In 2024, the Atlanta Beltline delivered 569 affordable housing units — nearly twice as much as the project’s annual goal of adding 300 units, according to Beltline leaders.
That means the Beltline has reached 74 percent of its target to create or preserve 5,600 affordable housing units by 2030 in the Beltline Tax Allocation District (TAD).
“We’re hitting our stride in making equitable development a reality,” said Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of Atlanta Beltline Inc., a public agency, in a statement. “By leveraging strong partnerships, long-term land planning and innovative funding strategies, we’re on track not only to meet but likely exceed our 2030 goals.”
Higgs added that delivering on more affordable housing units creates “opportunities for Atlantans to live, thrive and build generational wealth within Beltline communities.”
Those gains are included in helping Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens achieve a citywide goal of building or preserving 20,000 affordable housing units by 2030.
The City of Atlanta attributes its success in 2024 to having a more collaborative approach among various public partners, including Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Atlanta Urban Development Corp., among others.
Dennis Richards Jr., vice president of housing policy and development for Atlanta Beltline Inc., said the type of affordable housing includes “different tools in our toolkit.” The minimum length of time to keep a unit affordable is 20 years. The portfolio also includes units that have permanent affordability, most often in cases where a public entity owns the land in perpetuity.
“Over the last five years, we’ve gotten pretty focused on land acquisition on the Beltline,” said Richards, adding that the city is aiming to “induce deeper and longer-term affordability.”
The Atlanta Beltline Partnership, the non-governmental agency that has helped raise most of the private and philanthropic funding for the project, has also been focused on making sure long-time homeowners are provided property tax relief in Beltline neighborhoods that have seen a rise in property values.
Michael Davis, deputy executive director of the Beltline Partnership, said the Legacy Resident Retention Program has provided property tax relief to 250 homeowners along the western and southern Beltline corridor, empowering low-income residents to remain in their communities.
“We want residents who lived in these neighborhoods for years before the Beltline was built to benefit from the economic opportunities, healthy living, and cultural vibrancy the Beltline creates,” said Rob Brawner, executive director of the Beltline Partnership. “This program does that while also enabling those who are typically priced out by gentrification to hold onto a rapidly appreciating asset — their home — and build wealth.”
Notable projects in 2024 included:
- Englewood Senior Housing: The Beltline provided $2 million from the TAD Increment Fund to support 160 units of affordable rental senior housing.
- Englewood Multifamily Housing: The Beltline supported 160 affordable multifamily units with a $3 million grant from the TAD Increment Fund.
- Residences at Chosewood Park: Construction began on 90 affordable housing units with a $2 million TAD Increment Fund Grant.
- Stanton Park Apartments: Fifty-six affordable units opened in Peoplestown with $2 million from the Atlanta Beltline Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
- 579 Garson Drive Development: This project won competitive Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) for a new affordable housing project to enable a 130-unit, mixed-use project in the South Buckhead/Lindbergh community on Beltline-owned land.
- 350 Chappell Road: The 6.30-acre site received LIHTC approval, allowing the 218-unit affordable housing project (30 percent to 80 percent area median income) to break ground in 2026.
- Oakland City Neighborhood: The Beltline provided $2 million via the TAD Increment Fund for the development of 41 permanently affordable homeownership opportunities in the Oakland City neighborhood.
- Mall West End Acquisition: The Beltline helped fund the acquisition of the 12-acre parcel — slated for a mixed-use affordable community — with $5 million in Beltline TAD Funds.
Richards said the Beltline has been focused on a land acquisition strategy to ensure long-term affordability and equitable development of housing and commercial spaces.
“We have 87 acres of land,” Richards said. The city and the partnership are also looking to acquire more land to make sure it meets and hopefully exceeds its goal of preserving or adding 300 affordable housing units a year.
The Beltline’s notable property holdings include:
- 356 University Avenue: Adjacent to Pittsburgh Yards, community engagement and master planning efforts are underway for this 14-acre site. With these efforts, the Beltline is currently in the planning phase and incorporating community feedback to shape the future of the site. The Beltline will rezone this site to I-Mix in 2025, allowing a mixed-use project to take shape.
- Murphy Crossing: The 20+ acre site adjacent to the Westside Trail continues to move forward with a community-driven process to continue master planning and entitling this site along with other predevelopment activities. The Murphy Crossing site will be rezoned to I-Mix in 2025.
- 579 Garson Drive: Rezoning has been approved by the Atlanta City Council, paving the way for mixed-use affordable projects. It will bring 130 units of affordable housing and approximately 10,000 square feet of affordable commercial space to the South Buckhead/Lindbergh neighborhood. The project is currently in the design phase and is expected to break ground in the fourth quarter of 2025.
- 425 Chappell: This 30+ acre site completed a Development of Regional Impact submission to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, required for large-scale developments that are likely to have regional effects beyond the local government jurisdiction in which they are located. This site has received rezoning approval from the Atlanta City Council. Predevelopment activities for the first five blocks of development are underway, which will include approximately 150 units of for-sale housing and approximately 5,000 square feet of affordable commercial space.
I’m not against affordable housing, but it’s vital that Atlanta maintain an upper middle-class majority lest we become the hole in the doughnut again. We are fortunate that people with money are still moving in, but the city has to maintain their loyalty to succeed.
How are they defining “affordable housing”?