Attractive Affordable Housing in Atlanta

After the development: Retreat at Edgewood Home

The City of Atlanta is successfully restoring the Edgewood neighborhood to its former beauty and incorporating green building design through HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The goal of the program is to stabilize communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment. Now, with the assistance of NSP, Edgewood is in the midst of a community makeover.

The City of Atlanta chose to invest in the Edgewood community by developing the Retreat at Edgewood. The Retreat at Edgewood sits on the former site of Edgewood Housing Apartments that was vacant for two years before it was demolished in 2008. The Edgewood neighborhood is predominantly a residential community that is close proximity to the downtown area, conveniently located near Interstate 20 and accessible to MARTA transportation lines. As the community gentrifies, property values are rising, making quality affordable housing rare. The City of Atlanta, developers, and partners worked and continue to work closely with the community by keeping them involved with the design of this project.

Often affordable homes are built as high rises; however, the new affordable community consists of 100 stacked flats and townhouses which blend with the overall family style residential neighborhood. Through efforts to build energy-efficient and sustainable homes, the spacious one, two and three bedroom apartment homes are LEED for Homes certified at the Silver level (www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3330) and includes: Energy Star certified dishwashers, washers and dryers; eco-friendly carpet throughout the units; ceramic tile in the kitchens, bathrooms and entryways; and low-flow water sensors for toilets and faucets. The homes are also structured to allow solar panels to be added at a later time. Several homes are barrier free with zero step entrances. Others are accessible for mobility impaired and audio/visual impaired people.

The Retreat at Edgewood is high in demand because of its sustainable features and attractive appearance. The City's NSP investment is an example of how affordable housing can be developed by making it energy efficient, sustainable and still appealing to the eye. The City of Atlanta along with HUD's support will continue its revitalization and affordable housing efforts within the Edgewood Community through using its most recent NSP award.

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