Affordable housing proposals for Bankhead sought by Beltline

Atlanta Beltline Inc. officials said Monday they are seeking proposals to help build affordable single-family housing on the largest property it owns in the city.

The Beltline acquired the 31-acre tract of land at 425 Chappell Road in Bankhead and Historic Westin Heights in 2021, for $25.6 million from home builder Brock Built Homes. In the years since, officials have pushed a mixed-use vision for the site, located half a mile south of the Bankhead MARTA station.

Officials have said the development will be primarily used for affordable housing in a historically underserved neighborhood. It will also include commercial space for local small businesses and green space.

On Monday, the Beltline said it had issued a request for proposals for qualified housing developer services to help with the first phase of development at the site, which would include as many as 150 homes over five blocks.

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Dennis Richards, the Beltline’s vice president of housing policy and development, said the project is part of a long-term vision for an “inclusive development” to provide more affordable housing options and serve local small businesses.

“This development will offer current and future residents equitable access to affordable homes, green spaces, transit, and economic opportunity. This will be an inclusive development and a shining example of the Beltline being a place where all Atlantans have an opportunity to live, work and thrive,” Richards said in a statement.

Credit: Atlanta Beltline, Inc.

Credit: Atlanta Beltline, Inc.

According to Beltline officials, the first phase will focus on single-family homes and low-density multifamily homes. The development will feature 5,000 square feet of commercial space catering to small businesses, and the site is next to 30 acres of city-owned land.

The Chappell Road site is near segment four of the Westside Trail, which is under construction. Expected to open in the summer of 2025, officials said a spur trail from the segment will connect the new development, the city land and North Avenue.

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In November, the Beltline proposed a $270 million plan for the site to provide housing at below-market rents. Officials said they would like to build more than 1,000 homes, with a third set aside for affordable housing, offering rental units priced between 50% and 80% of the area median income.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the income limits for 2025 are $57,000 and $91,000 for a family of four, respectively.

For-sale units would be set at 80% to 120% of the area median income, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported at the time.

The median family income in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area is about $114,000, according to HUD.

Richards told the AJC in November that the Atlanta Beltline Inc. had developed a master plan for the land in partnership with the city of Atlanta and the adjacent city-owned land, aiming to create development and transportation links between Maddox Park, the Bankhead subway station, the Beltline and the Proctor Creek Greenway.

A Beltline study found the vast majority of residents — 98% — work outside the neighborhood and that the median household income is less than $35,000 a year, underlining the pressures of gentrification and the risks longtime residents could be priced out.