The first component of a sweeping affordable housing project near the Atlanta BeltLine’s Southside Trail is coming into clearer focus, poised to continue a wave of residential development and other investment in Chosewood Park.

Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm, has approved a $32.5-million, tax-exempt loan to help fund construction of apartments and retail space where public housing had stood for decades south of downtown.  

Overall, the 30-acre Englewood project is expected to see more than 900 housing units and “neighborhood-serving” retail sprout in five multifamily buildings and other, smaller components along Boulevard, just south of the BeltLine’s Southside Trail, according to Atlanta Housing.

The mixed-use project’s initial phase is considered a joint venture between The Benoit Group and Atlanta Housing. It calls for 160 independent senior apartments and more than 11,000 square feet of commercial space. Renderings indicate a corner grocery could eventually be in the cards. 

The tiered northern facade that would look toward the BeltLine's Southside Trail and downtown. via Invest Atlanta

From an affordability standpoint, plans call for 21 units with rents capped at 30 percent of the area median income level or below. In such cases, rents for two-bedroom apartments with 950 square feet are expected to be $1,261 monthly, or $200 cheaper for one-bedroom options. But residents receiving Atlanta Housing HomeFlex vouchers won’t be required to pay more than 30 percent of their income, meaning monthly costs would be less, according to Invest Atlanta.

The remaining 139 apartments would be capped at 60 percent AMI.

We’ve reached out to Invest Atlanta for information on when this component of the Englewood project could break ground, and we’ll update this story with any additional information that comes.

A recent bond resolution fact sheet states the project will take 26 months to build, with an estimated completion sometime in 2026.

Project amenities are listed as a green roof deck, fitness center, business and computer center, and a clubhouse with community and meeting rooms, among other perks.

Where the Englewood senior component will fit into the broader plan. via Invest Atlanta

The project's eastern flank. via Invest Atlanta

Atlanta Housing plans to ground lease the land for up to 75 years, while The Benoit Group provides residents with its Social Expression Program. According to the developer’s website, that program is offered within its affordable and low-income communities to provide life skills by way of financial literacy workshops, supplemental education services, and summer learning camps.

The community that formerly stood on site, Englewood Manor, was built in 1970, eventually housing 324 families. It was demolished in 2009, according to Invest Atlanta.

Atlanta Housing—one of the nation’s largest housing authorities—has described Englewood as being among the biggest planned developments on its docket. About 76 percent of the community will be reserved as affordable for people earning 80 percent of the area median income or less, agency officials said last year.

via Invest Atlanta

The project will border the Chosewood Park greenspace and athletic fields, with the first phase of the BeltLine’s Boulevard Crossing Park across the street to the north.

Several sizable Chosewood Park residential projects are well underway within a few blocks of the Englewood site.

Those include the 396-apartment Upton complex, 128 townhomes called Maguire at Skylark, and one of the largest southside private developments to date, the 34-acre Empire Zephyr project.

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