Images: Landmark Buckhead tower aims for new era of affordability

Following a recent sale and new partnership, a renovated, landmark Buckhead tower from the 1950s will offer more than 600 apartments at relatively affordable rates for decades to come, according to its new ownership.  

Atlantica Properties and nonprofit EQ Housing Advisors Inc. have recently closed on the purchase of The Lofts at Twenty25 (known for decades as The Darlington), a 16-story residential tower at 2025 Peachtree Road. The purchase price wasn't disclosed. 

The companies have partnered with Atlanta Urban Development Corporation, a nonprofit Atlanta Housing subsidiary tasked with creating or preserving mixed-income housing. A ground lease through AUD will ensure The Lofts at Twenty25 remains affordable for residents earning between 50 and 80 percent of the Area Median Income for at least 25 years, according to the purchasers. 

The deal is being called one of Buckhead’s largest mixed-income, public-private initiatives to close to date. 

Rents for the building’s 623 apartments will range between $1,000 and $1,700 (cheaper than going rates), which is in line with the AMI target. “The ‘market rate’ units will also fall into this rent range,” a project rep tells Urbanize Atlanta. “So, the entire property will be affordable.” 

All apartments count one or two bedrooms and up to one and 1/2 bathrooms, ranging between 450 and 750 square feet, according to Apartments.com. 

So the rents are relatively low by Buckhead standards, but floorplans could seem tight for space-loving Atlantans. 

Following a 2022 building renovation, the building boasts modern amenities, and units feature eight to 10-foot ceilings, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, barn-style doors, plank flooring, and plenty of Midtown and Buckhead skyline views, previous owners have said. (Earlier talk of converting The Darlington to condos that would simultaneously be luxury and affordable didn’t pan out.)

The building, originally developed in 1951, was Atlanta’s first postwar high-rise purpose built for the working class. A young Ted Turner famously installed the property’s iconic “Atlanta’s Population Now” sign on Peachtree Road in 1965. 

But prior to its makeover, the building had developed a reputation for disrepair and seediness.

Atlantica Properties is led by Darion Dunn and Trent Dunn, and EQHA is chaired by Marc Pollack. The team counts years of experience in longterm preservation investments, including the 214-unit 12th & James Apartments they recently purchased in northwest Atlanta. 

Capital was provided by Truist Community Capital and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, among other investors. 

“We’re proud to help preserve mixed-income housing in a high-opportunity area,” said Darion Dunn in an announcement this week. 

Head to the gallery above for a closer look around the landmark Buckhead building today. 

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• Buckhead news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)