The country’s largest homebuilder plans to add a sizable townhome project to an influx of new housing in Hapeville, around the corner from both Atlanta’s airport and Porsche’s growing North American headquarters.

Texas-based D.R. Horton recently purchased 8.3 acres between Hapeville’s historic, artsy commercial core and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The company plans to build about 110 townhomes on the site, where a mixed-use makeover has been kicked around for two decades.  

The Hapeville site in question, just north of Atlanta's airport. Google Maps

Veteran Atlanta developers Coro Realty and Miller Lowry Developments partnered in 2020 to buy the acreage in question—along with another roughly 8 acres—that covered 60 different underused properties on Elm and Chestnut streets in Hapeville. Those firms still plan to build residential and retail on the remaining acreage, according to a project rep.

The 8.3 acres now owned by D.H. Horton constitute the western portion of those properties, positioned less than a quarter mile from the world’s busiest airport—a title Atlanta reclaimed this year from China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

The 60 lots purchased by Coro Realty and Miller Lowry Developers last year are positioned between Hapeville's main commercial thoroughfare, North Central Avenue (top right), and the airport.Courtesy of Coro Realty

Other selling points for the area include Delta Air Lines’ global headquarters, the Kimpton Overland Hotel, a Wells Fargo corporate campus, and local attractions such as Arches Brewing and John Lewis Memorial Park,

“[We’re] excited to be a part of Hapeville’s growth and to help reactivate a long-dormant part of this city’s residential core,” Robert Fransen, Coro Realty’s president and managing partner, said in a statement. “We continue to seek best-in-class partners to enhance this key site.” 

Developer interest in this section of Hapeville dates back 20 years. With plans to build a new urbanist hub called “Asbury Park,” Main Street Partners once assembled about 80 parcels in the area, but the Great Recession nixed those ambitions.

D.R. Horton reportedly closed more than 71,000 home purchases in 2021—a bump of more than 12,000 from the previous year and easily good for the most among U.S. homebuilding giants.

The company has been considered America’s largest homebuilder by volume since 2002.

Part of Hapeville's historic downtown commercial area, as seen in 2020. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Beyond additions to downtown and Porsche’s continued investments, Hapeville has seen a surge in residential growth in recent years. Ongoing projects include 68 rental townhomes being developed by BCDC and North and Central Ventures on Hapeville’s main drag.

Around the corner from that site, Epic Development is constructing 58 standalone houses for a project called Stillwood.

• Hapeville news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)