A unique, colorful community of cottage-style housing has officially wrapped construction in Decatur, and project leaders are changing course by opening up the homebuying process to anyone whose income qualifies.

Oak Cottage Court, a charming pocket community, replaced a wooded, half-acre site at 230 Commerce Drive with six standalone homes reserved for families and individuals considered middle-income earners. The cottages range from pint-sized (528 square feet) to perfectly adequate for a smaller family (1,582 square feet), with either two or three bedrooms.

Project reps tell Urbanize Atlanta one home has sold and two others are under contract, leaving three unclaimed right now. Current prices range from $210,000 to $305,000, which Decatur officials call affordable for anyone earning metro Atlanta’s area median income.  

Described as “a landmark workforce housing community,” the project marked the first collaboration of its kind between the City of Decatur Development Authority, nonprofit housing developer Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, and nonprofit Decatur Land Trust. It had been in planning and construction phases for more than seven years.

Overview of the community today. Courtesy of City of Decatur/DDA/DLT

Inside one of the larger floorplans at Oak Cottage Court. Courtesy of City of Decatur/DDA/DLT

Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett called Oak Cottage Court part of a broader campaign to address workforce and affordable housing in the city, in hopes of providing “true economic diversity for our community,” per a city announcement this week.

From the outset, the project was intended to provide attainable, for-sale housing to Decatur’s city, school, and housing authority employees. They remain the top priority, but the cottages are now being made available to any income-qualified buyer, especially people who are currently renting or working in Decatur.

Preference will go toward anyone who fits that billing, should any of the remaining homes receive multiple offers. City officials break down the game plan should competitive bidding occur as follows:  

“… a tiered approach will be applied giving preference first to current City of Decatur, City Schools of Decatur, and Decatur Housing Authority employees; then to employees of any government agency or nonprofit located in the city; then employees of any Decatur business; then current renters in the City of Decatur; and finally, to all others.”

Beyond the home prices, project leaders point the location’s 86 Walk Score—it’s within a 10-minute walk to MARTA rail and 10 different bus lines, they say—and close proximity to shops and restaurants, K-12 schools, and parks as attributes.

Seven parking spaces, including one handicap space, were installed next to the community’s central green, according to plans.

Courtesy of City of Decatur/DDA/DLT

Oak Cottage Court home purchases are limited to households making 100 percent AMI as shown above. Decatur Land Trust

The asking prices are substantially cheaper than what buyers could expect to pay for new standalone homes in such a centralized Decatur location. According to Redfin, the median sales price for homes across Decatur was $651,000 in June.  

DLT’s model goes that homes will be sold to new owners, but the land beneath them will be kept in a trust. Should new owners sell in the future, the DLT’s ground-lease program is meant to ensure the properties retain their affordability permanently, officials have previously explained.

Up to three sources of down payment assistance are also available for qualified applicants.

The housing type has been allowed in Decatur since an ordinance passed in 2014, and Oak Cottage Court is considered a pilot project, in hopes it will succeed in generating other examples of relatively affordable, neighborhood-friendly housing in the city, according to DLT.

The Oak Cottage Court site plan and original price breakdown. Decatur Land Trust

The project was designed by Mississippi-based architect Bruce B. Tolar, considered one of the country’s leading experts for missing-middle housing design and development. Tolar's company is known for developing cottage-style housing nodes as part of post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding.

In Decatur, previous delays in construction were related to rising construction costs, Georgia Department of Transportation’s delayed approval of the entry off Commerce Drive (a state highway), and other factors, officials have said.

Head up to the gallery for a tour of the finished grounds and the first interior glimpses at Oak Cottage Court homes. Find more details on the application process here.

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