Atlanta Housing Selects Master Developer for Former Bowen Homes Revitalization

ATLANTA, Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The AH Board of Commissioners today authorized Atlanta Housing to negotiate a master developer agreement with a joint venture, Bowen District Developers, for the redevelopment of the 74-acre Bowen Homes site.

The selected development team, which includes McCormack Baron Salazar, The Benoit Group, Coleman and Associates, and JG Consulting will also serve as the "Housing Implementation Entity" in Atlanta Housing's application for a $40 million Choice Neighborhood grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"This is a transformational project for Northwest Atlanta that will bring affordable homes and a vibrant neighborhood back to the community," said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. "I'm excited that Atlanta Housing has identified a development partner and can now pursue the catalytic Choice Neighborhood grant. The City of Atlanta looks forward to partnering in the development of this inclusive neighborhood."

In December 2020, HUD awarded a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant to AH to create a Neighborhood Transformation Plan (NTP) for the revitalization of the former Bowen Homes and the Brookview Heights neighborhood, the adjacent Carey Park, and segments of James B. Jackson Parkway and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway--collectively referred to as the Bowen Choice Neighborhood. The BCN is located in NPU-G, Council District 9.

"With an experienced development team and a comprehensive plan for investment in affordable housing, neighborhoods and people, Atlanta is poised yet again to be selected for a Choice Neighborhood grant," said Larry Stewart, chairman of the Atlanta Housing Board of Commissioners. "This project will be transformative for Northwest Atlanta and will leverage millions more in investments, jobs and opportunities for Atlanta residents."

The development team's plans are consistent with goals established in 18 months of consultation with residents of the surrounding community, former residents of Bowen Homes and other stakeholders in creating the NTP. The community vision includes increasing connectivity; preserving and enhancing the natural environment; prioritizing affordability and viability; and including and honoring the "memory of place." Specifically, the Neighborhood Transformation Plan contemplates more than 2,000 rental and ownership units; several acres of improved greenspace; a green storm water management system; preservation of the natural environment and an improved street network supporting a mixed-income development with retail and community amenities.

Over the next few months, the Bowen District Developers team will work with the Atlanta Housing team and the community to finalize site programming, including the total number of planned market and affordable housing units. The development team won the top recommendation from a diverse eight-member evaluation committee that carefully evaluated two short-listed proposals following an April 2022 request for proposals. Bowen District Partners was recommended as the best overall value for Atlanta Housing.

Bowen Homes was constructed in 1962 and razed in 2009. The 74-acre site is in a sparsely populated area of Northwest Atlanta bounded by Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and James Jackson Parkway.

The development concept will transform the former Bowen Homes site into a true interconnected neighborhood. Retail and community amenities surround a new central square, which serves as the heart of the neighborhood. A mix of uses provides opportunities for local residents to open businesses in affordable commercial space, entrepreneurship support, and job training opportunities at a Community Resources Center and Innovation Hub. 

The concept plan builds on ideas generated in the NTP to address environmental and natural assets of the site. A pedestrian green street and linear storm water park connects through the site east to west, creating green infrastructure to reduce flooding. The A.D. Williams Creek Trail will connect to the residential development and surrounding community assets. Atlanta Housing and the City of Atlanta will further work with Atlanta Public Schools on the revitalization of the A.D. Williams school site as part of the redevelopment.

Bowen Homes holds a momentous place in the history of Northwest Atlanta, public housing, African American art and culture, and the personal histories and lived experiences of the thousands of former residents who built their lives there.

Led by President and CEO Eugene Jones, Jr., the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, Georgia (AH), is the largest housing authority in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation. AH provides and facilitates affordable housing resources for nearly 27,000 low-income households comprised of approximately 45,000 people, including AH-owned residential communities, tenant-based vouchers, supportive housing, and homeownership opportunities. Programs are funded and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Visit AH at atlantahousing.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn at @housingatlanta.

SOURCE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF ATLANTA; Atlanta Housing