A southside infill proposal recently scored a tax break as a means of bringing more housing to sites with MARTA and Atlanta Beltline connectivity, according to Invest Atlanta. 

CMC Development Group plans to build a mixed-income, modern-style venture called Ridge Commons on a vacant triangular lot at 1100 Ridge Ave. in Peoplestown. 

The Invest Atlanta Board last month approved a $1.5-million Beltline Tax Allocation District grant to help finance Ridge Commons’ construction. The project will include 46 multifamily units, with 29 of those considered affordable housing for tenants earning between 50 and 80 percent of the Area Median Income. Another seven apartments will be live-work arrangements, according to Invest Atlanta. 

The tax incentive was part of $7.5 million in grants for three projects approved by Invest Atlanta’s governing board. Others to receive grant funding ($3 million each) were the 1283 West apartment stack planned for Marietta Boulevard along a section of the Beltline’s Northwest Trail, and the Historic Broad Streetscape initiative that’s reimagining three city blocks in South Downtown. 

In Peoplestown, the 1-acre site is roughly two blocks from under-construction segments of the Beltline’s Southside Trail scheduled to open before June next year. The location is also just north of the Terminal South food hall, retail hub, and creative offices project that’s expected to start opening in coming weeks. 

How Ridge Commons would front Ridge Avenue in Peoplestown, just north of the Terminal South food hall and mixed-use project. CMC Development Group

Breakdown of the 1100 Ridge Ave. development site and landmarks within surrounding Peoplestown blocks. Google Maps; Urbanize Atlanta

Just to the east, along Hank Aaron Drive, is the route for MARTA’s first new transit line in decades, a five-mile, bus-rapid transit loop linking to downtown that’s now called the A-Line. Work on the BRT route has been delayed by unforeseen issues but continues today.

Ridge Commons calls for a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments, including some live-work units meant for “entrepreneurs and artists” in an area between industrial lots and quiet lanes of houses, per developers.  

CMC Development, a New York-based firm with a satellite office on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, counts a number of projects from the Bronx to Brooklyn in its portfolio. It’s also a joint-venture partner in a residential project near East Point’s MARTA hub and historic downtown called Norman Berry Village.

CMC Development Group

CMC Development Group

Ridge Commons received construction financing in October, including Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and expects to open for tenants in June 2026, the same month as Atlanta’s first FIFA World Cup matches, according to a project overview. (At less than a year out, and no construction on site, that timeline seems tough.) 

We’ve reached out to CMC Development this week for more details on a groundbreaking and construction outlook in Peoplestown; we’ll update this story with any additional information that comes. 

City of Atlanta permitting records show no recent activity at the Ridge Avenue site, which is currently zoned for mixed commercial and residential uses.

In the gallery above, find more context and images for the Ridge Commons proposal. 

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• Peoplestown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)