Could Atlanta add 5,000 deeply affordable homes? Lewis wants a feasibility check

Councilmember Antonio Lewis wants Atlanta and Atlanta Housing to test scenarios for 500, 1,000, 2,500 and 5,000 additional deeply affordable homes. Those numbers are possibilities to study—not a commitment to build them.⁠[1][2]

His resolution, 26-R-4191, is on the Community Development/Human Services Committee’s October 27 agenda for its 1:30 p.m. meeting. The measure was held October 13 at the sponsor’s request, and City Council returned it to committee as held October 19.⁠[2][3]

The proposed study would seek at least 10 potential sites or development opportunities for new, replacement, rehabilitated or mixed-finance deeply affordable housing. It would examine former public-housing sites, city-owned parcels and Atlanta Housing’s land, with the city-parcel review weighing zoning, infrastructure, transit access and environmental conditions.⁠[2]

A central reality check would be how much traditional public housing federal rules allow. As the resolution describes it, the Faircloth limit generally restricts federal capital or operating assistance for new construction that would push an agency’s public-housing inventory above its applicable October 1, 1999 baseline, subject to federal rules and adjustments. Atlanta Housing’s remaining capacity would be a question for the study—not a finding already supplied by the measure.⁠[2]

The review would compare traditional public housing with mixed-finance development, public-private partnerships and other federally approved approaches. It would estimate costs beyond construction—including operations and long-term maintenance—and recommend protections and meaningful participation for residents affected by redevelopment, rehabilitation or relocation.⁠[2]

If adopted, the resolution would request written findings within 180 days of adoption. Where feasible, the report would include a five-year expansion strategy laying out potential sites, estimated housing production, financing, timelines and the government actions needed to move each opportunity forward.⁠[2]