Atlanta Housing Could Relaunch Summerhill Hotel With Affordable Apartments

Atlanta Housing (AH) is mulling a project to revive Summerhill’s tallest building, the 16-story former Ramada Plaza Hotel, with 231 affordable apartments for seniors.

On June 20, the housing authority’s real estate committee discussed a resolution that, if approved at an upcoming board meeting, would authorize the agency to request the U.S. Department of Housing and of Urban Development permission to spend up to $17.5 million to purchase the gutted hotel, located at 450 Hank Aaron Drive, from Pellerin Real Estate.

AH entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Pellerin in January, but the redevelopment is far from set in stone.

“If this could come to fruition, it could be a great addition in terms of affordability in what is a rapidly growing value neighborhood,” AH board member Doug Hooker said during the committee meeting last week. “But I also hope that if things don’t go well, we’ll be ready to walk away from it.”

Pellerin has already envisioned a high-end adaptive reuse project, with 260 micro-apartments, a coworking space, restaurants, a 13,000-square-foot food hall and a rooftop pool with a clubhouse. But when those plans fell through due to financial constraints, the company opted to offload the site, according to Urbanize Atlanta.

Today, AH’s goal is to modernize the former 400-room hotel with apartments – including studios, one- and two-bedroom units and even a penthouse suite – for tenants aged 55 and more, as well as up to 33,000 square feet of space. commercial premises on the ground floor.

But the AH committee did not vote on the proposal. “We’re exploring other options beyond senior housing and really trying to figure out what’s the highest and best use of the property, given the transformation that’s happening in the Summerhill neighborhood and of the dynamics that reign there,” declared the new head of the housing authority. Alan Ferguson, Housing and Real Estate Officer.

Just south of downtown, Summerhill development has taken off since 2017, when Georgia State University and development partner Carter & Associates purchased dozens of acres of property for a massive revitalization effort that gave rise to new apartments, stores and restaurants around the old Atlanta Braves field. baseball stadium, Turner Field.

Summerhill’s transformation has brought housing affordability issues — and AH and neighborhood leaders want to make sure additional developments meet the community’s needs.

“At the end of the day, the devil is in the details,” said John Helton, president of Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, when informed of AH’s proposal for the Ramada Plaza Hotel site during a an interview on June 21. “We are very supportive of affordable housing. We know we need it.

“But we want it to be done well,” he added. “We want this to be managed well.”

AH’s redevelopment proposal for the Hank Aaron Drive site could include another landscape modification opportunity: “This particular property has a parking lot that, from what we understand, was constructed and structured in a manner to be able to support a second tower that will be built at some point. » said Ferguson.

That’s part of why AH officials held a vote last week; they still need to determine if the “bonus opportunity” of adding a second tower is feasible.

Helton didn’t shy away from the idea of ​​a second tower, but he said he would want to see the details of the plan before expressing support. “I would look at the density and look at the overall plan of what they say they are doing,” he said.

Helton praised Carter for his impressive community engagement efforts during the neighborhood’s redevelopment, and said he would like to see that replicated if AH moves forward with the deal.

“Carter is the classic example of how to engage with the community,” Helton said. “They’ve done a really good job over the last few years…keeping people informed.” »