An affordable housing concept like no other for the Westside of ATL

Plans are emerging for a Westside project that could stand out from other affordable housing projects around Atlanta.

The nonprofit City of Refuge’s latest concept envisions a wide range of uses in a three-story, 37,000-square-foot building that would rise at 1343 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, claiming what is currently a large vacant lot.

The site is located south of Westside Park and adjacent to The 345 project, a remake of the abandoned 1950s Danzig Hotel, which City of Refuge opened last year as 31 units of supportive housing for men.

Development plans call for 25 units of affordable housing. The building, as designed by Rickman Architecture + Design, would also see 7,640 square feet of commercial and amenity space on the ground floor.

Plans show a social club, market, clinic and even a credit union included on the base level of the building.

According to Invest Atlanta, the project is expected to cost a total of $15.7 million.

Most of the funding would come from donations, including $3 million from the Chick-fil-A Foundation and $2 million from the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta.

Invest Atlanta could also approve $2 million in funding in the form of a BeltLine TAD Increment Improvement Grant.

The apartments would rent for between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income or less. Most would be two-bedroom rentals, although some three- and four-bedroom options are planned, according to Invest Atlanta.

On the cheaper side, the 13 units scheduled to rent at 30% AMI would cost between $689 for a two-bedroom option (826 square feet) and $796 per month for three bedrooms (up to 1,343 square feet). .

Beyond the retail portion, amenities would include a community room, washer and dryer hookups and an outdoor lounge area.

The project’s construction schedule, which extends over 18 months, foresees work starting this year and opening in 2025.

The City of Refuge’s first Atlanta project, a rental community called The 1300completed in summer 2020. Along with GROWTH Homes, the agency also recently built five new self-contained homes for families adjacent to its Joseph E. Boone Boulevard campus, with prices starting at $279,000.

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• Bankhead News, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)