Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta’s economic arm, gave the green light to two major redevelopment projects: Amsterdam Walk near Piedmont Park and Trestletree Village Apartments in Ormewood Park.
Invest Atlanta board members voted 6-2 on Sept. 17 to approve a nearly $15 million property tax break for the Amsterdam Walk project from Portman Holdings. The multi-phase project currently includes 1,100 rental units, 1,435 parking spaces, and 150,000 square feet of commercial space on 11 acres off Monroe Drive. Portman will add 39 affordable housing units, making the property a mixed-use center in a prime location on Piedmont Park.
Amsterdam Walk has been a shopping center with restaurants, family-focused activities, and small commercial businesses for nearly 30 years. A rezoning from single-family residential to planned development/Beltline overlay was approved by Atlanta City Council in April 2025.
Proponents of Amsterdam Walk said the investment and development are crucial to bettering the neighborhood. Opponents argued that the project would worsen already heavy traffic on Monroe Drive, which is undergoing a road diet.
City Council member Matt Westmoreland and Atlanta school board member Ken Zeff voted against the measure. Zeff told constituents that “nearly $15 million in tax incentives — more than $7 million of which would come at the expense of Atlanta Public Schools — does not represented the best use of public resources.” Significant public incentives should be accompanied by a clear and compelling public benefit, Zeff said in a letter.
On the opposite side of town, a $29 million tax incentive bond was approved for Trestletree Village Apartments in addition to a $2 million TAD grant. The Section 8 housing development on the Southside Beltline trail has been purchased by Wingate Companies for redevelopment and expansion.
Wingate’s plan would renovate 188 affordable homes for current Trestletree residents, while adding 210 workforce housing units and 10 market-rate residences to the property.
The redevelopment has sparked discourse over whether affordable housing should be integrated throughout the development rather than concentrated in one building. A letter from Trestletree Village Tenants Association does not support Wingate’s proposal to consolidate all affordable and Section 8 housing units into dedicated buildings on a single parcel, rather than integrating them into a mixed-income housing model.
Wingate manages more than 4,000 units in Atlanta, according to Executive Vice President John Tatum. He pointed to a letter of understanding with South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development in which Wingate promised to engage stakeholders, provide safe pedestrian and bicycle connections to the Beltline, add safety and security measures, and more.
Tatum estimated the project will cost around $90 million.
RELATED STORY: Atlanta City Council votes in favor of Amsterdam Walk redevelopment
