Affordable housing projects in Atlanta could be built quicker under a new permitting process set to be implemented in February.
Mayor Andre Dickens announced Jan. 30 the city will launch Welcome H.O.M.E. (Housing Opportunity Moves for Everyone), a “transparent and streamlined approach” to permitting affordable housing projects.
Welcome H.O.M.E. will be launched during Atlanta’s “Affordable Housing Week” set for Feb. 12-16. The process will include a pre-submission program along with a dedicated coordination team to assist customers to ensure a more efficient permitting process.
“Whether you are a real estate developer, builder, architect, nonprofit or resident, mark your calendar for a week of informative programming around the city’s efforts to meet the ever-increasing demand for affordable housing in Atlanta,” the city said in a news release.
During Affordable Housing Week, city staff will provide consultations to educate participants on city processes, provide code clarifications or specific applicable site conditions, resolve interagency conflicts, and position projects for “seamless permit issuance,” according to officials.
“This week will allow us to move forward critical affordable housing developments addressing Atlanta’s affordable housing demand,” said City Planning Commissioner Jahnee Prince in the news release.
Until now, there has been no dedicated or defined process for affordable housing in the city outside of the existing development and permitting services process, said Marci McKenna, spokesperson for the city’s planning department, in an email to Rough Draft. The permitting process can often take six months or more to complete.
Welcome H.O.M.E. was developed specifically for Atlanta in conjunction with multiple stakeholders, including the development community, McKenna said.
“The customer will have a dedicated team and point of contact available to quickly assist and troubleshoot any issues that may arise,” she said. “Additionally, there will be defined timelines for each phase of the process so that all parties are aware of expectations and restrictions.”
Projects featuring residential addition and alterations, residential and multi-family demolition, multi-family additions and miscellaneous site work projects that meet certain criteria are eligible for review.
Projects that are ineligible for Affordable Housing Week plan review are those that:
- Require an approval from the Office of Zoning & Development or the Office of Design – Historic Preservation for entitlement (rezoning, variance, special admin permit, subdivision, certificates of appropriateness, etc.).
- Impacts or removal of trees on site.
- Propose encroachment to riparian buffers or flood plain.
- Are new single-family developments that create, add, or demolish and replace less than 5,000 square feet of impervious surface; or addition or modification that create, add, or demolish and replace 500 square feet or more of impervious surface.
Customers with eligible projects need to submit projects via the city’s online portal by Feb. 8 to ensure intake is complete, according to the news release. Initial fees must be paid to begin the plan review process. Where applicable, entitlement reviews must be stamped approved and uploaded with the project drawings.
Plan reviews must also include:
- Project drawings must meet intake and review criteria for intake and uploaded using established naming conventions.
- All phasing must be acknowledged upfront.
- All third-party inspections must be noted prior to the issuance of the permit if a discount is being sought.
- The initial submission must include the General Contractor’s credentials and notarized documents as follows: General Contractor Affidavit Form, Contractor Agent Affidavit Authorization Form, General Contractors Business License, General Contractors Georgia
- State license, General Contractor’s Driver’s License, Contractor’s Agent Driver’s License.
- Deferred Permits. A deferred plan review and permit are required for the following installations: Fire Sprinkler Permit, Fire Alarm Permit, Fire Underground (FLS Permit)
- Design professional must be present.
City planning and other city staff will also provide consultation for projects that are not immediately eligible for permitting. These are projects that are either entering the entitlement or permitting phases or those projects that are currently in progress.
Affordable housing generally means housing in which residents are not paying more than 30% of their income for housing costs, including utilities. In Atlanta, city officials estimate three quarters of residents spend almost half of their monthly income on housing.
Dickens has promised to build or preserve 20,000 affordable housing units in the city by 2026 with the assistance of public and private funding. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested to meet the goal.
Last year, the city and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta announced a historic $200 million investment in affordable housing.
Last week, the city opened The Melody in Downtown on what was once a city parking lot. The 40 micro-units built in repurposed shipping containers was built in a record-breaking four months as part of the city’s rapid housing initiative. Another dozen or so more rapid housing projects are planned to be built on public land to further address the city’s affordable housing crisis.
