Having one of the country's preeminent developers of affordable housing headquartered in Atlanta is good for a lot of reasons, not the least of which are the substantial resources they can bring to bear in their hometown. We speak of Columbia Residential, and today take a look at a new phase of their work in the Edgewood neighborhood. Working with stimulus funds as part of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and in partnership with the Atlanta-based Zeist Foundation (who donated the land), Columbia is nearing completion of construction on the Retreat at Edgewood, an affordable housing townhome development. The twist here is what this affordable housing looks like and how it was built...neo-craftsman architecture with handsome details that is LEED certified (meaning it's environmentally-friendly and energy efficient). Beyond the obvious benefits of putting 100 low income families into comfortable, sustainable housing, we see this development as a harbinger of an encouraging new reality: sustainable building that is economically viable across socioeconomic strata.
· Promise Replaces Blight in Atlanta Enclave [Multi-Housing News]
· Retreat at Edgewood [official site]