Pennrose, Focused Community Strategies, and project partners celebrated the grand opening of Haven at South Atlanta, a brand-new 84-unit mixed-income residential community for families at 57 Hardwick St in the historic Southeast Atlanta neighborhood.
Haven at South Atlanta features garden-style apartments, with one-, two-, and three-bedroom affordable and market-rate options available. Of the 84 units, 71 are income restricted for residents earning 50-60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), about $40,594 to $46,320 for a two-person household. The pet-friendly apartments feature modern kitchens with energy star appliances, in-unit washer and dryer, and central A/C. Accessible apartments are also available, with units featuring wheelchair clearances; lowered cabinets, countertops, and closet shelving; roll-in showers; front electronic controls on self-cleaning ranges; LVT flooring; and more.
“Focused Community Strategies has been investing in the Historic South Atlanta neighborhood for nearly two decades, and we’re proud to be here today celebrating another important milestone and addition the community,” said Amon Martin, regional vice president at Pennrose in a statement. “Haven at South Atlanta is a tremendous option for local families, offering quality on-site amenities, supportive services, and easy access to downtown Atlanta.”
The sustainable, energy efficient community is EarthCraft Certified. Amenities include a community clubhouse with a business center, club room, fitness space, and on-site management suite, parking and bicycle spaces, and covered porch and a community garden. In addition to on-site amenities, Haven at South Atlanta is ten minutes from downtown Atlanta with easy access to job opportunities, restaurants, shopping, and cultural activities. Residents will also benefit from on-site supportive and social services offered through Focused Community Strategies and Pennrose.
“Success in a project like this one always takes great partners, and we are grateful to have had some of the best partners at our side through this process, including Pennrose, Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta, and South Atlanta neighbors themselves,” said Jim Wehner, president at Focused Community Strategies. “Haven is the largest development in South Atlanta right now — it’s a big change. Change can be uncomfortable, since it innately disrupts the status quo to which we’ve grown accustomed. With Haven, we are glad to be disrupting the status quo by adding 84 homes for neighbors and creating intentional space for them to connect deeply with one another. Our hope is that the bonds formed at Haven will strengthen our entire South Atlanta community, even our city. Change can be disruptive, but it can also bring some beautiful results.”
Focused Community Strategies organization has been partnering with under-resourced Atlanta neighborhoods for 40 years. For the past two decades, FCS has partnered with the Historic South Atlanta neighborhood to create a flourishing community through mixed-income housing, economic development, and neighborhood engagement. In 2001, South Atlanta neighbors invited FCS to partner with residents. Together, this collaboration has transformed vacant houses into beautiful homes, opened a neighborhood grocery store to expand access to fresh food, and strengthened relationships among South Atlanta neighbors new and old.
Haven at South Atlanta will help address the widespread shortage of affordable housing in the region. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a shortage of more than 200,000 affordable homes in Georgia. And according to The Annie E. Casey Foundation, nearly 50% of all renters in Atlanta are cost burdened.
The financing partners include GA’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Invest Atlanta, Bank of OZK, Grandbridge Real Estate Capital LLC, Enterprise Housing Credit Investments, LLC, and Advantage Capital.
