Construction is underway on a $166 million mixed-use development that will include affordable housing units for seniors along with 36,500 square feet of retail and a health and wellness space.
The Atlanta Housing Authority broke ground Tuesday on the first phase of the Herndon Square project, which is set to be completed by 2026, the city announced in a news release. The development will cover 12 acres west of downtown along Northside Drive. Its first phase is focused on a 97-unit mid-rise building for seniors age 62 and over.
Construction of the first building will be completed by spring 2021 and is expected to cost $24 million, city officials said.
The massive development will ultimately include 681 apartment units, with 45 percent dedicated to affordable housing for those earning up to 80% of the area median income. An additional 32 townhomes will be built later and sold at standard market rates.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said the development marks a historic day for Atlanta’s westside and the English Avenue community. She also thanked the Atlanta Housing Authority for “understanding the importance of alleviating the burden associated with a lack of affordable housing.”
“This administration will utilize every available tool and resource to continue to create quality, affordable housing for all who call Atlanta home,” Bottoms said.
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Last year, Bottoms unveiled a comprehensive plan for affordable housing that includes the redevelopment of vacant and blighted properties, developer incentives, and the creation of a housing innovation lab.
She has pledged to leverage $1 billion toward housing affordability to create and preserve 20,000 affordable housing units in Atlanta by 2026.
The property, which sits near Northside Drive, was once home to public housing project Herndon Homes, which was demolished by the Atlanta Housing Authority as part of a shift to replace old public housing with new mixed-use developments, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Hunt Companies, based in El Paso, Texas and Atlanta-based Oakwood Development Group were chosen as master developers of the 12-acre site in 2016.
Phases two through four will focus on a mix of market-rate and affordable housing units, in addition to sustainable green space and retail and a health and wellness space, according to the release. The final phase will be the construction of 32 townhomes, which will be available for sale spring 2021.
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