Mayor Andre Dickens (center) and other city officials were on hand for Wednesday’s groundbreaking of McAuley Station. (Courtesy City of Atlanta)

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday for McAuley Station, a 270-unit apartment building for families and seniors in Old Fourth Ward.

The development will provide 170 affordable and workforce housing apartments adjacent to Mercy Care health center on Gartrell Street.

The first phase will include studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments available at 30% to 80% of the area median income. Ten units will be transitional/respite units for Mercy Care patients. An additional 30 units will supply permanent supportive housing.

The master-planned community includes the recently completed expansion of Mercy Care’s clinic space to better serve Atlanta’s low-income population. The 36,000-square-foot expansion includes a resource center for partner agencies who serve Mercy Care’s population of which 96% are in need of affordable housing.

Once complete, the multi-phase McAuley Park master plan will add 270 affordable family, senior, and workforce units adjacent to Mercy Care making it the first home and health development in the City of Atlanta.

A rendering of McAuley Station. (Courtesy City of Atlanta)

Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He’s also an award-winning poet and novelist.