‘Fully affordable’ housing development breaks ground along Beltline in Buckhead

On Aug. 4 a crowd of developers and community leaders broke ground on the Overlook at Garson, a new affordable housing development in Buckhead — and it sits alongside a future piece of the Beltline.

The Overlook at Garson will be a mixed-use community with 130 units of affordable one- and two-bedroom homes, each priced at 50, 60 and 80 percent of the area median Income (AMI). The “podium” style development will sit alongside the future Beltline trail far below.

To meet the Beltline path, the units will sit atop a two-story parking deck and 10,300 square feet of affordable commercial space. The price tag rings in at around $65.7 million.

Renderings of the Overlook at Garson. (Renderings via Overlook at Garson PR.)

“Buckhead is not afraid of affordable housing,” District 7 Atlanta City Councilmember Thomas Worthy declared at the groundbreaking ceremony.

City leaders and developers called the project the “front door of Buckhead,” and a rare “beachfront view” alongside the Beltline and Peachtree Creek. It also sits near the MARTA Lindbergh Station and PATH 400.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said it is a vision “more than 20 years in the making.”

Roughly six years ago, Wells Fargo decided to sell the kudzu-covered tract of land. The company eyed a private market sale for a $4 million value, but eventually opted to sell to the Beltline for only $900,000.

“Years ago the Beltline acquired this property, because we knew what was coming, that it could be something bigger,” Dickens said.

Dickens said Atlanta Beltline, Inc. wanted to learn from the Eastside trail, which drove up the cost of housing alongside and around the trail. This project, according to Dickens, will guarantee affordable homes alongside the city’s most coveted amenity.

“We had the foresight to start building affordable housing this time, before we built the trail,” Dickens said.

But how much does affordable housing actually cost a tenant?

Nationally, affordable housing is typically calculated by the Area Median Income, determined annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. In the Atlanta region, the AMI is based on a 29-county Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area. It finds the middle number in the region’s list of incomes.

The Area Median Income in the Atlanta region in 2025 was $80,000.

With each unit priced between 50-80% of the AMI, rent follows income limits to guarantee Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Here’s a breakdown of the AMI (and rent) for a one-bedroom unit in a single-person household in 2025.

50% AMI: $40,000 – Max rent $1,071
60% AMI: $48,000 – Max rent $1,285
80% AMI: $64,000 – Max rent $1,714

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Vice President of Housing Policy and Development Dennis Richards said the agency did feasibility studies to calibrate the best pricing model and income averages.

But the Beltline didn’t stop with housing. As part of its affordability goals, the Beltline also aims to include affordable commercial space alongside the trail. ABI will essentially “master lease” the entire 10,300 square feet of commercial space, pay nominal rent, and structure out affordable lease terms for small businesses.

Richards said it will “meet them where they are and create affordability and sustainability within those businesses.”

The Overlook at Garson is set for completion in 2028. The Beltline aims to complete its entire 22-mile loop of trail by 2030.