Developers have closed on land in Southwest Atlanta that sets the stage for a potentially transformative mix of affordable housing, commercial space, and jobs, continuing a groundswell of investment and ambitious redevelopment plans in the area, officials announced today.
Woodfield Development plans to break ground in coming weeks on a mixed-use project called 840 Woodrow set to take shape on about 7 acres in Oakland City, a block west of the Beltline’s Westside Trail and adjacent to the historic Murphy Crossing property.
Woodfield has now closed on the required acreage and expects 840 Woodrow to cost just shy of $77 million. Development plans have been percolating—in partnership with Atlanta-based multifamily developers Vida Companies—for more than three years. The vacant site was most recently used for car and truck storage.
In an announcement today, Woodfield officials predicted 840 Woodrow will be a “milestone” and “transformative” addition to historic neighborhoods in Southwest Atlanta.
Woodfield plans to break ground in Oakland City within 30 to 40 days, with construction following shortly after that.
The land closing marks “a significant step forward in bringing thoughtful, inclusive development to the Westside,” said Patrick Kassin, Woodfield’s vice president and regional development partner, in a statement. “We’re proud to partner on a project that expands housing access, supports local businesses, and reflects the creativity and culture of this community.”
A revised rendering showing how the multifaceted project would front a proposed Beltline spur trail through the warehouse district.Vida Companies/ Woodfield Development; designs, Dynamik Design
The acreage in question at 840 Woodrow Street, with the Beltline's Westside Trail and Adair Park at right, and the Murphy Crossing property at top. Google Maps
Plans call for 326 new apartments and rental townhomes overall, with 20 percent of them (66 units) designated as affordable/workforce housing—an amount that exceeds the City of Atlanta’s Inclusionary Zoning requirements, Woodfield officials noted. Rent limits will be based on 80 percent of the Area Median Income, and 5 percent of units will also be set aside for tenants using vouchers.
Another aspect of the project will see subsidized commercial spaces for local entrepreneurs.
That will include the adaptive-reuse of an existing building on site into a headquarters and training facility for a local coffee roaster who’s committed to local hiring, along with repurposed shipping containers that will serve as storefronts in hopes of supporting area startups and local entrepreneurs. Public-art programming and “significant sidewalk and streetscape upgrades” are also in the pipeline, officials have said.
Plans call for a Beltline spur trail to run along the southern edge of the property, linking the Westside Trail to other major infill sites in the vicinity.
840 Woodrow is expected to produce more than 500 construction jobs and 40-plus permanent jobs. An estimated $1.5 million in brownfield remediation work will be required to ready the site for redevelopment, per Develop Fulton, whose board of directors in April approved a bond resolution that green-lighted the project.
Woodfield is also partnering on 840 Woodrow with American South Capital Partners, a veteran of 25 projects across the Southeast region with the bulk of housing units considered affordable for families earning less than 80 percent AMI.
Woodfield’s intown Atlanta developments in recent years include the 505 Courtland tower, while the firm’s OTP projects have popped up in places such as Union City and Athens. The company bills itself as one of the country’s leading developers of Class A multifamily housing.
As for 840 Woodrow’s delivery, Kassin previously told Urbanize Atlanta the first residential units (townhomes) will start delivering roughly 12 months after construction starts, while the full project will take 22 to 24 months to complete.
Facades of commercial spaces, apartments, and townhomes. Vida Companies/ Woodfield Development; designs, Dynamik Design
The Oakland City project joins an influx of proposals that could bring thousands of new homes and considerable new commercial activity to surrounding blocks.
Just down the street in Capitol View, plans that call for a 25-acre, potentially billion-dollar new district with more than 4,000 housing units overall came to light two months ago. An Empire Communities townhome component of that project is under development now.
Also nearby, the first phase of adaptive-reuse Oakland Exchange is now gearing up to break ground this year, following years of delays, according to Invest Atlanta.
Planning efforts also continue at the area’s best-known redevelopment site—one that overlooks the mainline Beltline loop trail—following well-documented turbulence.
Earlier this year, Atlanta Beltline Inc. parted ways with selected developers Culdesac and Urban Oasis Development for the vacant, 20-acre Murphy Crossing property. Beltline leadership has taken the reins on planning and development and expects to break ground on the initial phase at Murphy Crossing sometime in 2026.
But the 840 Woodrow venture now appears set to beat others to the punch. Swing up to the gallery for more imagery and context.
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