‘Call this place home’: Former Atlanta Motel is now a 56-unit studio apartment building on Moreland Avenue
Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Stan Sugarman, Co-founder of Atlanta-based Stryant Construction Management, Inc., couldn’t find the words in order to properly describe the former condition of the building behind him. The Atlanta Motel could have been considered an Atlanta landmark and eyesore at the same time. These days it is a sign of a victory in the battle for more affordable housing.
Newly named, The Ralph David House, which is located at 277 Moreland Avenue, was formerly known as the Atlanta Motel, a seedy, crime-ridden halfway house for the city’s transients. Today the residential project has 56-units of modern studio apartments that Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called, “renovated and reimagined” during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ceremony included Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs, and representatives from Partners For Home, Invest Atlanta, and Atlanta Housing. Dickens called the renovation of the hotel “a group project” because of how many organizations had a hand in making it possible.
Described as permanent supportive housing, there are six units that are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. All units will come with utilities and internet services blended into the rent, with social services also provided to all tenants. The rent will be based on 30% of a tenant’s income, according to Sugarman.
“The goal is to live here and become so successful that you transition to other housing,” Sugarman told The Atlanta Voice during an interview before the ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Wednesday. “This is a labor of love.”
The proximity to both Reynoldstown and East Atlanta might be the most attractive feature of this project. Dickens pointed out that there are three grocery stores and a MARTA station within walking distance, and the two-story apartment project is on two bus routes. “Today we’re not just opening a building, we’re opening opportunities for individuals that will call this place home,” said Dickens.
The project will not only help dozens of Atlanta residents find an affordable home, but it will help local business owners, says Jerome Hunt, the owner of ATL Window Tinting, which is located next door to The Ralph David House.
“Being a business owner right next to it, I think it can be productive if it’s kept clean,” said Hunt, who explained that it will all depend on who moves into the apartments. Hunt plans to renovate the property surrounding his business in order to take advantage of the new apartments. “We can’t stay the same,” he said.
Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice
Local resident Jacques Jones has lived a few blocks away from The Ralph David House for the past nine years. When he walked over to see what all the fuss was about an hour before the ribbon-cutting he said, “It still gives me hotel vibes.”
But it’s not a hotel. Or a motel. It’s another brick in Dickens’s plans to provide more affordable housing in Atlanta. “This is a blueprint of what is possible,” Dickens said.
The Ralph David House is scheduled to open in February 2025.
