Atlanta Downtown News

Several New Affordable Homes Headed for English Avenue

/ Alexander Chenault / Leave a comment

After the successful construction of 5 affordable homes along James P. Brawley Dr. NW in Vine City earlier this year (Phase I), the Atlanta Police Foundation has embarked on an even more ambitious project in neighboring English Avenue. In Phase II, a total of 20 newly constructed homes are planned for police officers and long-time neighborhood residents.

Griffin_Street_Apartments

Blighted apartments on Griffin Street have been demolished for new construction.

Demolition has already been completed of previously dilapidated homes and work is underway on Griffin Street to build several new homes for police officers and legacy residents, according to the Atlanta Police Foundation. The initiative, known as Secure Neighborhoods, is supported by the City of Atlanta, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and Westside Future Fund and is targeted towards three specific neighborhoods: Vine City, English Avenue, and Pittsburgh.

14657314_1843128382583026_3256136458837894640_nIn addition to removing blight and adding new residents to the Historic Westside communities, the Secure Neighborhoods programs seeks to increase police visibility, build connections between police and neighbors, and provide housing options for officers.  And its already seeing success; the Westside has seen a significant reduction in crime.

The organization is based on a public-private partnership model that has worked to secure and leverage private resources to fund high priority projects designed to enhance the City of Atlanta’s ability to fight and prevent crime. As a result of the work of the APF, since 2003 there has been an increase in the number of police officers on the streets and an increase in the engagement of Atlanta’s business community and neighborhood residents in fighting crime. Additionally, the City has experienced a 58 percent reduction in the violent crime rate and a 41 percent reduction in crimes overall.

14720542_1843136982582166_3560788328946588158_n

Another 10 homes are expected to be built as part of phase III in 2018. By 2020, the project will have constricted 35 new homes in downtown west.

 

 

Another New Park to Be Built in Vine City

/ Alexander Chenault / Leave a comment

It is being reported that a 4 acre park, Boone Park West,  will be built in Vine City.  This is the second park to be announced this year.  This past spring construction began on the Rodney Cook Sr. Park.

Boone Park West Compile (1).JPG

Boone Park West sit at the intersection of Oliver St. NW and Joseph E Boone Blvd. 

Construction of Boone Park West  will include the conversion of  a collection of abandoned and neglected parcels into a “positive, vibrant, and transformative public space” that engages the community in green infrastructure solutions, increases public access to recreational opportunities, provides jobs and training for residents, improves environmental quality, and reduces negative impacts of stormwater runoff, according to a report by Park Pride.

Curbed Atlanta and Saratoga Report both reported that the plans to create Boone Park West in the Proctor Creek Watershed. The plans show the proposed site will carve out space for the future home of the Atlanta Urban Ecology Resource Center (AUERC).

The new park is just one of many within the watershed that could help address issues of flooding in neighborhoods like English Avenue and Vine City. One of the primary purposes of Boone Park West is to control localized flooding around the park site and provide capacity relief for the sewer system around this westward edge of Downtown  Atlanta.

According to Park Pride officials, the park will be the third on the westside (after Vine City Park and Lindsay Street Park) built as part of the Proctor Creek North Avenue Vision for Green Infrastructure study completed in 2010.

Said officials in a release: “A key component of Boone Park West will be a green infrastructure amenity designed to capture, clean, and infiltrate at least 37,500 cubic feet of stormwater runoff from the surrounding streets, mitigating the recurrent flooding that has historically plagued these neighborhoods.”