Developers Turn Around Distressed Section 8 Community in Atlanta

What once was a distressed Section 8 property with a reputation as a hotbed for crime in Intown Atlanta, Edgewood Court Apartments has undergone a significant transformation thanks to Jonathan Rose Cos. and Columbia Residential.

The two developers joined forces to turn around the 200-unit project, which was originally built in 1950 and last renovated in 1981, and preserve it for the long term as affordable housing.

“We get particularly excited to preserve affordable housing for parts of a city that are gentrifying,” says Brandon Kearse, director of investments at Jonathan Rose Cos. “That’s where you can make some of the biggest differences. If you can preserve that affordable housing, those residents have access to increasing opportunity in the revitalizing area.”

The team renovated the units, created 22 new homes, and built a community center in the middle of the site with a kitchen, a kids’ corner, a computer learning center, a package center, a fitness room, and a medical exam room. Outdoors, it created a large community garden, a covered pavilion, amphitheater seating for movie nights, and two playgrounds with outdoor fitness equipment. The level of services and amenities has achieved the development Fitwel certification.

Renamed Amani Place, meaning “peace” in Swahili, it is now providing a safe and vibrant place for residents to live. Completed in August 2019, 204 of the units are supported with Section 8 vouchers, and the remaining units are tax credit restricted at 60% of the area median income.

“We wanted to make a statement that this community is transformed and moving ahead,” says Christina Davis, development manager at Columbia Residential. “The most immediate effect we have seen is the amount of crime has gone down.”

The $52.8 million project was supported with bond financing as well as federal and state low-income housing tax credits.