- Total Development Cost: $200 million
- Size: 60 acres
- Role: Master Developer
Regarded as a national model for urban revitalization, Centennial Place is the hallmark for Integral’s Renaissance 20/20 community plan. Located in a prime Atlanta location just north of the city center, Centennial Place is in close proximity to Centennial Olympic Park, the Coca-Cola Headquarters, Georgia Tech and other Atlanta businesses and landmarks. The site was previously home to Techwood Homes, the nation’s first public housing community. That historic community had become problematic: suffering from the city’s highest crime rate and creating a void in an otherwise burgeoning urban landscape. All agreed, including the residents, that it was time for a change and to address the potential of this neighborhood.
The challenge became how to protect the integrity of the community that celebrated its history, while creating a viable and livable neighborhood that capitalized on its surrounding assets and access.
Using the principles of Renaissance 20/20, Integral brought together a coalition of public and private sector services, through partnerships, to address the Quality of Life components of the master plan, which would complement the residential, retail, commercial and other physical components that would be co-developed by Integral. This included reaching out to Georgia Institute of Technology to oversee the curriculum of a new elementary school dedicated to science and math, a commitment by the YMCA to develop a family YMCA, the involvement of a private bank to create a bank branch and preserve an historic building that was the site of Atlanta’s first freestanding public library, and of course the City of Atlanta in improving the infrastructure for sewers, sidewalks, parks and lighting.
Today Centennial Place features 738 affordable and market rate rental homes, as well as 45 fee-simple townhomes in Centennial Park North, The community also incorporates Centennial Place Elementary School, an Early Childhood Development Center, a Family YMCA, a Branch Bank, A Community Center and a Police Mini-Precinct. In addition, improvements to the streetscape, lighting, and infrastructure, including the sewer system and the preservation of several historic buildings, have created a reenergized neighborhood reflective of Atlanta’s cultural and economic diversity.
