With a Press Conference and Ground Breaking Ceremony Led By Pastor Bishop Dexter L. Johnson of Higher Ground Empowerment Center Church Featuring Mayor Keisha Bottoms
The Legacy At Vine City Affordable Senior Citizen Housing is the first catalytic project inside of the Vine City Community and is a part of the retention of residents, creation of affordable housing, and most importantly creation of over 100 jobs.
The Oasis of Vine City, Inc., a community development corporation of Higher Ground Empowerment Center Church (HGECC), along with Bishop Dexter L. Johnson, lead the vision of The Legacy of Vine City – a state-of-the-art, gated community with 105 units of affordable housing for senior living. This residential space will be erected just three blocks west of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 0.3 miles east of Sunset Avenue, the birthplace of the nation’s civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a few hundred yards from the new Rodney Cook, Sr. Park now under construction by the City of Atlanta. It will boast contemporary, one and two-bedroom apartments.
The Seniors that live at the Legacy of Vine City will receive 100% housing assistance from Atlanta Housing Authority.
The Legacy at Vine City is a $20-million-dollar investment that will be nestled in the heart of the underserved, Vine City community. This effort is being lead by Bishop Johnson who has served this community for over 24 years. Higher Ground Empowerment Center Church is a 115-year-old church that is a beacon of light for Vine City and the Westside Community. The Beverly J. Searles Foundation, alongside The Oasis of Vine City, serves as a co-developer for this housing project, and will help bring to life the 25-year-old vision of Bishop Dexter Johnson. “There was a concern about senior housing prior to my predecessor, Rev. Edward Hall, passing on the reigns to me. He led the then-named Mount Gilead Missionary Baptist Church for 30 years. We wanted to build housing that was affordable and favorable to the needs of those 62 years of age and older”, states Bishop Dexter Johnson.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ platform includes mitigating the displacement of residents in Atlanta’s Historic Westside, one of the City’s most vulnerable communities. The Legacy at Vine City will provide affordable housing to Vine City senior residents, serving an area where the average medium income is between $17,000 – $24,000/year. Currently, Higher Ground Empowerment Center operates a clothing closet and food pantry every Wednesday, 10 am – 1 pm to provide Vine City residents, who are in need, with free clothes and food. Clothes are donated by HGECC members and those who live in the community.
Key financial supporters include: Atlanta Housing Authority, Cabretta Capital, Community Development Trust, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Invest Atlanta, and PNC Real Estate.
The Oasis of Vine City would like to extend special thanks to the following: AEC, Inc.; Ballard Spahr, LLP; Butler Snow, LLP; Coleman Talley, LLP; Fairway Construction Co., Inc. [one of the JES Holdings family of companies]; Kutak Rock, LLP; McGee & Oxford; Morton Gruber AIA; Seyfarth Shaw, LLP; Spivey, Pope, Green & Greer, LLP; The Beverly J. Searles Foundation
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