for Mayor Shirley Franklin. <br> <br> The White House confirmed the trip Thursday. Advance teams reportedly have been scouting Carver Homes in southwest Atlanta. <br> <br> Bush visited Atlanta in March, January, November 2001, March 2000 and went to Fort Stewart, near Savannah, in February 2000. <br> <br> ``The president couldn&#39;t be coming to a better example of how the city of Atlanta is turning around,&#39;&#39; said Councilwoman Carla Smith, whose district includes Carver. ``It is a work in progress and shows what private, federal and local partnership can do.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Today, new homes and apartments line an area that two years ago suffered from crime, rampant illegal drug activity, declining property values and vacant, deteriorating housing. <br> <br> City leaders and area residents say the turnaround began when the Atlanta Housing Authority razed the 100-acre, 900-plus-unit public housing complex known as Carver Homes to replace it with a development of 252 homes, 718 apartments, shopping, a library and community center.