Designs for a block-altering Old Fourth Ward development are becoming clearer as it continues to reach max height near a number of eastside landmarks. 

A year after it broke ground, the former City Lights North Block multifamily project has been rechristened “The Wren at 640,” according to Michael Friedman, lead designer for Atlanta-based Geheber Lewis Architects. 

Friedman provided Urbanize Atlanta with revised renderings this week showing how the 633 Parkway Drive project will look and function between North Avenue and Ponce de Leon Avenue, roughly four blocks directly west of Ponce City Market. 

Plans call for 187 apartments—in a wide variety of sizes—capped at rates deemed affordable.

An updated look at plans for the project's Boulevard frontage, south of Ponce de Leon Avenue.Courtesy of Geheber Lewis Architects

The Wren at 640 marks the fifth phase of City Lights, Massachusetts developer Wingate’s master-planned redevelopment of Bedford Pines, a cluster of HUD Section 8 multifamily buildings along and near Boulevard. 

A portion of the infill project will have frontage along Boulevard, near its intersection with Ponce de Leon Avenue. It’s replacing a row of low-rise housing demolished several years ago and other structures more recently taken down. The Views at O4W, a cove of modern-style townhomes built prior to, and during, the COVID-19 pandemic stands across the street, to the west.

The $78.9-million project is being reserved for tenants earning 60 percent of the Area Median Income or less, Invest Atlanta officials have said. 

It’s supported by a Housing Assistance Payment Contract with HUD, and residents will not pay more than 30 percent of their income, according to Invest Atlanta. Otherwise, listed rents for the building start at $1,400 monthly for studios with 536 square feet. The bulk of apartments (84 total) will be two-bedroom units asking $2,150 for 975 square feet. 

At the highest end, a single four-bedroom apartment will be offered in the building at $2,900 monthly for 1,302 square feet, officials have indicated.  

Looking north along Boulevard, toward Ponce de Leon Avenue and Piedmont Park. Courtesy of Geheber Lewis Architects

Construction progress this month at the 187-unit project, a few blocks west of Ponce City Market. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Onsite amenities call for an after-school program, a business center with computers, a community room, fitness center, a central laundry facility on each floor, and a private courtyard. Access to public transportation has also been cited by project officials as a perk. 

The project’s estimated construction timeline is 18 months, meaning completion is scheduled for later this year, officials told Urbanize Atlanta in March. 

Another component of the broader masterplan, Wingate’s Boulevard North, has risen about a block away. 

Once The Wren at 640 finishes, just one more phase of Wingate’s City Lights public housing makeover will remain: City Lights South. Demolition and infrastructure work on that project is fully underway now. 

In the gallery above, find more context and images for The Wren at 640. 

The Old Fourth Ward project's location at 633 Parkway Drive.Google Maps

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