An $875,000 vote could help bring 200 affordable apartments to Vine City

Fulton County commissioners are scheduled Nov. 4 to consider releasing $875,000 in county tax-increment funds for Sunset Apartments, a proposed 200-unit affordable development in Vine City.⁠[1][2]

Prestwick Development and Mercy Housing plan the apartments at 50 and 80 Sunset, 690 Magnolia and 41 Griffin SW. The project fact sheet describes Sunset as the affordable-housing component of a larger mixed-use plan on approximately four acres, within walking distance of the Ashby MARTA station.⁠[2][3]

All 200 apartments would remain affordable for 30 years under the proposal. The income tiers would cover 75 apartments at or below 50% of area median income, 70 at or below 60%, and 55 at or below 80%.⁠[2]

The fact sheet’s planned rent schedule ranges from $985 for a one-bedroom apartment to $1,850 for a three-bedroom, depending on the income tier and unit size.⁠[2][3]

The county’s $875,000 share would be part of a $3.5 million Westside Tax Allocation District Ascension Fund grant in a roughly $63.8 million development budget. Although Fulton’s portion represents about 1.37% of the total investment, the proposed resolution calls the entire TAD grant necessary for the project’s financial feasibility and long-term affordability commitments.⁠[2]

Why does the county get a say? The draft cites a requirement for Fulton approval of projects financed after Dec. 31, 2018, using county property-tax increment generated within the Westside TAD. This resolution would consent to granting the county’s share to Sunset Family I GP, LLC.⁠[2]

The housing is a long-range prospect, not an immediate addition to the rental market: the fact sheet estimates a 24-month construction period and completion in March 2030. Those are project projections; the Nov. 4 agenda records a request for county approval, not a completed funding decision.⁠[1][3]