The Atlanta Beltline is seeking a qualified developer to construction affordable homes on the city’s Westside.
Specifically, the ABI (Atlanta Beltline Inc.) wants a builder to assist in the first phase of developing the Bankhead/Historic Westin Heights neighborhood, which is adjacent to the Westside Trail.
ABI’s primary goals in issuing the RFP (request for proposal) is to get a company that aligns with its vision for advancing affordable housing, economic opportunity, and neighborhood connectivity.
The project would transform a long-vacant site into an accessible, green, walkable community. This phase will kick start the development of the entire 425 Chappell Road site.
Development of the full property is expected to occur in phases, across 10 blocks. The vision for the first phase will take place across blocks 1-5, with road access from Chappell Road and North Avenue, and will prioritize single-family and lower-density, smaller-scale multifamily designed to seamlessly integrate into the surrounding single-family neighborhood.
The development will include pedestrian oriented commercial space that will serve the existing and future community.
The conceptual site plan for the property envisions the first phase of development with as many as 150 new homes offered for-sale and nearly 5,000 square feet of neighborhood-scale commercial space targeted toward local small businesses.
The plan also includes a Beltline spur trail that will extend from the Beltline Westside Trail – Segment 4, through the adjacent City of Atlanta property, and across North Avenue to the first phase of the development, further enhancing access and connectivity for Atlantans to the trail and transit network.
“The development of 425 Chappell Road helps realize the Beltline’s long-term strategy of strategic site acquisition as a means to deliver affordable and attainable housing options and affordable commercial spaces for our local small businesses,” Dennis Richards, Vice President of Housing Policy and Development of the Beltline, says in a news release.
“This development will offer current and future residents’ equitable access to affordable homes, greenspaces, transit, and economic opportunity. This will be an inclusive development and a shining example of the Beltline being a place where all Atlantans have an opportunity to live, work, and thrive.”
Purchased in 2021, the full Chappell Road site spans 31 acres across 13 contiguous parcels, making it the largest land acquisition in Beltline history. The site sits adjacent to 30 acres of City of Atlanta-owned property.
Community engagement was central to the development plans for the site. Engagement took place through public meetings, outreach, NPU visits, neighborhood association presentations, and through a Beltline convened Stakeholder Engagement Committee. The Beltline has completed entitlement of the property, including approval from the Atlanta Regional Commissions’ Development of Regional Impact program. The site is zoned PD-MU (Planned Development – Mixed Use).
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