The next phase of a multi-pronged development that aims to boost Westside communities is expected to break ground in coming months, officials tell Urbanize Atlanta.
The second and largest piece of the Herndon Square project along Northside Drive is set to include 201 apartments in a mid-rise building, joining a 97-unit senior housing component that’s been fully leased on site today.
It's part of Atlanta Housing’s effort to redevelopment more than 12 acres—situated about a mile north of Mercedes-Benz Stadium—where Herndon Homes public housing formerly stood.
Herndon Homes Developer LLC is listed as the project owner, while developers Hunt Companies and Pennrose have teamed up to build the community.
Herndon Homes Developer LLC; via Invest Atlanta
Looking south across phase one, Herndon Square Senior, last winter. The waitlist for the 97-unit building is currently closed, per developers. Hunt/Pennrose
A rough timeline calls for breaking ground on phase two in January, barring any obstacles such as a government shutdown, a Pennrose representative said this week. The schedule calls for completing the next phase by January the following year, with a dedication coming sometime later that year.
Invest Atlanta approved $41.5 million in tax-exempt bond financing to develop the apartments earlier this year.
Beyond the senior housing building, Herndon Square’s full scope calls for 379 units of multifamily residential (spread across two mid-rise buildings), 32 townhomes, and a 30,000-square-foot retail space on a section fronting Northside Drive.
That commercial component is expected to bring a neighborhood grocery option with fresh food access to English Avenue.
“The development, as envisioned, will be a viable, healthy, and sustainable mixed-use and mixed-income community,” as Herndon Square’s website summarizes, “which will serve as a catalyst to spur future development opportunities in the surrounding area.”
How the full scope of Herndon Square plans, including the grocery component at bottom left, would be situated along Northside Drive, due west of Midtown and downtown. Herndon Homes Developer LLC; via Invest Atlanta
To help spur Herndon Square’s remaining phases, Invest Atlanta’s board recently approved a resolution for a Westside Tax Allocation District grant of up to $2.5 million to assist with building infrastructure. That includes connections to the broader Westside community—including the growing Science Square campus next door—in addition to street upgrades and public-safety enhancements for pedestrians. The infrastructure upgrades are expected to cost $8 million across all phases.
According to Invest Atlanta officials, ongoing negotiations with an unnamed grocer suggest the infrastructure buildout will be crucial to ensuring the grocery project is viable.
Another 10,000 square feet of commercial space planned on site is expected to become a STEAM workforce development hub, per Invest Atlanta.
Beyond Georgia Power lighting upgrades and new pedestrian pathways throughout the site, plans call for extending all interior streets, closing access to a portion of John Street, and installing a deceleration lane on Northside Drive. The latter project is being designed to work in concert with a new entrance and exit where Northside meets Herndon Square Avenue.
Site conditions shown in recent years where Herndon Homes public housing formerly stood. Herndon Homes Developer LLC; via Invest Atlanta
Immediately to the north of Herndon Square, the Georgia Tech-led Science Square district has topped out each of its buildings in its first phase of expansion, adding hundreds of forthcoming apartment options and a research tower to the area.
Herndon Square’s pedestrian pathways, as Invest Atlanta notes, are planned to directly connect to Science Square.
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