New apartments open on former Herndon Homes public housing site
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Legacy at Herndon Square includes 201 apartment units. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios
Atlanta officials cut the ribbon Thursday on 201 mixed-income apartments in the English Avenue neighborhood, marking the completion of phase two of the former Herndon Homes site's large-scale redevelopment.
Why it matters: City leaders say reviving the site into a place where people of all incomes can afford to live pays homage to Alonzo Herndon, the city's first Black millionaire who founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company.
The latest: Located east of Northside Drive and south of North Avenue, Legacy at Herndon Square offers one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment units.
- 170 of those units are classified as affordable for people making 30% to 80% of the area median income (or one person making between $21,000 and $57,000).
- The remaining units will be offered at market rates.
What they're saying: Mayor Andre Dickens said progress on the Herndon site is a "sight to behold because the group project really made this happen."
- Council member Byron Amos, who represents the neighborhood, said the project moves the city forward "by respecting the history that brought us here."
State of play: The project opening pushes Dickens' administration closer to its goal of creating or preserving 20,000 affordable housing units by 2030.
- Dickens said that, as of Thursday, Atlanta has surpassed 15,000 units built, funded or under construction.
Catch up quick: The first phase included 97 units for Atlanta's older residents.
- Phases three, four and five will include both rental and homeownership opportunities.
The big picture: Resident Kiwona Lewis said moving from Macon to the apartment complex in Atlanta has been scary, but staff at Legacy at Herndon Square helped make it a positive experience.
- "It has allowed me to spend less time worrying and more time focusing on what truly matters," she said, "which is my children, my career and creating a better life for my family."
What's next: Another 171 housing units are scheduled to open on the site in the next few months.
- Once redevelopment is complete, the total number of units on the site will be 502, said Atlanta Housing CEO Terri Lee.