New townhome community in East Lake will bring affordable housing to area, with help from PGA Tour

ATLANTA — Big changes are happening in East Lake on the greens, and near the grounds in anticipation of the PGA Tour Championship next week.

East Lake has seen a lot of changes over the years and a lot of homes in the area can be very expensive.

Although townhomes bring much-needed affordable housing, not too far from the Tour Championship.

Alicia Dawkins is a mother of two and one of many who have had dreams of owning their own home in Atlanta for years.

“I had been wanting to purchase a home for a while,” Dawkins said. “This is something I didn’t think i’d be able to do... afford a home in East Lake.”

With the help of the tour championship at east lake golf club and the Atlanta Land Trust, she is a first-time homeowner.

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Dawkins will be one of the first homeowners to move in at the trust at East Lake Townhomes when construction is finished.

The 40-town home development brings affordable housing to homeowners who will own their house but not the land underneath.

Anyone who sells their home will have to sell to a family that meets the same affordable housing criteria.

“The equity will be there immediately because the home is already going to be worth way more than what your purchase price is because it’s a land trust home,” Dawkins said. “If I decided to sell it would be another great opportunity for a family.”

The Tour Championship has donated nearly $50 million to local nonprofits since 1998 and they help fund the trust at East Lake.

Dawkins works at nearby Drew Charter School, where she says she’s seen the benefits of PGA donations over the years.

“Previously. it was more so with the school now it’s with affordable housing which is very important to Atlanta,” she said.

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The hope is that the trust at East Lake becomes one of many more opportunities for Atlanta families.

“Being able to see oh we can do affordable housing in East Lake, we can do affordable housing anywhere.”

Several organizations including the east lake foundation played a part in this project for the past several years.

Construction is set to be finished by 2025.

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