Phase III of the Johnson Ferry East Redevelopment Project is Underway

The third phase of the Johnson Ferry East renovation project has begun as workers were clearing the land and beginning initial phases of what is anticipated to be a two-year construction project, said Housing Authority officials.

The new mixed-use apartments for seniors will be comprised of both low income and market rate units and are schedule to open in two years, said Paula Grant, Housing Authority of DeKalb County spokesperson.

 The future Marketside at Brookleigh, will comprise 121 one and two bedroom  townhouses.  Thirty-four of the units will be reserved for low income residents, the remaining 87 units will be market rate units open to the general public. The facility - initially planned for a combination retail/residential use, will now be exclusively residential. Grant said the economic downturn prohibited that component, but that the community is situated close to two supermarkets, coffee shops and stores along the Johnson Ferry and Ashford Park corridor.  Additionally, the project calls for the integration of a multi-purpose trail and a three-acre park.

The Johnson Ferry East Redevelopment began in 2006 after its 51-year-old facilities suffered dilapidation and lacked much-needed upgrades – evidence that was part of a rampant national trend in public housing communities, Grant said.

Grant said the buildings  - constructed in 1955 - had not conformed to the standards of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Johnson Ferry communities needed those kinds of upgrades, particularly because of its senior population.

“We had to look at it as a complete remodel and we did better to tear the old complex down and rebuild,” she said.

NorSouth is the developer working with the housing authority to complete the project.

"We are really proud of it", Grant said. "It’s a complement to the neighborhood."