Ashley Station now leasing - Ledger-Enquirer Article 2006-09-20

Residents have begun moving into the new Ashley Station apartment development off Talbotton Road in Columbus.

The first phase of the new mixed-income community should be completed by December, the Housing Authority of Columbus says, while the second phase will be finished in late 2007.

Altogether, Ashley Station will have 366 apartment units when it is completely developed.

The complex replaces the 60-year-old George Foster Peabody public housing complex, which had 500-plus units before it was razed in 2005.

Ashley Station now leasing
Mixed-income apartment complex wrapping up phase one
BY TONY ADAMS
Staff Writer

The Ashley Station apartments have started to open and some residents are moving in while construction continues along Talbotton Road.The George Foster Peabody public-housing complex has been filed away in the city's history books, its 63-year run over.

In its place now stands Ashley Station, a mixed-income apartment community that already has people living there -- some of them former Peabody residents.

"We sent out letters to all of the former Peabody residents and I think we've got right at 40 that are coming back. They are families, some of them have children, some are elderly, some are disabled," said Amy Moore, Housing Authority of Columbus' manager of Hope VI and Redevelopment Services.

The Peabody residents were displaced more than two years ago when the Housing Authority and Atlanta-based developer and property management firm The Integral Group partnered on the project.

The 500-plus brick public-housing apartments -- bordered by Talbotton Road and 27th Street -- were torn down to make way for 367 new apartments with sleek siding and amenities similar to those found in any market-rate complex in Columbus. The designs include ceiling fans, washer/dryer hookups and walk-in closets, while a swimming pool will be on site.

There are 184 apartments in the first phase, which is 87 percent complete, said Dorethia Garland, developer manager with Integral Group's property management service IMS. The phase is 76 percent preleased and 30 percent occupied, she said.

Infrastructure work has already begun on the second phase of Ashley Station, which has 183 units that should be completed by December 2007. Preleasing on those apartments won't begin until next summer, however.

Forty percent of the apartments in Ashley Station -- 73 of them in phase one -- must be made available to those eligible for public housing under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rules. Ashley Station's $57 million price tag is being partially funded through a $20 million federal Hope VI grant.

The Integral Group is also using tax credits and private loans to pay for the apartment complex, which it technically will own after completion.

The public-housing aspect is one reason the Atlanta developer is sensitive about how people perceive the apartment community. The privately owned company declined requests to speak with current residents on site.

Any mention of income -- with the exceptions of the terms mixed-income and mixed-use -- won't be used in marketing and advertising of Ashley Station, Garland said.

"There's always going to be those stereotypes," Garland said. "And in order to overcome it -- you don't just ignore it -- but you don't advertise the different incomes. Because as soon as you say income-based, then people are still (thinking) of that as stereotypical public housing, which Ashley Station is not."

Instead, Garland said, those interested in the apartments will be invited to look at them and then sit down with the management company to discuss financial qualifications, just as they would at any complex in Columbus.

For instance, those eligible for public housing assistance or subsidies will pay rents equal to 30 percent of their adjusted gross income. The market rate apartments will range from $600 per month for one bedroom to $900 monthly for three bedrooms. Apartment sizes range from just under 700 to 1,500 square feet.

The Housing Authority's Moore said the market-rate units are needed for The Integral Group to make the development successful.

She also understands there are some medical personnel, such as nurses, already moving into Ashley Station because of its access to The Medical Center, Doctors Hospital and other health care facilities nearby.

"They have to have so many market-rate units to generate cash," she said. "They make no money, really, off the public-housing units. But to keep the thing going they have to have some market-rate folks."

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Contact Tony Adams at 706-571-8574 or tadams@ledger-enquirer.com

Posted on www.ledger-enquirer.com on Wed., Sept 20, 2006

Ashley Station Accepting First New Residents Residents have begun moving into the new Ashley Station apartment development off Talbotton Road in Columbus. The first phase of the new mixed-income community should be completed by December, the Housing Authority of Columbus says, while the second phase will be finished in late 2007. Altogether, Ashley Station will have 366 apartment units when it is completely developed. The complex replaces the 60-year-old George Foster Peabody public housing complex, which had 500-plus units before it was razed in 2005. Ashley Station now leasing Mixed-income apartment complex wrapping up phase one BY TONY ADAMS Staff Writer The Ashley Station apartments have started to open and some residents are moving in while construction continues along Talbotton Road.The George Foster Peabody public-housing complex has been filed away in the city's history books, its 63-year run over. In its place now stands Ashley Station, a mixed-income apartment community that already has people living there -- some of them former Peabody residents. "We sent out letters to all of the former Peabody residents and I think we've got right at 40 that are coming back. They are families, some of them have children, some are elderly, some are disabled," said Amy Moore, Housing Authority of Columbus' manager of Hope VI and Redevelopment Services. The Peabody residents were displaced more than two years ago when the Housing Authority and Atlanta-based developer and property management firm The Integral Group partnered on the project. The 500-plus brick public-housing apartments -- bordered by Talbotton Road and 27th Street -- were torn down to make way for 367 new apartments with sleek siding and amenities similar to those found in any market-rate complex in Columbus. The designs include ceiling fans, washer/dryer hookups and walk-in closets, while a swimming pool will be on site. There are 184 apartments in the first phase, which is 87 percent complete, said Dorethia Garland, developer manager with Integral Group's property management service IMS. The phase is 76 percent preleased and 30 percent occupied, she said. Infrastructure work has already begun on the second phase of Ashley Station, which has 183 units that should be completed by December 2007. Preleasing on those apartments won't begin until next summer, however. Forty percent of the apartments in Ashley Station -- 73 of them in phase one -- must be made available to those eligible for public housing under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rules. Ashley Station's $57 million price tag is being partially funded through a $20 million federal Hope VI grant. The Integral Group is also using tax credits and private loans to pay for the apartment complex, which it technically will own after completion. The public-housing aspect is one reason the Atlanta developer is sensitive about how people perceive the apartment community. The privately owned company declined requests to speak with current residents on site. Any mention of income -- with the exceptions of the terms mixed-income and mixed-use -- won't be used in marketing and advertising of Ashley Station, Garland said. "There's always going to be those stereotypes," Garland said. "And in order to overcome it -- you don't just ignore it -- but you don't advertise the different incomes. Because as soon as you say income-based, then people are still (thinking) of that as stereotypical public housing, which Ashley Station is not." Instead, Garland said, those interested in the apartments will be invited to look at them and then sit down with the management company to discuss financial qualifications, just as they would at any complex in Columbus. For instance, those eligible for public housing assistance or subsidies will pay rents equal to 30 percent of their adjusted gross income. The market rate apartments will range from $600 per month for one bedroom to $900 monthly for three bedrooms. Apartment sizes range from just under 700 to 1,500 square feet. The Housing Authority's Moore said the market-rate units are needed for The Integral Group to make the development successful. She also understands there are some medical personnel, such as nurses, already moving into Ashley Station because of its access to The Medical Center, Doctors Hospital and other health care facilities nearby. "They have to have so many market-rate units to generate cash," she said. "They make no money, really, off the public-housing units. But to keep the thing going they have to have some market-rate folks." -------------------------------------------------------- Contact Tony Adams at 706-571-8574 or tadams@ledger-enquirer.com