BeltLine seeks mixed-income developer for Buckhead site

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has issued a call for developers to build multifamily housing with a range of price points at a Buckhead location with easy access to jobs, transit, greenspace, and a growing trail network, officials announced today.

Located at 579 Garson Road, the 2.68-acre site in question is just west of Piedmont Road and north of Interstate 85, along the banks of Peachtree Creek.

MARTA’s Lindbergh station and the Uptown redevelopment are located about two blocks directly north.

BeltLine officials previously bought the vacant parcel from Wells Fargo bank with the goal of creating more affordable housing along the BeltLine’s Northeast Trail. Plans call for that trail to extend from the Armour Yards area and run directly along the Garson Drive site in coming years.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

The 579 Garson Drive property in question is located at right. Photo by Erin Sintos; courtesy of Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

According to a Request for Proposals issued this week, the BeltLine seeks a developer to build a multifamily complex for a mix of incomes, ranging from affordable units to market-rate. Potential rents haven’t been specified so early in the process.

Beyond the residential component, a project fact sheet stipulates that, based on the BeltLine’s initial analysis, “there is sufficient demand for two restaurant spaces [that would be] provided 235,000 annual BeltLine visits,” while “micro-retail is also a possibility for the site.” The area, per the BeltLine, also has enough demand to support a 5,000-square-foot daycare facility.

The creek-side site includes direct water access and what the BeltLine describes as “picturesque views.”

The location also offers access to the growing regional trail network that includes the Peachtree Creek Greenway, South Fork Confluence Trail, and nearby PATH400, which is expected to branch into Sandy Springs in coming years.

Overview of the area's existing and planned trail network from 2023. Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Clyde Higgs, BeltLine president and CEO, said in today’s RFP announcement the Garson Drive site “presents a unique opportunity to bring housing units that will be affordable for a mix of incomes to Buckhead.”

Alongside partners such as Invest Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and city officials, the BeltLine’s Housing Policy and Development department is trying to create or preserve 5,600 units of affordable housing within the BeltLine Tax Allocation District, or TAD.

Since 2006, the BeltLine says 56 percent of that goal has been met, with 3,148 affordable housing units created or preserved within the TAD.

All development proposals are due by May 1. The RFP and all pertinent documents can be found here.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc.