Aerial tour: Residential district takes shape near fresh Beltline section

In Southeast Atlanta, a large-scale residential development aiming to capitalize on new Beltline fervor continues to rise up and top out. 

Leasing efforts have recently kicked off for one, two, and three-bedroom rentals at The Garrison, an infill cove of apartments and townhomes on formerly polluted land in Boulevard Heights.

The 1104 Avondale Ave. project is located less than two blocks from the Beltline’s Southeast Trail section, which opened in April, and Grant Park. Atlanta-based developer TPA Residential is building nearly 300 total units. 

The 8.2-acre site was once home to a city-operated drinking water chlorination facility but devolved into a massive, abandoned landfill capped with fill-dirt for years. Remediation efforts that took nearly three years to complete created what locals dubbed “trash mountain,” or “Mount Rubbish,” before that was cleared away.  

Current rent prices at The Garrison start at $1,545 monthly for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit in 592 square feet. 

The priciest offerings at the moment start at $3,690 monthly. That rents a three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhome with 1,621 square feet across three stories, with a two-car garage. 

Eight weeks of free rent is being offered as an incentive with some homes. Other perks include “wood-inspired flooring,” nine-foot ceilings, and granite countertops, per marketing materials. 

According to paperwork filed with the city in 2023, The Garrison includes a 212,000-square-foot multifamily building with 228 apartments, along with 63 rental townhomes in 10 structures situated closer to United Avenue. 

The project’s name is a nod to a Georgia National Guard outpost near the site, as project officials previously told Urbanize Atlanta. 

A complaint filed with the city last month indicates the project is using a 750-square-foot corner space as a lobby, instead of the coffee shop or similar retail use required by zoning. That complaint is “in research” with city authorities now, according to the Department of City Planning. 

TPA development officials hadn’t responded to a request for an update on the retail component and overall construction as of press time. 

Remediation and removal of the landfill reportedly cost $7 million, and TPA plans to spend another $1 million building a better Beltline connection with lighting and landscaping, officials have said. Roughly 150,000 yards of garbage had to be removed before the site could be ready for construction. Two previous development efforts by other companies at the site sputtered and ultimately pulled out.

The Development Authority of Fulton County approved a $3.7-million tax abatement for TPA to help with cleaning up the site in 2022. The development was also approved for the Brownfield Tax Credit Program. 

Fifteen percent of the apartments and townhomes, or 43 units total, will be reserved as affordable housing at 80 percent of the Area Median Income or less, as required by Beltline inclusionary housing rules, per TPA’s plans. 

The Avondale Avenue project joins other pockets of recent development near the southeastern-most Beltline corridor. 

Empire Communities’ the Swift, a large townhome project with 120 units, claimed another vacant parcel next door several years ago.

Down the street, TPA also built a 275-unit project called The Penman on 6 acres that directly front the Beltline now, near the trail’s intersection with Boulevard. About 7,000 square feet of adaptive-reuse retail space was included in that project. 

For our latest Aerial Tour around Atlanta, have a closer look at how this section of the city is changing in the gallery above. 

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