Legacy at Vine City Rendering – Courtesy of Beverly J Searles Foundation
April 30, 2018 | Atlanta, GA
LDG Consulting is proud to be a part of this new 20 million dollar investment in the heart of Atlanta. Legacy at Vine City broke ground April 27th this year, led by our client – developer Beverly J Searles Foundation (BJ Searles) – in partnership with the Higher Ground Empowerment Center (HGEC). Located within short walking distance of the new Mercedes Benz Stadium, this senior housing complex will be built to house 105 of Atlanta’s citizens.
The church, HGEC, is located just across the street. They owned a surface parking lot and bought several other parcels of land over time. The developer, BJ Searles, bought the remaining parcels for the project. “It took awhile to make the numbers work, but they finally got it” says Alrich Lynch, Partner and Senior Managing Director of LDG Consulting. “This will be the first significant new affordable senior housing deal like this in Vine City in years; I honestly can’t think of another. It’s a big deal for the church and community alike.”
Lynch also notes that there will be a significant amount of MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) participation in this project. Legacy at Vine City is a public-private partnership, so there will also be public dollars invested via Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing and The Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
For the Legacy at Vine City project, LDG Consulting provided pre-development services for our client, including cost analysis and construction contract review. We’ll also serve as the owner’s rep during construction. The entire project is scheduled to be 16-18 months.
Minutes ago: Groundbreaking for Vine City’s 1st senior living community, The Legacy of Vine City-105 units, $20 million community ,150 construction jobs @Cityofatlanta @InvestAtlanta , Higher Ground Empowerment Center Church, Beverly J. Searles , @KeishaBottoms @KasimReed @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/tKKtDjhzJz
— Nicole Carr (@NicoleCarrWSB) April 27, 2018
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, The Oasis of Vine City (a CDC of the HGEC Church), and Rev. Bishop
Dexter L. Johnson were all present at the groundbreaking.
On a personal note, Lynch used to live in Vine City for nine years until their growing family had to move for more space. “We were probably no less than five blocks away from where Legacy will be built,” says Lynch. “It used to be my community, our neighborhood, and it’s good to see it progressing in this way.” The Lynch family regarded themselves as “urban pioneers” of sorts when they moved to the area in 2003. “We built our home from scratch and moved in. Our daughters were born while we lived in that house. We have good memories here and good ties to the neighborhood.”
“The bishop,” Lynch says, “has a very deep commitment to ensure members of the community are involved. He wants to make sure they have equal opportunity to be involved in the construction of this project.” HGEC has been heavily involved with job fairs as well as working to involve companies in the community in the project. “Bishop Dexter Johnson is very focused on hiring people from the neighborhood. The pastor of the precursor to HGEC (Mt. Gilead Baptist Church), Rev. Edward Hall, was a catalyst for this project and its impact on the neighborhood. As a tribute, his son gave the prayer at the groundbreaking this week!” Lynch says.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
- Location: 190 Maple Street, 3 blocks west of the new $1.5B Mercedes Benz Stadium
- Units: 105
- Type: Senior Housing
- Investment: $20M
ARCHITECT: Morton Gruber
CONTRACTOR: Fairway Construction, Inc.
PRESS: Latimore, Marshall A. “Mayor, Higher Ground Church break ground on oasis of Vine City development.” The Atlanta Voice [Atlanta, GA] 3 May 2018.
VIDEO: Watch Bishop Dexter Johnson give an update on the Legacy of Vine City Project on Facebook.
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: Tweet by Nicole Carr of WSB 27 April 2018.
ABOUT THE BEVERLY J SEARLES FOUNDATION: The Beverly J. Searles Foundation is a not for profit organization that provides gracious living services to elderly and disabled residents of affordable housing and other residential communities. Their goal is to enhance the quality of life for the residents that they serve by encouraging independence and choices, while celebrating individuality, preserving dignity, privacy and nurturing the spirit. They are also a developer and owner of multi-family housing in the affordable and market-rate area.
ABOUT OASIS OF VINE CITY: For more than 20 years, Oasis of Vine City has devoted its energy to passionately advocating for the hungry, needy and politically under-represented members of their extended family.
ABOUT HIGHER GROUND EMPOWERMENT CENTER: HGEC is a church in downtown Atlanta, GA whose mission is to empower the People of God, with the Word of God, and to be a blessing to the People of God.
ABOUT LDG CONSULTING: LDG Consulting is a boutique advisory and consulting firm. LDG advises visionary developers and owners on how best to realize their commercial real estate goals and profitably execute their vision.
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