Athens Housing Authority
300 S. Rocksprings St.
P.O. Box 1469 Athens GA 30603-1469
Telephone: 706.425.5300
www.athenshousing.org
For Release: Immediately
Contact: Marilyn Appleby, Communications Director, 706.425.5367; 706-202-1506
mappleby@athenshousing.org
Groundbreaking for Columbia Brookside
The Athens Housing Authority and Columbia Residential will host a groundbreaking ceremony
for the construction of Columbia Brookside on Wed., Oct. 23, 2013 at 11 a.m. at the former Jack R. Wells
(Pauldoe) public housing site located on Hawthorne Ave.
Mayor Nancy Denson will join representatives from the U.S. Department and Urban
Development (HUD), the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and development partners
the Athens Housing Authority and Columbia Residential for the ceremony to celebrate the beginning of
construction on Columbia Brookside, the first mixed-income multi-family community in Athens.
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Columbia Brookside
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Phase I of Columbia Brookside will be a 100-unit senior living residence that will include
community areas such as meeting space, kitchen, fitness center, and an auditorium for movies, lectures,
and programs. Phase 1 will be ready for occupancy during the fall of 2014. Two additional phases are
slated for construction and will include two-, three-, and four bedroom apartments and should be
completed in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The Columbia Brookside community will offer a variety of
amenities for individuals and families including green spaces, a water recreation area, tennis courts,
community centers, and walking trails.
“Today’s groundbreaking for Columbia Brookside is the culmination of years of hard work by our
Board of Commissioners, our development partner Columbia Residential, residents, the community, and
our staff. The goal of developing a vital, thriving, mixed-income neighborhood for Athens is about to
become a reality,” said Rick Parker, Athens Housing Authority Executive Director. “With the
establishment of the UGA Health Sciences Campus, the Hawthorne Avenue corridor between our
community’s health centers takes on new importance. It is our hope that this development can serve as
a catalyst for the growth and revitalization of this area. Caterpillar’s arrival shows that Athens-Clarke
County is growing and on the move. The Athens Housing Authority, along with Columbia Residential,
looks forward to providing a variety of housing in a unique neighborhood to meet our community’s
growing needs.”
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Columbia Brookside
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Development partner Columbia Residential is one of the nation’s leading developers and
managers of multi-family, affordable and mixed-income housing and has transformed more than 40
multi-family neighborhoods across the Southeast. Columbia Residential has been instrumental in
developing multi-family mixed income neighbors in New Orleans in the post-Hurricane Katrina years.
“All of our partners have worked extremely hard preparing to break ground on Columbia
Brookside, and today’s ceremony is a culmination of those efforts,” said Noel Khalil, founder and CEO of
Columbia Residential. “We have learned a lot about the needs of the community through multiple
neighborhood associations and organizations, and this community will be an essential part of the overall
revitalization effort in Athens. It is our mission to not only improve the quality of affordable housing
options in Athens, but to also improve the quality of life with a more walkable neighborhood, multiple
playgrounds and parks and Energy Star appliances to ultimately reduce utility costs for residents.”
The new community will be developed utilizing funds from multiple sources including: DCA
provided tax credit through SunTrust Community Capital LLC, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development capital funds, AHA non-federal funds, Athens-Clarke County HOME and special program
funds. Construction financing will be provided by SunTrust Bank. A new partnership corporation
created by Columbia Residential and the Athens Housing Authority will serve as developer/owner with
Walton Construction as the general contractor for the project.
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About Columbia Residential
Founded in 1991, Columbia Residential is Atlanta’s leading developer and manager of affordable and mixedincome multifamily housing communities. Columbia manages nearly 6,000 units in metro Atlanta and is known for
award winning design, construction quality and responsive property management. Columbia Residential provides
quality, safe and affordable housing for moderate to low-income families that not only meet the needs of
residents, but also satisfy the aesthetic standards of the community. Columbia Residential regularly wins national
and regional awards for architectural excellence, including most recently the ULI Atlanta 2013 Development of
Excellence and a 2013 NAHB Pillars of the Industry finalist designation for best affordable community, at its most
recently completed senior community.
About the Athens Housing Authority
The Athens Housing Authority was established in 1938 for the development, administration, and management of
public housing in the community. In addition, the Housing Authority has built and sold 24 homes under its
affordable homeownership program, ACT I Homes. Savannah Heights, a mixed income subdivision was also
developed by the Housing Authority and a local developer.