ATLANTA — New development along the Atlanta Beltline is raising questions about how to grow neighborhoods without pushing out longtime residents.
One developer told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter he’s trying to strike that balance by building within a city program designed to help residents stay in their homes as property taxes rise.
The Atlanta Beltline’s Legacy Resident Retention Program is designed to cover property tax increases for eligible homeowners in specific sections of the corridor, helping offset financial pressure tied to rapid redevelopment.
The Beltline has become one of Atlanta’s most active development areas, transforming surrounding neighborhoods with new housing, businesses, and public spaces. But that growth has also brought concerns about displacement for longtime residents.
Brooks Payne, a real estate developer working in Washington Park, says he intentionally builds within neighborhoods covered by the program.
“A home is more than just four walls—it’s security,” Payne said while giving a tour of one of his projects.
He pointed out original features of the home still in place.
“There is original parts of the house here and throughout the foundation,” Payne said.
Payne says the location, just a block from the Beltline, reflects both opportunity and responsibility in how development is approached.
“It’s a lovely neighborhood a block away from the Beltline,” he said.
The home stands out compared to many of the more modest houses nearby, with a larger and more upscale design. Payne says the goal is to invest in neighborhoods without displacing existing residents.
“Our big, big goal is to bring equity to these neighborhoods,” he said. “And that’s what we’re doing without getting anyone displaced.”
Payne also uses signage with QR codes at his developments to direct residents to information about the Legacy Resident Retention Program.
“It’s the easiest thing to put all the information for the legacy retention program on the front of our development,” he said. “It draws a lot of eyes and gets more people to get their taxes paid.”
According to the Atlanta Beltline Partnership, the program helps cover property tax increases for qualifying longtime homeowners.
“We pay their property tax increases all the way to 2030,” said Michael Davis, deputy executive director of the Beltline Partnership.
The program applies to eligible residents in Subareas 1, 2, 9 and 10 who owned or lived in their home before March 2017. There is no age requirement, and income eligibility is based on household size.
“We want to be sure that those folks who have been long-term residents, we protect them,” Davis said.
He added that he sees value in developers engaging with the program.
“I’m glad that folks who are building houses to make a profit are trying to really think about how do I keep the neighborhoods whole and give every resident the opportunity to take advantage of all the benefits the Atlanta Beltline provides,” Davis said.
The program is funded through donors, according to the Beltline, and enrollment is open through August. Residents can check eligibility by entering their address on the Beltline’s website.
Discussions are also underway about potentially extending the program beyond 2030.
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