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This project is in partnership with the Housing Development Corporation under the Dekalb Housing Authority and is a LIHTC product with a mix of senior living and multi-family homes with additional offices. This expansive property is located at the busy corner of Memorial Drive and Kensington Road in a developing area in Decatur, GA. After going through many iterations, the Owners landed on a mixed-use design that would provide a vibrant live/work center with direct MARTA transit access and the appeal of living or working right outside Atlanta’s city limits.
The construction is mostly wood frame, with offices consisting of a two-story concrete podium with two levels of multi-family above. The Senior Living building runs along Memorial Dr. and the offices sit on the corner of Kensington and Memorial, with a large dramatic glass structure facing the street. There is also another residential building across the road, adding ample affordable housing in the area.
The most unique feature of the property are two bridges that connect one of the residential buildings from the other buildings, crossing over the ever-busy Memorial Drive. We wanted the site to feel very united, with an overall puzzle-like design where everything touches and provides a sense of connectivity and safety throughout.
What started as a one-building senior living site morphed into a densely packed mixed-use development, so we went from having tons of room to play with to packing a lot in. During the design phase, we switched construction types from a five-story wood frame to general lumber and we also had to adjust the construction to meet the day rate of the workers—it goes up significantly when something is zoned as a high-rise building. Despite all of its transitions and challenges, Kensington Pointe is destined to bring affordable, yet high quality residences and office spaces to a community on the rise.
