Invest Atlanta closed $950,000 in financing from the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (BRLF) for Atomic Entertainment Development, LLC to fund environmental remediation for the historic Pratt-Pullman Yard site.
Once cleaned up, the site will be redeveloped into a mixed-use entertainment district called “Pratt-Pullman District.” The development will include residences, retail stores, a hotel, a digital incubator, creative offices, film production facilities, fine dining establishments, a fitness and wellness center and various points of interest. Atomic Entertainment will maintain the historic integrity of the property and has included a bike, walk, and nature paths in its design, as well as the maintenance of Woodland Preserves as a natural sanctuary. This project will create approximately 500 jobs and 10 percent affordable housing units.
The 27-acre site was the site of an active manufacturing facility starting in 1904. From the 1920s to the 1950s, Pullman Rail Car Company operated a repair and storage yard at the site. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the site was severely underused, and for the last 30 years it has been inactive.
The City of Atlanta’s Brownfields Program started in 1996. Since then, the City has managed several programs and initiatives aimed at identifying, assessing and remediating brownfield sites throughout the city. Invest Atlanta oversees the Brownfield RLF program.
A brownfield is a real property whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Examples include former industrial sites, gas stations, dry-cleaning establishments, and other industrial uses. Atlantic Station and the Atlanta BeltLine are two examples of successful brownfield cleanup and redevelopment projects in the City of Atlanta.
In June of 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $500,000 in supplemental funding to assist the City of Atlanta in cleaning up contaminated brownfield properties. The EPA provided a total of $15.7 million in funding to 33 other existing Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grantees, helping Atlanta and other communities around the country carry out cleanup and redevelopment projects.