Atlanta officials break ground on site of razed Bowen Homes housing project

“This moment represents the beginning of a new era in Atlanta. Since (2009), the site has lain vacant, waiting for a new purpose,” Dickens said.

Built in the 1960s, Bowen Homes was once a thriving public housing community featuring a library, school and about 650 apartments. By the late 2000s, some considered the development one of the most dangerous places in the city, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s June 2009 article about the demolition.

At that time, a small group of former residents, and community activists protested the end of the development, while others had mixed feelings or even celebrated its demise. At the time, about 535 families were displaced.

Credit: Johnny Crawford

Credit: Johnny Crawford

Atlanta Housing Authority CEO Terri Lee said she was excited that the city was now rebuilding the community.

“My soul is on fire because we are witnessing the regeneration of Bowen,” Lee said after the groundbreaking ceremony. “And regeneration means restoration.”

The first phase of the $63.6 million development features 48 units for people earning no more than 30% of the area median income, or $32,250 for a family of four. There will be 49 units for people earning no more than 60% of the area median income, or $64,500 for a family of four; and 44 market-rate units with another 10 workforce units.

Lee said that by the time all phases of the development are complete, 40% of the units will be affordable. Atlanta Housing says the site will eventually include “enhanced” green space, sustainable stormwater management, retail and grocery stores.

Leasing will begin in the winter of 2026, according to the housing authority.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

HUD Deputy Regional Administrator Tiffany Cobb spoke amid uncertainty about how a Trump administration, and federal funding cuts or freezes it is enacting, could impact Dickens’ push to preserve or build 20,000 units of affordable housing by 2030. The new HUD secretary under Trump is Scott Turner.

“We all know affordable housing is a nationwide crisis and one of the key issues that Secretary Turner will focus on at HUD,” Cobb said. “Addressing this challenge requires working together. No single person or group can tackle this alone. As we’ve said many times, it takes strong public-private partnerships to create real, lasting solutions, and today’s groundbreaking is a perfect example of that.”

January’s federal funding freeze sent panic through Atlanta’s affordable housing community, as the housing authority and Partners for HOME, which coordinates the city’s homeless strategy, found they couldn’t access the online portal where they draw down federal funds. A judge later blocked the administration’s order.

At an editorial board meeting with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Feb. 10, Dickens said he does not have a direct line to the Trump White House but hoped to meet with Turner to talk about the city’s housing priorities.

“I plan to have a direct relationship with the HUD secretary, similar to how I’ve had with other HUD secretaries. Housing is critical to us,” the mayor said.

The development is a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the Centene Foundation, Peach State Health Plan and development partners McCormack Baron Salazar and The Benoit Group.

Atlanta Housing Authority officials said in a statement that Bowen Homes is part of a broader effort to transform the Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and James Jackson Parkway corridors in Northwest Atlanta.

Credit: Johnny Crawford

Credit: Johnny Crawford