BeltLine Affordable Housing

District 1 Atlanta City Councilmember Carla Smith announced via a letter to her constituents on May 5 that she would not seek re-election after 20 years and five terms in office. Georgia made headlines by becoming one of the first states to begin vaccinating kids ages 12-16. The Pfizer vaccine is available to the age group wherever inoculations are being offered. Former U.S. Attorney Sally Yates has joined Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Anti-Violence Advisory Council, which gives the mayor recommendations on curbing crime. Former Atlanta City Councilmember C.T. Martin, 84, died May 8. Known as the “Dean” of the City Council, he served District 10 for nearly 30 years.

BeltLine purchases 31 acres on Westside for affordable housing

By Collin Kelley

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) and the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership (ABP), with the support of the City of Atlanta and Invest Atlanta, have purchased a 31-acre site on the Westside earmarked for affordable housing.

The property, located at 425 Chappell Road, is in the Bankhead/Historic Westin Heights neighborhood near a planned segment of the Westside Trail and about a half-mile from the Bankhead MARTA station. It’s also adjacent to the Grove Park neighborhood, Westside Park, and the planned 90-acre Microsoft campus. Proctor Creek also runs through the property and there is potential to extend the Proctor Creek Trail to the site as well.

ABI said in a press release that the purchase of the property was designed to create “thoughtful development that spurs affordable housing, job creation, small business growth, and connectivity through land ownership.”

ABI said it will conduct extensive community engagement to incorporate the desires and vision of adjacent residents and local businesses, culminating in a Request for Proposals to invite developers to submit proposals to redevelop the site.

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Brock Built Homes, and their affiliated companies, sold the property to ABI for $25.6 million, 30% below their last appraised value. The reduction in the sales price is a donation from the Brocks to further the goal of affordable housing, according to the press release.

ABI acknowledged that development pressure has already begun to impact long-term residents and businesses in vulnerable areas like the Chappell Road site. ABI and ABP have opened the Atlanta BeltLine Legacy Resident Retention Program to help mitigate displacement and support homeowners by covering the cost of increases in property taxes through 2030. Eligible residents in west and southwest Atlanta can get more information and apply now at beltline.org/retentionfund.

ABI has now assembled approximately

Proctor Creek runs through acreage earmarked for affordable housing on the BeltLine.

65 acres in various geographies around the BeltLine as part of a strategy to create longterm affordability and targeted job-creation. ABI’s holdings including Murphy Crossing (a 20+ acre site in southwest Atlanta), Avon Avenue (a 9.3+/- acre property in southwest Atlanta), Garson Road (a 3 acre property in south Buckhead), and Madison Reynoldstown (1+ acre in east Atlanta).