Reading, writing, renting: Atlanta units aimed at teachers

ATLANTA (AP) — A proposed apartment building in downtown Atlanta could feature 31 stories of teachers.

Developers of the proposed $176 million project called “Teachers Village” say they plan to market 229 of the 438 apartments to Atlanta school system employees.

Invest Atlanta, the city development agency, on Thursday approved giving the project a $26.4 million tax-exempt loan and a $4 million grant. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the grant funding now goes to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners for further review.

City school system supporters say the project proposed by RPH Group will encourage more teachers to live within the city.

“It has long been a priority of our school district that our staff, at all income levels, are able to make the city we serve their home,” Atlanta Superintendent Lisa Herring wrote in a letter endorsing the project.

Only 27% of APS’ 3,000 teachers live within the city, according to a 2019 district report. Those who live in the neighborhoods where they teach “are more committed, stay employed longer and have better attendance,” according to the report.

The company has built similar projects in Newark, New Jersey, and Hartford, Connecticut.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who chairs the Invest Atlanta board, said Thursday that the complex will aid workers “who aren’t making six figures, but still want to be a part of the community.”

The average Atlanta teacher makes about $66,000 a year, while a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree earns about $49,000. Other employees make less, such as bus drivers, some office workers and teacher assistants.

Apartments in the proposed project near Centennial Olympic Park would rent for $813 to $2,060 a month, depending on the size of the unit and income of...