A new affordable housing development is coming to Vine City, bringing more families and educators the opportunity to live near the schools, parks and community they serve.
Mayor Andre Dickens joined Westside Future Fund, Atlanta City Councilmember Byron Amos, Invest Atlanta and neighborhood partners Monday to break ground on 280 James P. Brawley, an 18-unit affordable housing community in the heart of the historic Westside.
The project is Westside Future Fund’s first multifamily development in Vine City and is part of a broader effort to invest in the neighborhood while helping residents remain as Atlanta grows.
Affordable Homes in the Heart of the Neighborhood
The new apartments will serve households earning between 30% and 80% of Area Median Income, with a focus on neighborhood families, educators and employees connected to nearby Hollis Innovation Academy and surrounding institutions.
Location is a major part of the project. The development sits directly across from Hollis Innovation Academy, Kennedy Park and Rodney Cook Sr. Park, putting future residents within walking distance of education, recreation and other neighborhood amenities.
“This is what [safe, healthy, connected neighborhoods] means on the ground: affordable housing close to good schools, parks, jobs, and opportunity,” Mayor Dickens said during the groundbreaking.
The project also carries a connection to Atlanta’s educational history. Dr. James P. Brawley, for whom the street is named, led Clark College for 24 years and helped move the institution to the Atlanta University Center.
“On a street bearing his name, across from Hollis Innovation Academy, we’re celebrating future affordable homes with a focus on our families and the educators who shape our children’s futures,” Dickens said.
Building Without Displacing
For the City and its partners, the 18 homes are part of a larger goal: making sure longtime Westside residents can benefit from the investment happening around them.
Vine City is one of the communities included in Atlanta’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, which focuses City resources and partnerships in neighborhoods that have historically experienced underinvestment.
The groundbreaking also builds on Westside Future Fund’s recent affordable housing work in neighboring English Avenue, including 57 affordable homes at 839 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and 646 Echo Street.
Across Atlanta, the Dickens Administration is working with public, private and nonprofit partners toward a goal of building or preserving 20,000 affordable homes by 2030. More than 14,000 homes are now completed, funded or in progress.
For Vine City, Monday’s groundbreaking means 18 more homes — and another step toward ensuring the people who have invested their lives in Atlanta’s historic Westside have a place in its future.
“I look forward to coming back when these 18 families get their keys,” Dickens said.
