Renovations will soon be underway at the former site of Lakewood Heights Elementary after the Atlanta Board of Education voted in favor of addressing deteriorated conditions of former APS learning sites.
Board members voted last Tuesday to enter an intergovernmental agreement with the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation to determine recommendations for the former school grounds’ development.
District 6 Board Member Eshé Collins stated last week that she is smiling ear-to-ear as the district moves forward on a project that has been long discussed amongst Atlanta Public Schools stakeholders.
“We are finally here,” Collins said. “Our facilities master planning effort has been a huge one. It’s been multiple years.”
Residents can expect to see the site transformed into affordable housing or a multiuse property that will include developments mentioned during the community engagement process.
Back in 2022, APS planned to demolish the long-shuttered elementary school after failed attempts to sell it. The building was constructed in 1913 and closed in 2004. It’s listed as a “significant community landmark” in the Lakewood Heights Historic District, according to the National Register of Historic Places.
The attempted sale was opposed by some residents, who had started a petition to convert the building into a community development center.
The district has now settled on an agreement that extends to eight other APS-owned surplus properties, including the sites of the former Peeples Street, Collier Heights, and Old Dobbs schools; the Gilbert Street and Rosalie Wright school buildings; and APS-owned land in southwest Atlanta.
District 5 Board Member Ken Zeff expressed excitement for the new partnership between APS and the city of Atlanta, noting that it showcases how the government serves citizens.
“APS coming together with the city … I’m excited to see where this goes,” Zeff said last week. “We are trying to do everything we can to help our unhoused citizens.”
According to board documents, the primary goal of the redevelopment is to create workforce housing for APS employees, greenspaces, early learning centers, grocery stores, and workforce development centers. The district also said it’s striving to create affordable developments that feature two- and three-bedroom units and preserve the property’s history.
At least 20% of the development’s units must be reserved for residents who are at 50% of the area median income, or 10% of units for those who are at 80% AMI.
APS will work with the development corporation for three years to figure out the best use for Lakewood Heights, with the possibility of an extension up to two years. After approval, the partnership will begin conducting a community engagement series to inform its decision before returning to the Board of Education in 2025 to present its feedback and recommendations.
Citywide District 7 board member Alfred “Shivy” Brooks echoed Zeff’s sentiments, noting that as Atlanta’s second-largest landowner, APS plays a vital role in addressing a worsening housing affordability crisis for the district’s constituents.
“I just want to share my appreciation and gratitude to my colleagues on the board for a shared urgency among us all,” Brooks said. “We’ve seen how long this process of procurement, RFQs, and all this stuff has gone … with this board, I can sense a palpable energy around opening up opportunities to create more affordable housing for our students [and] our teachers in the city of Atlanta.”
