Sweet Auburn project scores $3M to proceed—with historic buildings Josh Green Fri, 03/22/2024 - 13:32 A two-phase, mixed-use project that aims to incorporate and preserve important historical structures in Sweet Auburn received a financial boost this week to assist with construction.
The Invest Atlanta Board of Directors has approved a Housing Opportunity Bond up to $3 million for Sweet Auburn Grande, another intown project being put together by Gorman and Company, a Wisconsin-based developer with expertise in building affordable housing.
Revised phase-one plans for Sweet Auburn Grande call for building 109 multifamily residences along Auburn Avenue—at the southeast corner of the Jesse Hill Jr. Drive intersection—with about 11,500 square feet of commercial space at street level.
The revised vision for Sweet Auburn Grande phase one, with the early 1900s office building preserved. Gorman & Company, via Invest Atlanta
Breakdown of Auburn Avenue Grande's two-story phase one plans, and at left, phase two across the street. Invest Atlanta
The residential component will include 57 units, or more than half, reserved for tenants earning 50 percent of the area median income or less, according to Invest Atlanta.
Spread across the block’s corner, the mixed-use project would also incorporate the historic but long-vacant 229 Auburn building, which dates to the early 1900s and housed pioneering Black businesses, including Georgia’s first state-chartered Black bank, during the district’s heyday, as Saporta Report has relayed. Earlier plans had called for demolishing the office building.
Meanwhile, across the street, the project’s second phase calls for restoring two more historic buildings—including the 1920 Butler Street YMCA building—while adding an attractive public greenspace at the corner, at the base of the iconic John Lewis HERO Mural. (See renderings of the Good Trouble John Lewis Memorial Park, as it's called, over here.)
State of the 1920 Butler Street YMCA today, once known as "Black city hall" for its importance in the community. Invest Atlanta
Breakdown of two development phases on either side of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. Gorman & Compay; via SR, 2023
We’ve reached out to Gorman reps today for information on Sweet Auburn Grande construction timelines—and total cost estimates—for both project phases. We’ll update this story with any additional information that comes.
Elsewhere in Atlanta, Gorman officials celebrated the completion last month of Residences at Westview, a 60-unit affordable housing complex near Westview Cemetery. At the time, development officials said they expect to deliver 350 new housing units across Atlanta in the next two years.
For now, have a look below at the phase-one property on Auburn Avenue in its current and potential future state:
Tags
229 Auburn Ave. Sweet Auburn Grande Invest Atlanta Gorman & Company Gorman and Company Affordability Affordable Housing Sweet Auburn Auburn Avenue Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive-Reuse Project
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State of the southeast corner of Auburn Avenue and Jesse Hill Jr. Drive today, with the historic office building in question at center. Google Maps
The revised vision for Sweet Auburn Grande phase one, with the early 1900s office building preserved. Gorman & Company, via Invest Atlanta
Breakdown of Auburn Avenue Grande's two-story phase one plans, and at left, phase two across the street. Invest Atlanta
State of the 1920 Butler Street YMCA today, once known as "Black city hall" for its importance in the community. Invest Atlanta
Breakdown of two development phases on either side of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. Gorman & Compay; via SR, 2023
Subtitle Two-phase Auburn Avenue build calls for affordable housing, preserving two structures
Neighborhood Sweet Auburn
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