At a March 21 board meeting, Invest Atlanta approved Culdesac and Urban Oasis Development as the official developers for a mixed-use project at Murphy Crossing that will create affordable housing, commercial space, and a transit-oriented community.
The project will transform Murphy Crossing, a 20-acre site adjacent to the BeltLine’s Westside Trail and near the Oakland City and West End MARTA stations. Culdesac’s design includes open space through plazas, courtyards, green space and bike lanes alongside a community garden, rotating public art and a dog park.
The decision follows Atlanta BeltLine’s board of directors who voted to support the selection on March 13. Under the BeltLine Tax Allocation District redevelopment plan, the project aims to further objectives including job creation, housing and more expansion of transit.
With both BeltLine, Inc. and Invest Atlanta on board, the project will now move into planning, community engagement and entitlement and development. Urban Oasis Development Co-Principal Joel Dixon said robust community involvement is the cornerstone of Murphy Crossing. BeltLine CEO Clyde Higgs echoed the sentiment.
“We know we share the community’s excitement in seeing this project get to the next phase,” Higgs said. “We will have more community engagement opportunities as the vision for this transit-oriented, accessibility-focused neighborhood comes to life.”
It’s a step forward for the project, which last named Arizona-based Culdesac, Inc. as a finalist for the project in late 2022. The company will partner with minority-owned Urban Oasis Development, a “minority-owned residential and commercial developer dedicated to utilizing real estate as a community development tool by investing in underserved communities.”
Urban Oasis Development works primarily on mixed-income neighborhoods with affordable single-family housing.
The public-private partnership plans to contribute 1,100 housing units, with 30 percent set aside for 30 years as affordable units between 60 and 80 percent of the Area Median Income, which is $96,400 for a family of four as of 2022. Plans state at least five percent of the units will be permanently affordable. The new units will add to the BeltLine’s goal to create or preserve 5,600 affordable units by 2030.
Culdesac also plans to set 20 percent of the 180,000 square feet in retail and light industrial spaces aside at affordable rates for 30 years. New small businesses in the affordable space will receive one-time business grants.
Atlanta BeltLine said via press release the redevelopment will “prioritize the preservation of land for a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly neighborhood and promote easy access to public transit and the BeltLine corridor.”
“The Murphy Crossing development will bring new mixed-income housing options to the heart of our city, create a walkable district with access to transit and the BeltLine, and provide affordable commercial space to support entrepreneurship and businesses in Southwest Atlanta,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said via press release. Murphy Crossing at 1050 Murphy Ave in Southwest Atlanta has long been occupied by asphalt and a dozen warehouses. Plans to redevelop it have been ongoing.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Higgs said after the vote.
Invest Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. first bought 16 acres of the property in 2014, and an additional 2018 sale brought the property up to 20 acres. A deal with Place Properties fell apart in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eventually, BeltLine and Invest Atlanta picked development company Culdesac as the “finalist” for the project in 2022. The real estate development company is known for its work in Tempe, Ariz. — a $200 million mixed-use community that prioritizes pedestrian-friendly living. Culdesac aims to bring the Tempe model to Atlanta, starting with Murphy Crossing.
The March 21 vote made the partnership official and authorized the contract between Culdesac Incorporated and Urban Oasis Development. Still, the developers have a long way to go in permitting, zoning and construction.
As the project continues, a business advisory committee formed from surrounding communities will ensure small and minority-owned businesses are included, and a technical advisory committee of city agencies and partners will be created for development.
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