New transit-oriented, mixed-income senior residences debut in Decatur

Metro Atlantans aged 62 years and older are soon to have a new dwelling option in East Decatur thanks to developer Columbia Residential.

Inside a new five-story building on East Freeman Street, Columbia stuck nearly 100 residences specifically for seniors.

The transit-focused residential complex is expected to boast, among other amenities, a dining and dancing room, business center, movie theater, and workout facilities, all less than a mile from the Decatur and Avondale MARTA stations.

Sitting just off of East College Avenue, the apartments will have easy access to Decatur’s popular music venue Eddie’s Attic and the Three Taverns Brewery, although it’s unclear how often future residents would take advantage of these offerings.

In addition, the development, called Columbia Senior Residences at East Decatur, will flaunt some green space and a community gazebo.

The project is Columbia’s second senior-oriented development in Decatur, after the company’s Senior Residences at Forest Hills project, although this one has been billed as both “affordable” and transit-oriented, according to developer representatives.

Rent prices for the apartments have yet to be announced, although Columbia has called this project a “mixed-income” development.

The East Decatur Residences also ascended on a plot that once housed nothing but parking spots.

Adding to the senior housing project, a partnership among the Development Authority of Decatur, Columbia Ventures, and Courtland Partners is expected to bring 377 market-rate apartments, 34 condos, and more than 40,000 square feet of retail space.

“Upon completion, each facet of the mixed-use project will be connected by a central plaza,” according to a developer press release.

Furthermore, Columbia Residential is known for teaming up with the Atlanta Housing Authority to rehab a circa-1970s apartment tower in Midtown, which also caters to senior citizens.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony is slated for today at 1 p.m. at the project site.