Peoplestown

• History
• Projects
• Future Projects
• Neighborhood Facts

History

Like many of Atlanta’s early neighborhoods, Peoplestown was established in the late 19th century because of its proximity and association with the railroad industry. Named after the famous Peoples family, it was developed as a fashionable single-family residential district with convenient access to employment opportunities, goods and services. Peoplestown continued to function as a vital community through the late 1950’s.

In the late 1950’s the urban renewal program and the construction of the downtown connector destroyed large numbers of homes in the neighborhood and hastened a massive outflux of the more affluent residents and businesses. The construction of the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium added to the disruption in the neighborhood. Many structures were left vacant and began to deteriorate, and the community’s economic and social base quickly eroded. The Model Cities Program failed to provide relief from the cycle of decline, although it did improve the infrastructure in the neighborhood.

The adverse impacts of all the misguided redevelopment have been devastating to Peoplestown over the long run. Between 1950 and 1990 the population dropped from 5,598 to 2,574 (54%). The legacy of misguided efforts has forged an optimistic and self-generated mission to revitalize the neighborhood. The series of plans that resulted from planning efforts in the neighborhood, are all based on the notion that the greatest assets are its existing residents, social institutions and remaining historic structures.

Projects

The Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation (PRC) has taken great care to represent and support community desires and priorities for neighborhood improvements. PRC and the Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta (CODA) are in the final stages of developing the Peoplestown Redevelopment Plan. This Plan represents a comprehensive approach to the physical revitalization of the Peoplestown community as envisioned by the residents, businesses and stakeholders.

Through the HOME Single-Family Rehabilitation Program, the City of Atlanta Housing and Community Development Department (DHCD) has provided grants totaling $173,000 since 1993 for the rehabilitation of 8 homes. The DHCD has also made a number of rental rehabilitation loans for multi-family units located along Washington Street, Ridge, Atlanta Avenues, and Farrington Place. These loans are valued at $475,100. Christmas in April, a non-profit organization sponsored by Georgia Power, has completed the rehabilitation on 25 single-family homes on scattered locations in the Peoplestown neighborhood. PRC has awarded grants for owner-occupied rehabilitation of 30 homes in the neighborhood. Financing was provided by Fleet Finance and PRC. This project has been complete. Working towards their goal of constructing 100 homes before the Olympic Games, Habitat for Humanity recently completed the development of 20 new houses. Two new single-family houses were added to the community by Nora Lewis, a private developer, who constructed the homes on Dunning Street. The Urban Residential Finance Authority (URFA) issued one affordable housing loan in the amount of $55,000 in the neighborhood. The Rick McDevitt Community Center has recently been rehabilitated at a cost of $400,000.

CODA has used City of Atlanta Bond Funds to complete various street improvements in Peoplestown. Repairs include 2,390 feet of curb repair, 6,570 feet of sidewalk repair and 25 driveway repairs. In addition, CODA added 1 Information History Panel, and 2 Wayfinding Pylons to the neighborhood.

Future Projects

Peoplestown is centrally located with regard to the major interstate, regional and local roadways, and railroads that serve the City. Its location along the southern edge of Downtown offers Peoplestown residents favorable access to the jobs, governmental and cultural services in the area. The neighborhood is characterized by a rolling topography and excellent views of the Atlanta skyline.

The Peoplestown community has two showcase projects proposed namely the Super Block Development Project and Kings Manor. The Super Block mixed-use development will yield 38 units of affordable housing and 10,000 square feet of commercial space. The new housing units will consist of 10 newly constructed single-family homes, 16 duplexes and 7 apartments. Five existing single-family units will be rehabilitated and incorporated in the design of the development. The land will be purchased with CDBG funding. The units will be sold at both market rate and subsidized rate. With the availability of assistance from the Atlanta Empowerment Zone Corporation (AEZC) and Fannie Mae’s lease purchase program, mortgages can be reduced to a very affordable level. Approximately half of the commercial space will be leased at reduced rates to encourage local business development.

At a development cost of $6 million, the existing 104 multi-family units in the Kings Manor Apartments will be demolished and replaced by 72 newly constructed units. The rents for these apartments will range from $450 to $650 per month. Financing from the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the Enterprise Foundation have been secured. Washington Summit Apartments is another multi-family rehabilitation project planned by PRC. This project includes the rehabilitation of 20 units at a cost of $576,000 to be financed by the DHCD.

Despite the low ownership rates in the neighborhood, Peoplestown is a strong single-family neighborhood. Therefore future development should place emphasis on single-family infill and rehabilitation. Vacant lots are found throughout the entire neighborhood and occupy a large percentage of the total land. Approximately half of the parcels in the neighborhood are tax delinquent, mostly residential lots. These properties can often be acquired at discounted prices and with back taxes being waived by the City of Atlanta/Fulton County Land Bank Authority (LBA). PRC proposes to develop the Capitol Avenue Single Family Homes Project - construction and rehabilitation of 17 new single-family homes located on Capitol Avenue between Atlanta Avenue and Weyman Street. Funding for this $4 million project is yet to be determined. The proposed Fern Avenue Revitalization and Grant Terrace Revitalization are two additional rehabilitation projects proposed by PRC. Fern Avenue includes the rehabilitation of 18 single-family houses and the construction of 3 houses. Amoco, Fleet Atlanta Neighborhood Assistance and the DHCD are funding this $1 million project. PRC plans to spend $60,000 per house on rehabilitating 20 houses on Grant Terrace. Nine of these houses are owned by PRC. Acquisition funding is provided by the Fleet Atlanta Neighborhood Assistance Program (FANAP), and Farmers Home Administration (FHA) 203K financing has been secured.

The commercial/industrial corridor along Ridge and Capitol Avenue in the south of Peoplestown can potentially be targeted for incubator businesses. This corridor is adjacent to the future Capitol View Industrial Enterprise Zone. The potential exist for creating supporting services, such as suppliers and small businesses, for the manufacturing activities in the Enterprise Zone.

Neighborhood Facts

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