Phase II delivers 201 mixed-income homes on Atlanta's Westside, continuing the comprehensive redevelopment of the former Herndon Homes public housing site

Pennrose, Atlanta Housing, the City of Atlanta, Hunt Companies, Oakwood Development Group, and Mayor Andre Dickens celebrated the grand opening of Legacy at Herndon Square, a 201-unit, family, mixed-income rental community in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The community, which completes the second phase of the Herndon Square master plan, marks a major milestone in the transformation of the 12-acre former Herndon Homes public housing site into a vibrant, sustainable, mixed-income neighborhood.

Speakers at the grand opening ceremony included: Reverand Terry L. Hightower, Antioch Urban Ministries; Will Eckstein, Regional Vice President, Pennrose LLC; Terri M. Lee, President & CEO, Atlanta Housing; Mayor Andre Dickens, City of Atlanta; Byron Amos, Atlanta City Councilman, District 3; Tiffany Cobb, Deputy Regional Administrator, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Maureen Freehill, Deputy Commissioner of Housing Assistance and Development, Georgia Department of Community Affairs; Kathy Farrell, Head of Asset Finance & Commercial Real Estate, Truist; Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President & CEO, Invest Atlanta; Kiwona Lewis, Resident of Legacy at Herndon Square; and Timothy I. Henkel, CEO, Pennrose LLC.

Legacy at Herndon Square offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental apartments designed to provide quality housing for a wide range of income levels. The building features 43 units at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), 87 units at or below 60% AMI, 40 units at or below 30% AMI, and 30 units at market rate rents. In total, the affordable and workforce apartments are funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), with 80 units supported by Project-Based Vouchers through Atlanta Housing’s Homeflex program.

The brand-new apartments feature modern kitchens with granite countertops, luxury hard surface flooring, spacious closets, in-unit washer and dryers, central A/C, and free Wi-Fi to each unit. The sustainable development, built to meet EarthCraft Multifamily and ENERGY STAR Certification standards, boasts an interior courtyard and green space, an enclosed parking deck, resident lounge, wellness clinic, fitness center, computer business and learning center, dog wash station, and outdoor covered picnic area. 

The development also includes 10,000 square feet of community-oriented commercial space to help connect residents with the adjacent Science Square bio-health and life science innovation campus. Together, Herndon Square and Science Square represent more than 500 new workforce housing units and over 1.8 million square feet of office, lab, and life science space, forming an emerging housing and health district on Atlanta's Westside.

"Legacy at Herndon Square represents years of partnership and an unwavering commitment to ensure long-time Westside residents have a place in Atlanta's bright future," said Will Eckstein, Regional Vice President at Pennrose. "The master plan will serve as a national model for how thoughtful, cross-sector collaboration can deliver high-impact housing solutions that transform neighborhoods, improve quality of life, and expand economic opportunities.”

"Legacy at Herndon Square represents what is possible when strong partnerships, responsible public investment, and a shared commitment to community come together. When all phases are complete, this redevelopment will represent a $176 million investment in Atlanta's Westside, including more than $43 million from Atlanta Housing. More importantly, it represents new opportunities for the families who will call this community home," said Terri M. Lee, President and CEO of Atlanta Housing. "We are grateful to all of our partners, including Pennrose, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, whose leadership has helped drive historic investments in affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization across our city."

"Legacy at Herndon Square is exactly what inclusive economic development looks like," said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta. "Our continued commitment to multifamily housing is a critical part of our broader economic development strategy, and our investments have contributed to over $360 million of new capital investment in this community."

Additionally, Phase II delivered critical infrastructure improvements to the site to help improve both pedestrian and vehicular safety and mobility. This infrastructure work includes the addition of a turning lane along Northside Drive to access the Herndon Square campus as well as the extension of Herndon Square Avenue and Alonzo Herndon Boulevard to complete the Herndon Square street grid serving all phases of the redevelopment. This critical work was funded in part by Invest Atlanta through the Westside TAD Grant program.

Legacy at Herndon Square is the second of the five-phase redevelopment of the former Herndon Homes public housing community. Once complete, the master plan will create at least 379 multifamily units across two mid-rise buildings, the 97-unit senior building delivered in Phase 1, 32 townhomes, and prime commercial space

The project was developed through a public-private partnership between Hunt Companies and Atlanta Housing, with Pennrose serving as development manager.

Funding for both Phase II and the infrastructure improvements was provided by several public and private partners, including the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits), the Urban Residential Finance Authority of the City of Atlanta (Tax-Exempt Bond Financing), Atlanta Housing (Capital Funding), Invest Atlanta (Westside TAD Infrastructure Funding), Truist Bank (Construction Lending and Federal and State Tax Credit Equity Investor), and Grandbridge Real Estate Capital (Permanent Loan Lender).

With a regional presence in Atlanta, Pennrose has experience developing high-quality, affordable and mixed-income housing throughout Georgia and the broader Southeast. Earlier this month, Pennrose broke ground on the Overlook at Garson, a 130-unit affordable mixed-use community along the Atlanta Beltline's Northeast Trail in the city's Lindbergh neighborhood.