Statement From Atlanta Housing
President and CEO Eugene Jones Jr.
May 31, 2022
As President and CEO of Atlanta Housing, I received an email Thursday, May 26, from Michael Benner, general counsel for Tishman Speyer, informing me that Tishman Speyer is “respectfully withdrawing from the process to be one of the developers of the Atlanta Civic Center site.” Mr. Benner’s brief email states that Tishman Speyer has “determined that the project is not right for us at this time.”
Atlanta Housing is disheartened that Tishman Speyer has unilaterally withdrawn its proposed development plan for the Atlanta Civic Center site just one day after the AH Board of Commissioners authorized Atlanta Housing to enter into negotiations with the Tishman Speyer team to develop a Master Developer Agreement.
This comes as a great surprise to the AH Board of Commissioners and the hard-working team at Atlanta Housing, the City of Atlanta, Invest Atlanta, community leaders and others who worked tirelessly to select a development partner.
Despite Tishman Speyer's sudden withdrawal, Atlanta Housing remains committed to its mission and will ensure the Civic Center site is developed with a strong affordable housing component, which will also advance Mayor Andre Dickens' goal of creating 20,000 units of affordable housing in the City of Atlanta.
Due to this unforeseen circumstance, Atlanta Housing is reviewing its procurement requirements to determine the next steps to proceed expeditiously in the selection of a responsive team to foster the redevelopment of the Civic Center.