The 1932 Lakewood Heights Elementary building on Sawtell Avenue will become homes and shops. A developer is picked; construction is set for late 2027.

The former Lakewood Heights Elementary School in southeast Atlanta has a developer. The 1932 building at 335 Sawtell Ave. SE will be kept and turned into homes and commercial space.

The city of Atlanta, Atlanta Public Schools and Atlanta Urban Development picked Ali-Graceline Development for the project, the mayor’s office announced Sept. 30. Ali-Graceline is a joint venture of Ali Development LLC and Graceline Partners LLC.

What is planned

From the city’s announcement:

Detail Plan
Site About 2.15 acres at 335 Sawtell Ave. SE
Original building Built in 1932; to be preserved and reused
Whole project 54,721 square feet
Homes 42,721 square feet of residential space
Commercial 12,000 square feet
Construction start Expected in the fourth quarter of 2027

The city did not give a number of apartments or say how many would be affordable. It said residents asked for mixed-income housing during planning, along with:

  • keeping the original school building
  • a design that works for people on foot
  • uses that serve the neighborhood

Why it matters

The school building is a contributing landmark in the Lakewood Heights Historic District, the city said. It is in one of the priority neighborhoods of the mayor’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, a multi-year program aimed at the city’s most underserved areas.

It is also a first. The Atlanta Board of Education approved the development agreement and ground lease Sept. 1. The Atlanta Urban Development board followed Sept. 24. The city said the approvals set up the first joint development agreement between the school district and Atlanta Urban Development, a nonprofit subsidiary of the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta. The partnership is meant to keep the land in long-term public stewardship, it said.

“Public land should work for the public, and that means creating homes, opportunity and stronger neighborhoods for the people who already call them home,” Mayor Andre Dickens said.

Superintendent Bryan Johnson said the plan “preserves an important piece of Atlanta history while creating new housing opportunities.”

What happens next

The partners now move into predevelopment: design, financing and the other work needed before construction. The city expects building to start in the fourth quarter of 2027. Lakewood Heights is one of the first sites the partnership picked for redevelopment, it said.

What it means for you