New Renderings: Unique Bankhead Development Officially Launches

A multi-use housing and support facilities project in Bankhead, designed to drive sustainable improvements in underserved Westside neighborhoods, is officially underway.

Punctuated by a contemporary design featuring archways, curved walls and an abundance of windows, the nonprofit City of Refuge’s latest concept envisions a wide range of uses in a three-story, 38,000-square-foot building called the Transformation Center.

Refuge officials held a groundbreaking ceremony this week for the $15.2 million project at 1343 Joseph E. Boone Blvd., a former American Legion property.

The site is south of Westside Park and adjacent to Project 345, a renovation of the abandoned 1950s Danzig Hotel that City of Refuge opened last year with 31 assisted living units for men. Officials say it is just a two-minute walk from City of Refuge’s Westside campus, which is considered home to several satellite campuses across the country.

Development plans call for 25 affordable housing units for traditional residents, including 13 reserved for renters earning 30 percent of the area median income or less.

Expect a mix of two- and three-bedroom apartments, with a four-bedroom unit in the mix.

At the cheaper end, the 13 units slated to rent at 30% of AMI would cost between $689 for a two-bedroom option (826 square feet) and $796 per month for three bedrooms (up to 1,343 square feet), according to Invest Atlanta.

The building, designed by Rickman Architecture + Design, would also include 7,640 square feet of commercial and amenity space on the ground floor.

Plans call for a market or grocery store, a social club, a medical and mental health clinic and a credit union at the base of the building. Another planned component is the entrepreneurship hub, which will offer classrooms, offices and a lab in hopes of training 100 budding entrepreneurs a year as a means of economic recovery on the Westside.

Beyond the commercial portion, amenities would include a community room, washer and dryer hookups and an outdoor seating area.

The goal of the project is to address gaps in wellness, economic and health services in Bankhead and surrounding neighborhoods. According to Bruce Deel, CEO and founder of City of Refuge, the agency has served more than 35,000 people in its 25 years of operation on Atlanta’s Westside.

A significant portion of the funding comes from donations, including $3 million from the Chick-fil-A Foundation and $2 million from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and TogetherATL to help build affordable housing. The project also received a $3 million federal tax credit through Atlanta Emerging Markets and Capital One.

Invest Atlanta also approved $2 million in funding in the form of a BeltLine TAD Incremental Improvement Grant.

The Transformation Center is considered the primary focus of the City of Refuge’s “Breaking Barriers. Building Momentum” fundraising campaign, which launched in late 2022 and quickly surpassed its $25 million goal.

The project’s construction schedule calls for an opening in fall 2025.

City of Refuge’s first project in Atlanta, a rental community called The 1300completed in summer 2020.

Along with GROWTH Homes, the agency also recently built five new independent homes for families adjacent to its Joseph E. Boone Boulevard campus, with prices starting at $279,000.

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