Atlanta secures $40M grant to revitalize neighborhood that was abandoned more than decade ago

ATLANTA — An Atlanta neighborhood abandoned over a decade ago is set to be revitalized thanks to a newly secured grant.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the city of Atlanta $40 million for the city’s housing plan to redevelop the former Bowen Homes neighborhood.

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According to officials, the area of Bowen Homes includes the surrounding neighborhoods of Carey Park and a portion of Almond Park, along with the neighborhood-related segments of the Donald Lee Hollowell and James Jackson parkways, collectively known as the Bowen Choice Neighborhood.

The plan includes more than 2,000 rental units, and some you can buy that will be offered at affordable and fair market rates.

“Atlanta Housing and the City of Atlanta have demonstrated that we can leverage $40 million in Choice Neighborhood funds into more than $500 million to successfully transform the Bowen Choice Neighborhood,” said Eugene E. Jones, president and CEO of Atlanta Housing. “This grant will be transformational for the Bowen Choice Neighborhood, as public and private resources are combined to create new affordable housing, improve neighborhood amenities and provide new opportunities for current and former residents.”

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Atlanta Councilmember Michael Julian Bond told WSB Tonight’s Courtney Francisco that he is excited to see the grant’s economic and social impact on the area.

“It’s going to impact the businesses there along Donald Lee Hollowell for sure, and it’s also going to impact the historic community of collier heights, which is just to the south of there, one of the most historic African American neighborhoods in the city,” Bond said. “So, you’re going to see, once this thing is up, a tremendous impact on the schools in the community; Fredrick Douglas High School is there, John Lewis Middle School, you’re going to see more people in the community, and it’s going to be a tremendous investment in Westside Atlanta that we haven’t seen in many, many years.”

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