Current Policies

The City, through its principle policy documents (Comprehensive Development Plan and Consolidated Plan) has sought to address objectives that relate to an assortment of Federal requirements and local needs.  The City is transforming itself into the vision created by the Atlanta Renaissance Program; created after the Olympics to insure that the development activity within the City would remain strong, beyond the Games.  The vision consists of revitalized, sustainable, urban village communities, populated with mixed-income households within the city’s redevelopment areas.

The Atlanta Renaissance Program has been successful in targeting resources to implement a comprehensive, focused economic development and neighborhood revitalization program that has begun to attract mixed-income City residents.

In promoting housing opportunities, the City of Atlanta is committed to fairness toward all of its citizens and neighborhoods.  As the City strives to preserve and revitalize its neighborhoods, it is committed to educating the public regarding fair-share housing.  Fairshare housing is a policy that encourages proportionate and equitable distribution of a range of housing choices and types, including low-income housing throughout the City.  Housing choices also include conventional, public, publicly assisted and special needs housing.  The City’s goal in this regard is to encourage the development and preservation of mixed-income residential areas. 

General Housing Policies

  1. Promote opportunities for mixed-income housing developments throughout the City.
  2. Maintain, rehabilitate and replace the existing housing stock where appropriate.
  3. Increase opportunities for home ownership for low and moderate-income residents.
  4. Promote housing affordability in order to minimize the number of households that must pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent or mortgage payments.
  5. Promote the creation of new housing in appropriate locations.
  6. Increase public, private funds to help construct, acquire and rehabilitate housing.
  7. Promote full implementation of all fair housing laws

Low/Moderate Housing Policies

The following policies legislate federally (CDBG, HOME, HOPWA etc.) financed housing projects.  The policies support the Consolidated Plan, which is based on the needs of defined population groups (low/moderate income individuals, homeless persons, public housing tenants, etc.).  The Policies establish priorities based largely on the conditions and needs of the City’s housing stock.  The Consolidated Plan’s housing priorities are as follows:

  1. Assist “special needs” persons living in substandard apartments and rental units by making low or no cost acquisition and rehabilitation loans available.
  2. Assist extremely low, and very low-income homeowners living in substandard single- family units by making rehabilitation loans and grants available.
  3. Assist very low and low-income persons with home ownership by making acquisition and rehabilitation loans available to individuals.
  4. Promote new housing development through in-fill housing construction.
  5. Aggressively enforce Housing Code and Demolition to remove slum and blight.
  6. Encourage development of alternative forms of ownership, including cooperatives, mutual housing and lease purchase programs.
  7. Support housing opportunities for persons with special needs
  8. Develop a program to provide equal access to credit and fair housing opportunities for low to moderate-income people.

These policies set priorities addressing the most serious problems with existing housing stock.