The Invest Atlanta Board of Directors on Thursday will vote on whether to expand a previously approved Eastside Tax Allocation District grant for The Front Porch on Auburn Avenue, a proposed mixed-use development planned for 348 – 372 Auburn Ave. and 349 Old Wheat Street in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood.
In December 2019, Historic District Development Corporation secured a $2 million Eastside TAD Ascension Fund grant for a 42-unit development with 27,000 square feet of retail space. Now, the nonprofit is seeking an additional $1 million for an 84-unit project with 31,000 square feet of retail space, plans show.
The project would repurpose two existing buildings: the Haugabrooks Funeral Home building and a single-story retail building.
Enabled by HDDC’s acquisition earlier this year of the site’s Supreme Fish Delight building at 362 Auburn Ave. NE, the expanded project plans call for 49 units reserved for households at 60 percent of area median income or below and four for households at 80 percent of AMI or below, with the remaining 31 available at workforce and market rates.
Of the project’s 14 for-sale units, four would be limited to affordability at 120 percent of AMI, according to a project fact sheet, which also shows an anticipated total development budget of about $32.5 million.
The project’s rental component would feature 59 co-living units, three studios, and eight one-bedrooms.
The Front Porch’s retail potion is expected to offer both shopping and dining options, including local and regional restaurant groups. Other potential tenants include grab-and-go food locations and boutique fitness centers, according to the retail leasing lead for the planned development.
A project timeline shows that construction for The Front Porch on Auburn would begin in June and wrap up in March of 2024.
