Current Programs and Projects
City housing programs are funded primarily through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the Home Investment partnership Program (HOME), the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA), the Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, the Federal Empowerment Zone (EZ) program and the various private and public foundations that fund private, nonprofit agencies involved in housing. Primary agencies and their respective programs and activities are as follows: The Federal HOME program’s primary objective is to expand home buyer opportunities, Homeowner Rehabilitation Assistance, provide rental rehabilitation assistance and provide assistance in the area of homelessness prevention. The intent of the Homeowner Rehabilitation program is to assist the owner/occupant of single-family homes in need of rehabilitation. Assistance is targeted to homes that have been cited for City housing code violations and is provided in the form of a grant/loan. Rental rehabilitation assistance is provided in areas that contain a target population. Affordable housing for the extremely or very low-income population is assisted by the City’s homeless assistance program whose function is to work toward the prevention of homelessness. General Rehabilitation covers all other areas of the City.
Additionally, there are approximately fourteen (14) other city sponsored CDBG programs, which serve to further fortify Atlanta’s housing inventory. The 2001-2005 Consolidated Plan gives more detail about these programs and opportunities. The table below lists other housing incentive programs:
|
Program |
Description |
|
Atlanta Affordable Home ownership Program |
This program provides below market rate financing for homebuilders using low-interest Urban Residential Finance Authority (URFA) loans and offers homebuyers mortgage assistance in the form of low interest rate second mortgage loans. This program targets low and moderate income residents. Contact Atlanta Development Authority |
|
Down Payment Assistance Program |
Administered through URFA, This program assists first-time homebuyers with 100% financing for their home. The “first-time” buyer requirement is waived for homebuyers within the “target areas”. Contact the Atlanta Development Authority |
|
Multi-family Housing Program |
The Urban Residential Financial Authority provides financing to developers for the construction or rehabilitation of multi-family housing projects. The purpose of this program is to increase the rental housing stock. Contact Atlanta Development Authority |
|
Housing Enterprise Zone Program |
This program provides ten-year tax abatement on real property taxes as an incentive for private enterprise to invest in areas of the City of Atlanta that are economically and socially depressed. Real property is exempted 100 percent of its taxable value for the first five years after the creation of the zone, then the abatement gradually declines until year 11 when the abatement ends. Administered through the Bureau of Planning |
|
Empowerment Zone Mortgage Assistance Program |
This program assists first-time home buyers, within the empowerment zone, with up to $20,000 in down payment assistance. |
|
State Historic Property Tax Abatement Program |
This program provides property owner of residential and income-producing historic buildings with a ten-year exemption from the taxes on the assessed increased value resulting from the rehabilitation of such building. The program is administered through the Urban Design Office. |
|
Owner occupied Housing Rehabilitation Programs |
The programs are administered through the Bureau of and Economic Development. Assistance available to rehabilitate homes addressing primarily housing code violations. |
|
Multi-unit Housing Program |
This program provides financing to developers and non-profit corporations fir construction and rehabilitation of rental housing. The program is administered by the Bureau of Economic Development. |
|
Landmark Building Tax Freeze Program |
This program allows a local tax freeze for an eight-year period on income producing landmark buildings, or contribution buildings in a landmark district, which are listed on the Georgia Register of Historic Places and have already undergone a major rehabilitation at the time of their designation. The freeze applies to the value of the property when it was designated a landmark by the City of Atlanta. This program is administered through the Urban Design Office. |
|
Federal Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit Program |
The Federal Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit Program reduces the cost of rehabilitation to an owner (or lessee with a lease term of at least 27.5 years) of an income producing historic property. Contact Urban Design Office |
Livable Centers Initiative
The City is also involved with the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI), sponsored by the Atlanta Regional Commission. The LCI program provides seed money to communities that are working to enhance livability for their residents. LCI plans strive to achieve:
- A local planning outreach process that promotes the involvement of all stakeholders, particularly low to moderate-income and minority citizens
- A diversity of mixed-income residential neighborhoods, employment, shopping and recreation choices at the activity center and town center level
- Access to a range of travel options including transit, roadways, walking, and biking to enable access to all uses within the study area and connecting to other centers
There are a total of seven communities that have completed LCI studies in the City if Atlanta including West End, Greenbriar, Buckhead, Downtown/City Center, Midtown, H.E. Holmes, and Bolton/Moores Mill. These communities have created plans that call for an increase in residential development over the next ten years. The Following table lists the number of units currently being planned, under construction, or completed since the adoption of the study. (See ‘Land Use’ Chapter for details on each of these studies).
|
LCI |
Potential # of Units |
Units Planned/ Under Construction/ Completed Since Study* |
|
West End |
Not Specified |
1,223 |
|
Greenbriar |
Not Specified |
334 |
|
Buckhead |
4038 |
Unknown |
|
Downtown/City Center |
Not Specified |
Unknown |
|
Midtown |
Not Specified |
3,140 |
|
H.E. Holmes |
2,197 |
596 |
|
Bolton/Moores Mill |
Not Specified |
679 |
| *Included in potential number of units | ||