Construction is underway on a senior apartment complex near the Kedron Village shopping center that will include 96 units.
HearthSide Peachtree City is a $14.2 million project undertaken by NorSouth Development, which describes the complex as an “amenity-rich, affordable rental community reserved exclusively for independent seniors age 62 and older.”
The project, located at the end of Newgate Road bordering the shopping center, is expected to be complete in late 2013.
HearthSide will offer one and two bedroom units along with a community room with bistro, media room, fitness center, art studio and salon. Also planned are a walking path near the creek along the site, a garden center with planting beds and covered golf cart spaces with charging stations.
The three-story building will include two elevators and security card access for residents.
“We believe there is a strong need for affordable homes for independent seniors, especially in established communities like Peachtree City, where I imagine family members of potential HearthSide residents already live,” said Dave Dixon, managing partner of NorSouth. “Everything at HearthSide Peachtree City has been created for the comfort and enjoyment of our future residents, to maximize freedom, reduce stress and enable them to live well.”
NorSouth will be setting aside at least 80 percent of its units for tenants based on income guidelines, with an eligible tenant making no more than $30,100 a year for a one-bedroom unit and up to $34,400 for a two-bedroom unit.
Other units will be made available at “market rent,” NorSouth has said previously.
NorSouth Vice President Brendan Barr noted that the senior household growth over the last decade has outpaced Peachtree City’s total household growth.
“Many of these seniors will choose a rental lifestyle, free from the responsibilities of home ownership and maintenance, as well as free from substantial entry fees and association dues found at some senior communities. There’s no comparable community to HearthSide here in Peachtree City, so we are excited about meeting this pent-up demand.”
The building is being constructed to meet EarthCraft Communities standards with the use of organic landscaping, community composting, LED outdoor lighting and more.
The project was initially pitched to the city council in June 2010 but was voted down 4-1. It was revived in March 2011 after NorSouth sued the city in federal court, claiming racial discrimination based on a comment from Peachtree City Mayor Don Haddix that he was worried the new development might “become Harmony Village.”
That lawsuit noted that Harmony Village Apartments, located off Peachtree Parkway in south Peachtree City, “accepts Section 8 vouchers and houses a predominantly minority population.”
The city contended the comment was not based on racial discrimination, rather on “a host of code enforcement issues and public safety issues.”
