Front Porch Brings Affordable Housing and Commercial Revival to Sweet Auburn
A new development has opened on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood, marking a milestone in the community-led revitalization of one of the city’s most historically significant corridors.
Known as Front Porch, the mixed-use project is led by Historic District Development Corporation (HDDC), with critical financial support and structuring from Reinvestment Fund and a coalition of mission-driven lenders and investors.
The $32 million project includes 33 residential units—primarily designed as affordable co-living spaces—and six commercial storefronts reserved for Black-owned businesses. It also features community-focused amenities such as a rooftop garden, operated by a local urban farm, and the adaptive reuse of the historic Haugabrooks Funeral Home into art and event space.
Located just a few blocks from the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Front Porch is part of HDDC’s broader strategy to preserve affordability, support local entrepreneurship, and promote cultural sustainability in Sweet Auburn, a neighborhood that once served as a national hub for Black commerce and civil rights organizing.
Located just a few blocks from the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Front Porch is part of HDDC’s broader strategy to preserve affordability, support local entrepreneurship, and promote cultural sustainability in Sweet Auburn.
The community identified clear needs in affordable housing, healthy food access, and inclusive commercial spaces.
The rooftop garden is developed in partnership with urban agriculture nonprofit HABESHA, Inc.
The mixed-use project is led by HDDC with critical financial support and structuring from Reinvestment Fund.
The project includes 33 residential units—primarily designed as affordable co-living spaces—and six commercial storefronts.
Development Responds to Local Needs
HDDC, a nonprofit founded by Coretta Scott King in 1980, spent years conducting community engagement to shape the development’s priorities. The community identified clear needs in affordable housing, healthy food access, and inclusive commercial spaces.
Front Porch delivers on these priorities. Of the 33 residential units, 73% are affordable at 60% of the area median income (AMI). The commercial component offers discounted rents—up to 50% below market rates—and targets growing Black entrepreneurs, many of whom were already located along the corridor.
Additional features include the rooftop garden, developed in partnership with urban agriculture nonprofit HABESHA, Inc., and the preservation of the Haugabrooks building, which now houses artist studios and a basement-level speakeasy.
As HDDC refined its site plan, it acquired a key adjacent parcel formerly occupied by a neighborhood fish shop. This acquisition unified the development footprint ahead of the financing close and enabled the inclusion of community-oriented features like the rooftop garden and courtyard—elements that have become defining aspects of the project.
“This was one of the most complex community development deals we’ve done in recent years…It required creative structuring, a high degree of coordination, and a lot of persistence.
Khaliff Davis, Managing Director, Lending & Investing
Reinvestment Fund’s Role in a Complex Capital Stack
Reinvestment Fund played a central role in the project’s financing. Initially slated to close in early 2021, the deal encountered significant challenges, including a lower-than-expected appraisal and the withdrawal of a key capital partner. These setbacks threatened the project’s viability. Rather than stepping back, Reinvestment Fund collaborated with HDDC to restructure the transaction using the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program. The restructured financing brought together a coalition of mission-aligned partners, including LIIF, LISC, Carver State Bank, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP), Capital One, Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, and Invest Atlanta.
“This was one of the most complex community development deals we’ve done in recent years,” said Khaliff Davis, Managing Director, Lending & Investing, at Reinvestment Fund. “It required creative structuring, a high degree of coordination, and a lot of persistence.”
Persistence Through Challenges
Like many community development projects, the Front Porch project experienced delays and cost increases, partly due to pandemic-related construction volatility. A change in architectural firms mid-project further complicated the timeline and budget, adding approximately $5 million in unanticipated expenses.
Despite these challenges, HDDC secured additional financing to close the funding gap, and construction proceeded through 2025.
Community Impact and Next Steps
With construction now complete, residential leasing is underway, and several commercial tenants—including longstanding Auburn Avenue businesses—have already signed on. HDDC will continue to own and manage the property, ensuring it remains rooted in the community it was built to serve. Building on this momentum, HDDC is also preparing for Phase II of the development, which will introduce additional retail space to support local entrepreneurs further and deepen the project’s economic impact.
For Reinvestment Fund, Front Porch exemplifies how sustained commitment, adaptable financing strategies, and strong collaboration with values-aligned partners can bring complex, community-driven projects to life.