Fanplex's next chapter could be affordable housing
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Where have all the good times gone? Photo: Thomas Wheatley/Axios
Fanplex, the publicly funded family fun zone that quickly became a money pit, finally has a long-term plan: more than 300 affordable housing units to serve the fast-gentrifying community.
Why it matters: Opportunities for affordable housing are rare in Summerhill, where the average home value is $467,000, per Zillow.
- Aside from hosting the occasional community event or voters on Election Day, the short-lived Fanplex building has mostly sat empty since closing in early 2004.
Yes, but: Plans and ideas — leasing the space to the Fulton district attorney, creating a diversion center for the city's unhoused population — have come and gone for the 2-acre property on Hank Aaron Drive across the street from Center Parc Stadium.
- Kerry Stewart of the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, which oversees Fanplex, told an Atlanta City Council committee during a Tuesday briefing that there's no timeline for development.
Details: If the authority decides to move forward with developing the lot into housing, an AFCRA spokesperson told Axios, officials think the property could accommodate up to approximately 308 units.
- A 2022 authority study obtained by Axios saw the potential to build eight levels of residential units over one floor of retail with roughly 450 parking spots.
Of note: The property has a front-row seat to MARTA's bus-rapid transit line currently under construction.
- Done right, Atlanta City Councilmember Jason Dozier told Axios, the Fanplex site could set a standard for other projects tying together public transit and affordable housing.
Catch up quick: The authority, which also manages the Zoo Atlanta parking deck and State Farm Arena, built Fanplex in 2002 for the cool price of $2.5 million.
- At the time, supporters called the center — it offered event space, putt-putt and plenty of "family friendly nonviolent video games," according to the AJC in 2003 — a more accessible entertainment center for southside residents.
- But the center couldn't draw enough visitors to break even, even on Braves game days. Two years after opening the doors, officials shut off the lights.
What they're saying: John Helton, the president of the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, told Axios the community would likely support the affordable housing proposal.
- The key, he said, was making sure the development was well-designed, -constructed and -managed.
- Helton, Dozier and Councilmember Jason Winston, who represents the area, told Axios they hope residents could still use whatever's built for community purposes like meetings, voting or senior activities.
What's next: The authority has no timeline or specific design. Stay tuned.