In Bankhead, mixed-use Transformation Center project tops out

Ten months after breaking ground, a mixed-use Bankhead project with a unique purpose and architectural design has reached its max height. 

The City of Refuge Transformation Center—a multifunctional housing and support facility designed to spur lasting improvements in underserved Westside neighborhoods—hosted a ceremonial topping-out ceremony this week to mark the construction milestone. 

Punctuated by archways, curving walls, and an abundance of windows, the latest concept from nonprofit organization City of Refuge calls for a broad range of uses (including affordable housing) in the three-story, 37,000-square-foot building. The project’s goal is to fill gaps in wellness, economic, and health services in Bankhead and surrounding neighborhoods. 

City of Refuge officials broke ground on the $15.2-million venture in July at 1343 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, a former American Legion lot.

Development plans call for 25 units of affordable housing geared toward legacy residents, with 13 of those reserved for renters earning 30 percent of the area median income or less.

Expect a mix of two and three-bedroom apartments, with one four-bedroom unit in the mix.

On the least expensive end, the 13 units planned to rent at 30 percent AMI would go for between $689 for a two-bedroom option (826 square feet) and $796 monthly for three-bedrooms (up to 1,343 square feet), according to Invest Atlanta.

The building, as designed by Rickman Architecture + Design, would also see 7,640 square feet of commercial and amenity space at the ground level.

Plans call for a market or grocery store, a social club, a medical and mental health clinic, and a credit union included at the building’s base level. 

Another planned component is the Entrepreneurship Hub, which will offer classrooms, offices, and a lab in hopes of training 100 budding entrepreneurs per year as a means of economic stimulus on the Westside.

Beyond the commercial portion, the building's amenities will include a community room, washer and dryer connections, and an outdoor sitting space.

The site is due south of Westside Park and adjacent to The 345 project—a remake of the abandoned, 1950s Danzig Hotel—that City of Refuge opened in 2023 as 31 units of supportive housing for men. 

Project officials say the Transformation Center is just a two-minute walk from City of Refuge’s Westside campus, which is considered the headquarters of several satellite campuses across the country.

The Transformation Center is considered the main objective of City of Refuge’s “Breaking Barriers. Building Momentum.” capital campaign, which launched in late 2022 and quickly eclipsed its $25 million goal. (That campaign eventually raised $33 million over three years, City of Refuge leaders relayed this week.)

The project's construction schedule calls for opening this fall.   

City of Refuge’s first Atlanta project, a rental community called The 1300, finished in summer 2020. Alongside GROWTH Homes, the agency also recently built five new standalone houses for families adjacent to its Joseph E. Boone Boulevard campus, with prices starting at $279,000.

A significant portion of Transformation Center funding was sourced from donations, including $3 million from the Chick-fil-A Foundation and $2 million from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and TogetherATL to help build affordable housing. The project also received a $3 million federal New Market Tax Credit through Atlanta Emerging Markets and Capital One.

Invest Atlanta also approved $2 million in funding in the form of a Beltline TAD Increment Improvement Grant.

In the gallery above, find the latest renderings and more context for Bankhead’s forthcoming Transformation Center. 

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