Westside Future Fund (WFF) broke ground Monday at 280 James P. Brawley for an 18-unit multifamily development, marking the organization’s first ground-up, new-construction project in the Vine City neighborhood.
According to a press release, the project will be built on land that has sat blighted and vacant for years. The multistory development will deliver 18 new affordable homes serving legacy families with live, work, and learn connections to the historic Westside community through WFF’s Home on the Westside program.
The $6.7 million development is made possible through a combination of corporate, philanthropic, and public investment, including $1 million in supporting investment from the Westside Tax Allocation District (TAD).
Designed by Atlanta-based Kronberg Urbanists + Architects and developed by BlackOak, the project has secured its building permits and is positioned to begin construction before the end of the year, with anticipated completion mid-2027.
The development continues the momentum of WFF’s Home on the Westside initiative, which pairs new and restored affordable housing with homeownership resources and property tax relief for legacy residents.
“Vine City is the last place Dr. King lived with his family. The land at 280 James P. Brawley is emblematic of the decades of disinvestment this historic area has endured. After sitting vacant and blighted for years, today it enters a new chapter.,” John Ahmann, President & CEO of Westside Future Fund, said in a statement. “Through our commitment to restoration without displacement, this site will now provide high quality, permanently affordable housing ensuring that residents with deep roots here can stay and help build a community Dr. King would be proud to call home.”
