The Dickens Administration, Atlanta Urban Development (AUD) and Atlanta Public Schools (APS) announced that Ali-Graceline Development, a joint venture of Ali Development LLC and Graceline Partners, LLC, will be the development partner for the redevelopment of the former Lakewood Heights Elementary School at 335 Sawtell Ave. SE.

The Atlanta Board of Education approved the development agreement and ground lease on September 1, followed by approval by the AUD Board on September 24. The approvals establish the first joint APS-AUD development agreement and move the partnership from planning and procurement into implementation.

“Public land should work for the public, and that means creating homes, opportunity and stronger neighborhoods for the people who already call them home,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “Lakewood Heights shows what our Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative is designed to do: bring partners together, listen to the community and put underused public property back to work in a way that creates housing, preserves neighborhood history and delivers lasting value for residents.”

Lakewood Heights Elementary School is located within a Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI) priority neighborhood. NRI is a comprehensive, multi-year effort to strengthen Atlanta’s most underserved communities by aligning targeted investment, anti-displacement strategies and coordinated public-private action to improve quality of life and expand economic opportunity for residents.

The redevelopment will preserve and adaptively reuse the original 1932 Lakewood Heights Elementary School building as part of a 54,721-square-foot mixed-use project. Plans call for 42,721 square feet of residential space and 12,000 square feet of commercial space, returning the historic school property to active community use.

The redevelopment reflects extensive engagement with Lakewood Heights residents and stakeholders. Preservation of the original school building, mixed-income housing, pedestrian-friendly design and neighborhood-serving uses emerged as central priorities during the planning process.

“This milestone demonstrates what is possible when public partners align around housing, preservation and community priorities,” said John Majors, President and CEO of Atlanta Urban Development. “Lakewood Heights is about more than redeveloping a property. It is about preserving an important neighborhood landmark while putting public land to work to create housing that serves Atlanta families for generations.”

The project is part of a broader partnership between APS, AUD and the City of Atlanta to transform underused public properties into community assets while maintaining long-term public stewardship of the land. Lakewood Heights was identified as one of the partnership’s initial redevelopment sites.

“Atlanta Public Schools is committed to ensuring that our properties continue to create value for students, families and the communities we serve,” said Dr. Bryan Johnson, Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. “The Lakewood Heights redevelopment preserves an important piece of Atlanta history while creating new housing opportunities and demonstrating responsible stewardship of a public asset.”

The former school sits on approximately 2.15 acres in the heart of the Lakewood Heights neighborhood. Built in 1932, the original school building has been identified as historically significant and is a contributing community landmark within the Lakewood Heights Historic District. Its preservation and adaptive reuse are central to the redevelopment plan, allowing the property to support new housing and commercial activity while retaining an important piece of neighborhood history.

With the development agreement and ground lease approved, AUD, APS and Ali-Graceline Development will move into the next phase of predevelopment, including design, financing and other activities necessary to advance the project toward construction, which is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2027.

To learn more about Mayor Dickens’ broader vision for affordable housing and healthy, thriving neighborhoods, click here and here.