Could tree protections stunt development?
As Atlanta continues building to (try to) accommodate its exploding population, the lush, green tree canopy that earned it the “City in the Forest” nickname is steadily vanishing. Meanwhile, so are affordable housing units.
The Atlanta City Council is considering legislation that would make it more expensive for developers to cut down trees for construction — but both developers and housing advocates warn that adopting a stiffer tree-protection ordinance would also frustrate the city’s ability to produce much-needed residences, especially affordable units.
Since Atlanta adopted its current tree-protection ordinance in 2001, it has charged developers no more than a $5,000-per-acre penalty to remove trees for construction projects. The city uses the funds to plant a replacement tree elsewhere. The new measure would remove that cap and spike the cost to remove a tree — a so-called “recompense” fee — by almost 800%.
As local developer Windsor Stevens Holdings readied a Beltline-adjacent property to build The Proctor — a 137-unit Westside apartment complex with 41 affordable units — it paid the city almost $20,000 to remove 19 trees. Under the proposed ordinance, that same undertaking would cost $155,000, said Rod Mullice, the firm’s founder.
Atlanta Housing touts development progress. But Trump cuts could pose roadblocks
Atlanta Housing (AH) CEO Terri Lee struck an optimistic chord at the first-ever State of Atlanta Housing address last week, touting a surge of affordable housing projects that AH has built, is building, or has in its development pipeline.
The city of Atlanta is over halfway toward producing and preserving the 20,000 units of affordable housing that Mayor Andre Dickens promised on the 2020 campaign trail, Lee said. (AH has committed to producing half of that figure, or 10,000 units.) And the long-awaited redevelopments of the Atlanta Civic Center, Bowen Homes, and other AH-owned properties are moving forward, she added.
But brief portions of Lee’s speech signaled an undercurrent of anxiety at the housing authority. “Federal funding that we count on serves as the backbone for the work that we do and the families that we serve,” Lee said in the final moments of her 48-minute address. “Now, more than ever, we need strategic, committed local and national partners ready to lock arms with us and invest in the future.”
In other words: Atlanta and other major cities might need to rethink financing strategies to become less reliant on the feds.
Sweet Auburn (finally) welcomes new housing
A decidedly historic, yet long-neglected Atlanta neighborhood is showing new signs of life.
Sweet Auburn — the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and once a nationally recognized hub of Black entrepreneurship — last week welcomed Front Porch, a mixed-use development packed with affordably priced housing, Axios reports.
Located on Auburn Avenue, the new complex offers 33 fully furnished apartments, with fully 78% priced as affordable. Rents start at $1,400, and utilities are included in the monthly cost. The development also features a rooftop garden, event space, and retail space.
Front Porch is the first new construction on the iconic street since 2007, according to Michael Hatcher, the president of Sovereign Construction and Development, which is part of the Historic District Development Corporation-led construction team.
Hatcher told Axios he hopes the project will spur more development and reinvigorate the community, which has suffered from years of disinvestment.
Veteran housing reporter leaves WABE
Veteran housing reporter Stephannie Stokes has filed her final story for WABE, nearly 11 years after she began as a field producer for the radio station.
“I’m taking a break for now to pursue some personal projects and will be in the market for freelance work,” Stokes announced on LinkedIn last week.
Over a decade of covering metro Atlanta’s tumultuous housing markets and reporting the often heartrending stories of the people navigating them, Stokes has established a reputation as one of the region’s foremost housing journalists. She sat down with some of her WABE colleagues last week to reflect on what she’s learned while working this vitally important beat.
I cannot overstate how important Stokes’ reporting has been to my own years-long journey as a housing writer. I’ve read or listened to nearly all her work since I started at Atlanta Civic Circle some five years ago, and I’ve been honored to work alongside and, sometimes, compete in this hectic field.
We wish her the best on her next adventures!
Today’s newsletter was written by Sean Keenan and edited by Meredith Hobbs.
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