City of Atlanta CDP

Anticipated Future Conditions

Between 1990 and 2005 almost 23,000 new housing units will be needed (see Table 7.13 ‘LCI Housing Projections’).  Most of these units will be renter-occupied and multi-family.  By year 2020, the number of homeless people could double or triple if the availability of affordable or transitional housing does not increase. The City will continue to encourage ownership.  Priority must also be placed on funding community service oriented organizations and programs that will be responsive to other citywide housing needs. 

Understanding the need for more market rate, affordable, fair share and transitional housing the City’s objectives include placing high funding priority upon those activities that help to fulfill City policy goals.  Both the Current Project & Program Table (at the end of this section), and The 2001-2005 Consolidated Plan specifies the citywide implementation strategies.

As the city continues to encourage diversified and mixed-income housing communities, there is a continued need for new and expanded programs which are responsive to protecting and rebuilding existing in-town neighborhoods and redevelopment areas.  Incentives are needed to address housing costs, which severely limit home ownership opportunities.  Innovative applications of existing incentives should be introduced into those areas struggling to attract new homeowners.  Examples of possible applications might be: lease-to-own programs, Co-ops and the like; each designed to create new homeowners.  These programs are designed to provide technical assistance to those in the pre-home ownership stage.

Existing Programs

The enforcement of Housing Code initiatives through the City’s Bureau of Housing and Code Compliance and internal procedural improvements will continue to assist in maintaining the quality of Atlanta’s housing stock.  Ownership, empowerment and property enhancement must serve as a guiding theme for Atlanta’s housing initiatives in the future.

A strengthened housing rehabilitation program must function to address citywide housing preservation issues. Private, profit and not-for-profit organizations will be assisted through the continuance of housing development incentives to encourage and stimulate new affordable and market rate developments.

At the neighborhood level, the City encourages the development of affordable neo-traditional communities, designed in the spirit of older pedestrian-friendly, mixed-income neighborhoods with houses built on smaller lots and offering a variety of housing styles.  The neighborhoods should provide pedestrian linkages to community services and amenities.  These are positive attributes that are not always captured in the suburban experience and will serve to keep Atlanta’s housing market strong.   Below, Table 7.14 ‘City of Atlanta Projections for New Housing Units, 1990-2005’ gives a modest idea of the projected housing needs for the period between 1990 and 2005.  ARC reports that the region reached the year 2000, 4.1 million population benchmark in 1998. Regional growth, the State mandated transportation minimization initiatives and the strong wave of urban gentrification will provide high occupancy levels for the proposed new housing units.

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