The City of Norcross celebrated the grand opening of The Legacy at Walton Crossing on May 8, a part of a new community bringing more than 130 affordable housing units to Mitchell Road.
Walton Communities offers below-market rental options for families, individuals, and active adults 55 and older, helping more residents access the mixed-income city. By tripling the city’s affordable housing stock, the aim is to increase affordability around Norcross.
The $46 million project is a partnership between Walton Communities, the Norcross Housing Authority, Gwinnett County, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and Truist.
Five years in the making
Walton Communities completed the apartment community in phases, first constructing 90 units last summer, ranging from one to three bedrooms, available to those earning less than 60% of the area median income (AMI).
Affordable or workforce housing differs from project-based vouchers. Workforce housing rents are set annually, but income-based vouchers tie rent payments to income.
Gainesville Housing Corporation CEO Beth Brown, who has a board contract to run the Norcross Housing Authority, said the existing apartments at Mitchell Road and Garner Street were a problem.
“Their physical needs outweighed, really, the housing authority’s ability to do the necessary rehab given the funding that the housing authority gets from HUD,” Brown said. “The Norcross Housing Authority was very small, with a total of 46 units. For the city the size of Norcross and Gwinnett County, it’s a really small number.”
Brown and the Norcross Housing Authority requested proposals from developers in the summer of 2021, selecting Atlanta-based Walton Communities.
The recently completed second phase has 76 apartment homes available to adults age 55 and over, including some units for those earning less than 60% of the AMI and others rented as workforce housing.
Praise for public housing
Walton Communities Partner Tom Wilkes said his team is excited to be in the community.
“With a shared vision for high-quality, affordable housing, we knew this area would be a natural fit for Walton, and Walton Communities is proud to play a role in the development of this dynamic neighborhood,” Wilkes said.
Norcross officials said they are excited to welcome residents to beautiful, new communities and look forward to the positive impact on the city for years to come.
Brown said she brought the Gainesville model to Norcross, which leverages federal funding to encourage redevelopment of dilapidated buildings.
“The Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program … generates a good percentage of the equity needed to build the affordable housing,” Brown said. “We’re a percentage partnership with the developer, and we hold ownership 100% of the land, and we ground lease it to the partnership, so that it will, you know, continue to remain affordable.”
The Walton Communities project at Mitchell Road and Garner Street removed about 25 affordable housing units, constructed more than 60 years ago. About 17 units remain closer to downtown Norcross
The housing authority scheduled a public hearing and meeting on June 11, required before its policies are submitted to the NHA Board and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Brown said the Norcross Housing Authority isn’t ready to announce any new projects, but praised the aesthetics of the new mid-rise development.
“I mean, it looks like a five-star hotel when you walk in there, beautiful,” Brown said. “It’s meeting the needs by providing affordable housing. Usually, we see these developments be a catalyst for other community development.”
