Atlanta Habitat for Humanity is partnering with Cityscape Housing and ANDP to help close the affordable homeownership gap in Atlanta. The respected real estate developers and homebuilders will bring an additional 59 affordable single-family houses to Atlanta Habitat’s new Browns Mill Village community just southeast of downtown Atlanta starting this spring.
Cityscape will offer 59 townhomes-inspired, period-type architecture design units at affordable-market rates. ANDP will offer 12 of these affordable homes to families below 120% of the area median income (AMI). A portion of these homes will be offered to low-income households below 80% of AMI. Qualifying buyers of ANDP’s units will have access to down-payment assistance programs to ensure sustainability in the purchase. These units will be called SouthTown at Browns Mill Village and will be part of the broader 31-acre Browns Mill Village owned by Atlanta Habitat.
In fall 2019, Atlanta Habitat broke ground on the $25 million project to construct 75 affordable quality-built homes. The innovative Browns Mill Village, framed by evergreen trees, will include Atlanta Habitat’s single- and two-story homes, greenspace, community garden, recreation areas, modern infrastructure, and wraparound services to ensure homeowner success beyond the build. Once complete, BMV will have an affordable mix of 134 homes.
“Homeownership is a wealth-builder for many families, and Browns Mill Village is Atlanta Habitat’s largest development of its kind that addresses housing disparities. We proudly welcome Cityscape and ANDP as partners in our mutual pursuit of helping families to achieve their homeownership goals and creating thriving neighborhoods,” says Lisa Y. Gordon, Atlanta Habitat President and CEO.
Cityscape has had tremendous success in contributing to the revitalization of Kirkwood, Reynoldstown, Summerhill and, most recently, South Atlanta. Its Preston Hills community features affordable and market-rate single-family homes and is minutes away from Browns Mill Village and Interstate-75.
“Out of all the communities that we have built, we are probably most proud to bring SouthTown at Browns Mill Village to life. It’s very rare to have the opportunity to collaborate with Habitat, ANDP, the Fortune 500 local corporate community, the City of Atlanta and its affiliates to assist with the Atlanta Mayor’s goal to bring more attainable and workforce affordable housing to our city. This is just the beginning of what will become the successful model for housing affordability,” says Robb Jones, Cityscape Managing Partner.
Now in its 30th year of operation, ANDP has recently launched an ambitious goal of developing or preserving 2,000 affordable housing units. ANDP’s “Closing the Gap: 2,000 units by 2025” campaign seeks to add 750 single-family affordable units and 1,250 affordable apartments.
“ANDP continues its work to close the homeownership gap in metro Atlanta. Partnerships are at the very core of every phase of our work. We are thrilled to be partnering with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and Cityscape to offer new homeownership opportunities at SouthTown at Browns Mill Village,” says John O’Callaghan, ANDP President and CEO.
Browns Mill Village and SouthTown at Browns Mill Village have received New Market Tax Credits. Additional funding for Browns Mill Village comes from Atlanta Habitat’s capital campaign that was completed in June 2020 and thanks to lead donor Delta Air Lines and other major contributors that include the private foundation community, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, The James M. Cox Foundation, Deloitte, The Delta Air Lines Foundation, The Georgia-Pacific Foundation, Georgia Power Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, The Kendeda Fund, King & Spalding, SunTrust Foundation, Tull Charitable Foundation, Wells Fargo, Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation and The Vasser Woolley Foundation. Additionally,Atlanta Habitat is partnering with LISC, RBC, and SunTrust to utilize New Market Tax Credits as part of Browns Mill Village financing.
By late spring, Cityscape and ANDP will begin pre-sales for 59 units, and Atlanta Habitat will start constructing its model homes and greenspace. The partners will unveil additional details, including pricing for SouthTown in early summer.