New Birth proposes mixed-use "New Birth Village" at 6370 Woodrow Road with senior housing and retail; rezoning, variances set for October hearings

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and its nonprofit development arm, the New Birth Community Development Corporation, presented a proposal on Sept. 11 to rezone land at 6370 Woodrow Road for a mixed-use project called New Birth Village that would include affordable and attainable housing, senior housing, commercial space and community amenities. The church’s chief financial officer, Adolphus Armstrong, said the sponsors seek rezonings and design variances to allow a mix of residential and commercial uses on the property.

The proposal would transform a long-cleared parcel New Birth owns into a walkable district with single-family cottage homes, senior townhomes, multifamily units and about 20,000 square feet of office/retail space. “A dream deferred is not a dream denied,” Adolphus Armstrong said during the presentation, describing the project as a faith-anchored development to expand housing options and neighborhood services.

Why it matters: New Birth Village would add hundreds of housing opportunities and neighborhood-serving retail on land that has been vacant for decades and is adjacent to existing New Birth facilities. Proponents said the project aims to increase homeownership opportunities, create jobs and expand the local tax base while offering services targeted to seniors, young professionals and working families.

Key facts and timeline - Applicant: New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and New Birth CDC; presenter: Adolphus Armstrong, CFO. - Site: parcel at 6370 Woodrow Road (the church-controlled cleared acreage described in the presentation as roughly 33–35 acres). - Proposal: mixed-use neighborhood with an initial phase of single-family and cottage homes, senior townhomes and later phases with retail, community pavilion and additional multifamily units. The presenters described roughly 91 single-family residential units in the master plan and about 20,000 square feet of commercial/office space; phase 1 cottage units were described as ranging from roughly 700 to 1,200 square feet. - Pricing and affordability: presenters said cottage homes are expected to start in the low $200,000s; some units will be targeted with subsidy or down-payment assistance so homes remain affordable to qualifying buyers. - Schedule announced by city staff: RZ25-009 (rezoning for 6370 Woodrow Road) is scheduled for an Oct. 7 Planning Commission hearing and a final decision at the Oct. 27 Mayor and City Council meeting; associated variance(s) will be heard Oct. 21 at the Zoning Board of Appeals.

What proponents said New Birth and its development team described a long list of community benefits they say the project will deliver: on-site workforce training and hiring priorities for Stonecrest residents; down-payment assistance and home-buyer education prioritized by ZIP code; local hiring agreements; EV charging and energy-efficient building standards; green infrastructure and tree canopy protections; trail and park connections; and on-site pop-up commercial kiosks to support neighborhood businesses. Vanessa Williams Nash of the Williams Nash Agency, representing the project team, emphasized prioritizing Stonecrest residents for homebuyer outreach and workforce opportunities.

Design and technical details Project engineer Tyrone Williams described a two-phase build, with phase 1 focused on residential cottage units (700–1,200 sq. ft. models) and senior townhomes, and phase 2 containing retail and a community pavilion. The team said phase 1 construction is planned to start in January 2026 with an 18–24 month timeline. Techie Homes, the homebuilder partner, presented sample home models and said similar cottage communities they built sold out quickly in other Atlanta-area cities.

Questions and public concerns Residents raised questions about traffic, parking, long-term enforcement of affordability and homeownership covenants, transportation for seniors, public safety, potential noise from a future amphitheater, environmental and site impacts, and the timeline for delivery. Adolphus Armstrong and team members responded that they have completed market and environmental impact studies and that some units would be funded with grants or programs that require multi-year occupancy restrictions (often three to five years) to prevent immediate flipping. The team also said they are exploring a free EV shuttle service for seniors and that some units would use federal or grant funding to lower purchase prices.

No decisions were taken at the meeting; the requests were informational and will proceed to the formal hearings noted above.

Ending City staff reminded the public of the hearing schedule: the rezoning application RZ25-009 will appear before the Planning Commission on Oct. 7 and before Mayor and City Council on Oct. 27; variance matters will be heard Oct. 21 at the Zoning Board of Appeals. The developers invited neighbors to visit comparable completed projects and to participate in future design and advisory meetings.