ATLANTA– HUD Secretary Ben Carson came to Atlanta Tuesday with check in hand to begin the redevelopment process for the former Bowen Homes site after Atlanta Housing was awarded one of ten planning grants for FY 2020. The $450,000 in federal funding will augment investments from Atlanta Housing, the City of Atlanta and its partners to move forward with a stakeholder‐driven process, reimagining the area and creating a Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan that will include the adjoining Carey Park neighborhood.
“These federal funds, and the critically important investments from AH, the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Public Schools, Invest Atlanta, Morehouse School of Medicine and others, will provide a roadmap to the sustainable redevelopment of the Bowen site and will lay the groundwork for future investments in area housing, open space, neighborhood retail, and other elements for the benefit of former, current and future residents,” said Eugene E. Jones, Jr., CEO of Atlanta Housing.
Vacant since 2008, the 77‐acre Bowen site is critical to the revitalization of the far northwest side of the city. Built on a platform of equitable and affordable housing development, stakeholder-driven transformation strategies center on three key concepts:
- Economic Reinvestment, focused on small business growth and investment in neighborhood retail and services in the Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway corridor;
- Environmental Sustainability, building a green, clean connection to the Chattahoochee, addressing water quality through state‐of‐the‐art stormwater infrastructure and creating a healthy living environment; and
- Education Parity, creating a 21st century cradle‐to‐career and college pipeline, and a workforce development and placement center.
Atlanta Housing and the City of Atlanta are joined in this vital effort by Atlanta Public Schools, Morehouse School of Medicine, The Trust for Public Land, Invest Atlanta, The Georgia Conservancy, Live Thrive Atlanta (CHaRM), City Council District 9, and others. This coalition creates a team that can tackle the challenges facing the Carey Park Neighborhood and the Hollowell corridor, such as gentrification and displacement, and can take advantage of stakeholder relationships developed through prior and ongoing work.
Working with the community, Atlanta Housing will use a portion of the grant funds to implement one or more physical improvements to the area. These “Doing While Planning” projects may include an urban agriculture installation, support to businesses on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway within the target area, or greenspace enhancements.
“This grant represents an amazing vision for a community-driven planning process and equitable development to benefit former residents of Bowen Homes, the legacy residents of Carey Park and small businesses along Donald Lee Hollowell,” said Dr. Christopher Edwards, chairman of the Atlanta Housing Board of Commissioners.
The Choice Neighborhood planning process kicks off in January and will be co-led with the City of Atlanta’s Department of Planning with a key focus on mixed-income housing with a mix of commercial uses, small business development and job creation, investments in sustainable green infrastructure, environmental restoration, and health and education benefits for the Bowen Choice Neighborhood. The Carey Park neighborhood and the Donald Lee Hollowell business corridor are located in a designated Opportunity Zone and working with Invest Atlanta, economic development will be a critical component of the plan with a focus on increasing employment opportunities and upward mobility for the low-income residents of the area.
To learn more about the Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant and FY 2020 Notice of Funding Availability, visit
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/ph/cn/planninggrants.