City-owned property downtown to make way for affordable housing

A parking lot and sloped lawn that’s been fenced-off for more than a decade in the shadow of Atlanta City Hall is set to be developed into the city’s latest affordable housing initiative.

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously Monday to offload the underused corner parcel at 104 Trinity Avenue SW for $1 to Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm.

As is, the 1.3-acre lot is “vacant and unproductive,” and its redevelopment “will help to revitalize a core area of downtown,” according to a city ordinance approved this week.

The property’s assessed value is $1.3 million, per city records.

An overview of the 104 Trinity Avenue site, with City Hall at bottom. Google Maps

Plans call for Invest Atlanta to employ its “redevelopment powers” to remake the site into mixed-use infill with an affordable housing component, according to city officials.

The land neighbors Trinity United Methodist Church, directly across the street from City Hall’s entrance. Years ago, it housed a number of low-rise buildings that stepped down with the street grade.

The site’s redevelopment has yet to be listed on Invest Atlanta’s projects map.

Also on Monday, the city council green-lighted the sale of three Southwest Atlanta properties the city owns for redevelopment through the Affordable Housing Homesteading Program. They are:

In Oakland City, a 1154 Edgefield Drive SW lot to be developed as affordable housing. Google Maps