The extent of the affordable housing challenge in exurban Atlanta has become evident in Dawson County, where 25 miles north of Alpharetta an apartment complex is to be built with tax incentives near a jobs-rich outlet mall.
Tag: Affordable housing
Posted inLatest News
Ellen Dunham Jones’ ‘Retrofitting Suburbia,’ pandemic, Sandy Springs revitalization
When it comes to Georgia Tech professor Ellen Dunham-Jones’ latest book, Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia, Sandy Springs is in a unique position because of the major redevelopment initiative it has underway plus its ties to Jones.
Posted inSean Keenan
Could initiative boost intown housing affordability with more accessory dwelling units?
Imagine more tiny homes in backyards or apartments over the garages in Atlanta. A new program by investment company GROUNDFLOOR could spur the development and preservation of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — a move that could provide more affordable housing in the city and beyond.
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Free high speed internet, low VOC paint now required in certain affordable housing
The nation’s most significant program to fund affordable housing has new criteria in Georgia that aim at making units more sustainable and requiring residents to have access to free high-speed internet.
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Atlanta’s massive affordable housing bond program is officially a go
On Monday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms inked her signature on legislation that green-lights $50 million in bond funding aimed at producing and preserving affordable housing across the city.
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Atlanta Beltline claims Buckhead property, plans affordable housing
Affordable housing could be bound for an area near the Atlanta Beltline — and in Buckhead no less.
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Atlanta’s affordable housing proposal could begin with review of vacant land, groups says
By David Pendered
Atlanta’s current proposal to promote affordable housing could begin with a review of vacant land that could be developed with dwellings, rather than starting with the premise of allowing a second abode to be built on the lot of an existing house.
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Rental assistance program has helped nearly 2,700 metro Atlanta families
A rental assistance program launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has helped almost 2,700 families, according to nonprofit Star-C, which kicked off the initiative in April.
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Housing prices: No dips in sight as demand, lumber, labor costs push prices higher
The prospect of falling home prices – affordable units or market-based – shows no signs of appearing at the start of 2021. Demand for dwellings exceeds supply, and prices for lumber and labor remain above expectations.
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Atlanta’s long-awaited affordable housing bond program clears city council vote
On Monday, long after HouseATL leaders pitched the idea of architecting a bond program to help beef up the city’s affordable housing stock, Atlanta officials green-lit legislation that paves the way for a $50 million investment aimed at furthering the city’s housing goals.
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Mortgage debt rising among older homeowners; metro Atlanta faces decisions
Mortgage debt continues to rise among the nation’s homeowners age 65-plus. More than a quarter of the 80-plus crowd now has mortgage debt, according to findings by the Federal Reserve and Harvard University.
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COVID-19 relief bill extends eviction moratorium, promises housing assistance
When President Donald Trump begrudgingly scribbled his signature on the $900 million COVID-19 relief package on Sunday, he effectively cast a lifeline to the countless Americans — including many Atlantans — threatened with displacement amid the nearly year-long pandemic.
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Black borrowers pay higher mortgage rates because they don’t refinance: ATL Fed
Some Black homeowners do pay higher interest rates on mortgages than non-white Hispanics, but a new report issued by the Atlanta Fed shows the reason isn’t the rule-of-thumb principle that had associated the cause with racial bias by lenders.
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Georgia Power’s new rate program may raise prices for some residential customers
Paycheck-to-paycheck workers may be especially vulnerable to higher-than-standard power bills after a new rate program for Georgia Power takes effect Jan. 1, 2021, according to the consumer advocacy group Georgia Watch.
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Atlanta’s $100M affordable housing bond proposal inches toward realization
At long last, the $100 million housing opportunity bond proposal, which experts believe could actually put a sizable dent in Atlanta’s housing affordability crisis, is headed toward approval by the city council.
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HUD boss bestows $450K planning grant for Westside Atlanta redevelopment
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson stopped by Atlanta on Tuesday to grant Atlanta Housing (AH) $450,000 in federal funding to help develop a roadmap for the revitalization of parts of Atlanta’s Westside.
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Mayor appoints AH residents to housing authority’s board of commissioners
Two public housing residents are set to be sworn in as board members of Atlanta’s housing authority.
Posted inColumns
Homelessness: An ‘income-first’ approach promotes transition to stable housing
By Guest Columnist MICK COCHRAN, chairman of the board of First Step Staffing, Inc.
2020 has presented all sorts of challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. The loss of income and wealth creates significant uncertainty and anxiety, coupled with fears and concerns over our family and friends’ individual health and welfare. Parents struggle with balancing childcare and maintaining secure employment. Many children are in despair, trying to keep up with school while mastering a whole new way of learning.
Posted inSean Keenan
Eviction prevention program calls on metro Atlanta landlords to forgive back rent
A new initiative aimed at helping people navigate what experts have called a “tsunami” of evictions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will ask landlords in metro Atlanta to forgive tenants’ past-due rent in exchange for financial support.
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It looks like Mayor Bottoms won’t become HUD secretary
Despite a swirling rumor mill that had Atlantans thinking their mayor could be tapped to be President-elect Joe Biden’s housing and urban development secretary, it appears that Keisha Lance Bottoms will not claim that cabinet post.
