Residents of southwest Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood gathered together to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for Pittsburgh Yards, a development that will be a catalyst of economic growth and equity for southside communities.  

Also in attendance were members of the Atlanta City Council, Invest Atlanta, the Columbia Core Partners development team, and leaders from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the nonprofit philanthropy that owns the parcel and has invested toward ensuring the development benefits the community. 

Pittsburgh Yards will be a key community-focused, economically-inclusive asset for the Southside and for the city as a whole. When complete, it will offer accessible rental rates for local small businesses to thrive. This in turn will create a range of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities even as it bolsters the sense of community in this part of the city.

“Atlanta’s economic landscape is changing with more major development initiatives breaking ground south of Interstate 20,” said Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta. “Pittsburgh Yards will create a range of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities that will help bring new, sustainable growth and nearly $40 million in economic impact to the area.”

The $26 million first phase of development will happen on the eastern side of the property around an existing 61,000 square foot structure that will create work spaces at accessible rental rates for approximately 100 businesses, including light-industrial, administrative, artisanal, maker and creative enterprises. A large, natural-turf green space will be created, along with a business-centric area that features repurposed shipping containers that will be used as work spaces and storefronts. The first phase will also include necessary road, sewer, storm-water management, landscaping and pedestrian-oriented infrastructure — including a spur to the Atlanta BeltLine — as well as three adaptable pad-ready sites.

The first phase of the development create approximately 200 new permanent jobs. And over the next decade, that number will climb to 1,000 new positions. And importantly, Annie E. Casey will work with the Center for Working Families and other organizations to ensure local residents have access to employment and training opportunities. 

Pittsburgh Yards is a critical project for south Atlanta, which over the next few years will see unprecedented levels of investment, from the former site of Turner Field to the Atlanta BeltLine to Ft. McPherson to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. 

Invest Atlanta supported this project with a New Markets Tax Credits allocation through our community development subsidiary, Atlanta Emerging Markets, Inc. Since 2010, AEMI has invested in 16 projects, including Grady Hospital’s Emergency Center and Women and Infants Center, as well as Families First’s new headquarters. 

And recently, Mayor Bottoms announced the news that AEMI will receive another $60 million allocation from the U.S. Treasury Department. We stand at the ready to support many more game-changing projects like Pittsburgh Yards in the years to come.