The Atlanta Housing Authority held a virtual meeting on Wednesday night to update the public on the progress of the Atlanta Civic Center redevelopment in Old Fourth Ward.
The most essential part of any development, of course, is the financing. The Atlanta Housing Authority announced they secured the 4% low-income housing tax credits. They're now working with Invest Atlanta to get additional funding and HUD approvals with the Housing Authority that are required to close on the project by the end of the year.
Their goal is to begin construction by November of this year. They expect the area excavation for Phase One to begin this summer.
The first project is going to be 148 one-bedroom Senior apartments. They'll be around 605 square feet and be '100% affordable.' It will include 75 underground parking spaces and roughly 5,700 square feet of amenity space. The building will consist of a ground floor café, a roof deck, and a plaza. The building will sit on the northeastern part of the development along Pine Street.
This building will be built directly across from Renaissance Park.
Another crucial part of this redevelopment is the Atlanta Civic Center. The developers said one of their key focuses was paying homage to the Buttermilk Bottom community destroyed through urban renewal in the 1960s. Before then, the community was made up of close to 16,000 people. Once it was taken over, the Civic Center was built in 1967.
Developers said the city made several promises when the area was developed. One of those is providing affordable housing to the community. The other promise was to build a new school on the site. Developers said they are working with Atlanta Public Schools to build a school for performing arts.
They're also working to redevelop the actual performing arts center to make it a '21st century multi-use theater.'
Developers hope to make it a new destination for the arts and culture in the city. The new center would have 1,700-3,000 systems and would improve the acoustics inside the building.
The master plan for the overall 19 acres of redevelopment, if all things go as planned, would also include more residential mixed-use, offices, a grocery store, and a hotel.
The development will also include a 'civic heart' that brings together local food, art, culture, and education.
The master plan includes a neighborhood plaza off Ralph McGill Boulevard and a greenway connecting to Renaissance Park along Pine Street.
Developers hope to have some of the plans open to show off to the world when the city hosts several matches for the World Cup in 2006.
During the Q & A portion of the meeting, the big concern by people who live near the redevelopment is the fact that all the 1,300 planned residential units will be rentals. Many voiced concerns that if developers allowed people to buy, it would enable them to invest in the neighborhood, building sustainability.