A three-story apartment building called Firehouse is in the final stretch of construction at 26 Hilliard St. NE in Sweet Auburn, on a lot that sat vacant just east of the downtown Connector between Auburn and Edgewood avenues. The building will hold 10 income-restricted apartments, and the developer is marketing all of them to first responders and to people who already work downtown.
Rents are expected to be capped at $1,250 a month, or $15,000 a year per unit, with all utilities and fees included in that figure. Every apartment is being marketed as a one-bedroom, one-bathroom studio. Square footages have not been disclosed. Completion is expected by the end of 2026.
The developer and builder is Under New Management, led by intown developer Saba Loghman, a former Empire Communities executive who still advises that company. Line + Angle Architecture is the architect and Martin Rickles Studio handled interior design. The argument behind the project is that small infill lots can carry part of Atlanta's affordable and missing-middle housing load, and that the model behind Firehouse could be repeated around the city rather than treated as a one-off.
That model is public-private. Listed partners include Invest Atlanta, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Crippen Consulting, and District 5 Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari. Atlanta Downtown Inc. puts the total investment at $1.9 million. The project drew unanimous support from Neighborhood Planning Unit M and from surrounding neighborhood groups during the planning stage, according to development officials.
For people already downtown, the location is the case. The site is within walking distance of the Atlanta Streetcar, MARTA's King Memorial station, the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, the Old Fourth Ward and the downtown core. Ten units will not move the citywide affordability numbers, but a workforce-priced building on a previously empty parcel this close to transit is a different kind of test than a tower.
Under New Management has other work underway. The company is building a mixed-use townhome project with a warehouse component in Kirkwood, across the street from Pullman Yards, and last fall unveiled a project called Downtown Chosewood on vacant acreage off the Southside Trail. An adaptive-reuse proposal for a long-empty building near the Beltline in Chosewood Park surfaced more recently.
Original reporting: Urbanize Atlanta (2026-08-19)
