A reader interested in buying a home in Vine City has reached out with a question that also crossed our minds on a recent visit to Rodney Cook Sr. Park: What’s up with the big empty construction site across the street, toward downtown?
The 561 Thurmond Street project’s groundbreaking ceremony, after all, was led by the Atlanta mayor… previous Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, that is.
In the works is a 73-unit townhome venture called Parkview that’s significant in that developers and city officials have said it will unlock the door to homeownership for Westside residents in a location with easy walkability to greenspace, transportation options, and downtown. The site is immediately east of Vine City’s gorgeous new centerpiece park, having replaced a rental complex called Villas at the Dome off Northside Drive.
At last check in September, developers estimated the townhomes would be finished this fall, later than a previously estimated delivery date of summer 2023. But they have yet to even start vertical construction.
Illustration of the site's park frontage and downtown proximity. Courtesy of Riddle Property Group/GROWTH by NCRC
Riddle Property Group, an Atlanta-based minority real estate developer, operator, and owner, is partnering on the Vine City project with The NCRC Housing Rehab Fund, known as GROWTH by NCRC. Invest Atlanta approved a $2-million Westside Tax Allocation District grant to help finance the project in 2021.
Growth By NCRC spokesperson Lynda Belcher tells Urbanize Atlanta plans have changed again, but that developers are “currently wrapping up the final elements of land development” and permitting, and vertical construction is set to begin sometime this fall.
Preliminary elevation designs along Thurmond Street, as provided by developers in 2021. Courtesy of Riddle Property Group/GROWTH by NCRC
Earlier plans to renovate two existing buildings on site were found to be cost-prohibitive last year, and those buildings were subsequently demolished, allowing for 11 additional townhomes to fit on the block-sized property, Belcher previously said.
That shift “means that we had to incorporate a degree of horizontal land development that we did not necessarily have to incorporate in the original timeline,” Belcher wrote via email. “[T]he need for different permitting parameters also became a factor. Obviously, delays are never ideal, but it’s important to preserve the quality of the project.”
Indeed, permitting records show plans for the project were still being reviewed and vetted by city staff as recently as May.
“We’re super excited to finally get this project to the point at which the community will be able to view the progress themselves,” said Belcher, “as these beautiful townhomes come to fruition.”
Invest Atlanta officials have described the Parkview project as “the ideal Transit-Oriented Development,” with Vine City MARTA station located .4 miles to the south, and the main entry to the Westside BeltLine Connector less than a block away. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held back in November 2021.
All 73 townhomes at the mixed-income community will range between 1,151 and 1,641 square feet.
The Parkview site's proximity to the new 16-acre greenspace. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Estimate prices haven’t been specified, which isn’t uncommon for properties not close to being finished. Developers had previously said 19 townhomes will be reserved as affordable housing for families earning 80 percent of the area’s median income.
GROWTH by NCRC specializes in providing homeownership for low and moderate-income people, focusing on communities of color. Additional funding from Invest Atlanta is expected to help buyers that meet income qualifications with down payments and closing costs. Today, nearly 75 percent of Vine City’s housing is rental units.
Find more Parkview context and plans in the above gallery.
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