Another residential project is aiming to break ground soon in Oakland City with permanent affordability baked in as a means of combating the ills of displacement and gentrification in Southwest Atlanta, according to project officials.

Called The Trust at Oakland City, the 42-unit development will take shape across 3.5 acres at 1024 Donnelly Ave., roughly 100 yards from the Atlanta BeltLine’s Westside Trail near the Lee + White food and drink district.

MARTA’s West End station is also located less than a mile away, via Lee Street, as project officials note.

Amanda Rhein, Atlanta Land Trust executive director, says the Oakland City project reached a “major milestone” last week by closing on all financing needed to start construction, with groundbreaking on the first phase expected sometime in early 2024. ALT’s partners in the project include Invest Atlanta, Reinvestment Fund, and ANDP Homes.

The traditional-style project is designed by Kronberg Urbanists + Architects. ALT is partnering with Cityscape Housing to develop the site and build the homes.

Atlanta Land Trust; designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

The project's 1024 Donnelly Ave. location in relation to the Westside Trail (green line), the Lee + White district, and West End MARTA (top right). Google Maps

According to Rhein, half of the 42 for-sale homes will be offered at affordable rates for households earning at or below 60 and 80 percent of the area median income. The other 21 units will sell for market rate. None of the pricing has been specified yet.

Expect units ranging from one to three bedrooms, with between 640 and 1,360 square feet. All include two levels of living spaces. (See floorplans here.)

Perks of the community will include relatively low HOA dues that cover lawn care, nature trails and open greenspace, Nest thermostats, and Vivint home security systems, according to project officials.

Atlanta Land Trust; designs, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects

As with other ALT builds, the Oakland City homes are described as being “permanently affordable” through the use of the community land trust model.

In a nutshell, that arrangement means the trust will own and maintain the land it’s secured from the real estate market, and when it comes time to move, the homeowner agrees to resell the residence at restricted, affordable pricing to another lower-income buyer, with the price determined by an Atlanta-specific formula.

A few blocks away, ALT is behind another affordable housing project in the same neighborhood, the 36-unit Avenue at Oakland City that broke ground late last year.

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