Along Northside Drive near downtown, a new district that’s steadily replacing public housing is turning its focus to three remaining sections after delivering hundreds of additional living options last month. 

Herndon Square Phase 2 has officially opened—with nearly 200 rentals that meet affordability standards—following two years of construction in English Avenue, just west of Georgia Tech, Midtown, and downtown. 

Development of phase two, a building called Legacy at Herndon Square, was led by Philadelphia-based Pennrose, the same firm that broke ground last month on 130-unit, affordable housing project Overlook at Garson along the Atlanta Beltline’s Northeast Trail. 

The six-story, $57-million Herndon Square Phase II marks the largest section planned at the five-phase campus where public housing project Herndon Homes once stood. It includes 201 apartments, ranging from one to three-bedroom floorplans, plus a parking deck. 

Another component of phase two is 10,000 square feet of commercial space that developers say will be leased to “community-oriented” tenants. 

Overview of the completed phase two building, in relation to downtown, as seen this summer. Pennrose Management/liveherndon.com

Aerial photo of phase two's core amenities. Pennrose Management/liveherndon.com

Now, as Pennrose officials tell Urbanize Atlanta, the development team is turning its focus to Herndon Square Phase III, which is on pace to wrap construction in April, adding another 178 mixed-income units to the mix, ranging from one to three-bedroom apartments.

Beyond that, Pennrose and partners are in “active conceptual planning” stages for Herndon Square’s fourth and fifth phases as well, the final pieces of the 12-acre site’s masterplan, per officials. The latter will be comprised of for-sale townhomes tucked off Northside Drive, next to Georgia Tech’s expanded Science Square district and a few blocks southwest of Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.  

Herndon Square’s full scope calls for 379 units of multifamily residential, 32 townhomes, and a 30,000-square-foot retail space on a section fronting Northside Drive. That commercial component is expected to bring a neighborhood grocery option with fresh food access to English Avenue. 

When asked specifically for updates on the district’s expected grocery-store facet this week, a development rep replied via email that “Pennrose is actively working with [Atlanta Housing] and community stakeholders on the design and planning of [phase four], and we look forward to continuing the momentum achieved across Phases I through III.”

A rendering showing Herndon Square phases. On the left is Phase III; behind that is Phase II; to the right (closest to front) is Phase V; and further from view is Phase I. Courtesy of Thriven Design

Sample apartment interior at Herndon Square Phase II. Pennrose Management/liveherndon.com

The breakdown of Legacy at Herndon Square’s completed rentals includes 43 units reserved for tenants earning at or below the 80 percent Area Median Income threshold; 87 rentals at or below 60 percent AMI; and 40 units at or below 30 percent AMI. According to Pennrose, those affordable and workforce apartments are funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, with 80 units supported by Atlanta Housing’s Homeflex program vouchers. 

The remaining 40 apartments are renting at market rate. 

Apartment sizes start at one-bedroom, one-bathroom options in 605 square feet, with standard rents that have begun at $1,100, per the project’s leasing materials. 

The priciest rents posted have asked $2,700 monthly for three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,100 square feet on the third floor. 

Another completed aspect of phase two is infrastructure improvements to the Herndon Square campus that Pennrose officials call critical. 

Those additions—as funded in part by a Westside TAD grant through Invest Atlanta—included a turning lane along Northside Drive to access Herndon Square, as well as the extension of Herndon Square Avenue and Alonzo Herndon Boulevard to complete a street grid that will serve all phases of redevelopment.

For phase two, Pennrose partnered with Hunt Companies, Oakwood Development, Atlanta Housing, and city agencies on the public-private development, with designs by Thriven Design. Invest Atlanta approved $41.5 million in tax-exempt bond financing to help develop the apartments in 2023.

Beyond the phase-two apartments, Herndon Square so far includes a 97-unit senior housing component that quickly leased up. 

Find more context and a closer look at Herndon Square’s newest rentals in the gallery above. 

Overview of phase two along Northside Drive, with a future Herndon Square grocery component depicted to the left and future townhomes at back center. Thriven Design

Official Herndon Square Phase II ribbon-cutting last month, with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (in suit, at center) manning the oversized scissors. Courtesy of Pennrose

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