Sovereign Construction & Development Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing in Historic Sweet Auburn

ATLANTA - July 5, 2022 - PRLog -- Sovereign Construction and Development (SDC), led and founded by Dr. Michael Hatcher, has partnered with Historic District Development Corporation (HDDC) to break ground on a one hundred thousand square foot (100,000 sf) mixed-use project, Front Porch on Auburn. The groundbreaking ceremony will be held on July 6th at 349 Old Wheat Street in Atlanta at 11:30 am.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will give remarks along with Atlanta City Councilman Amir Faroki, Atlanta City Councilwoman Liliana Bakhtiari, Fulton County Commissioner Natalie Hall, Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President & CEO (Invest Atlanta), Khaliff Davis Senior Director, Southeast Region (Reinvestment Fund), Nathaniel Smith, Founder and Chief Equity Officer (Partnership for Southern Equity), and Cheneé Joseph, President and CEO (HDDC).

Front Porch on Auburn will be located on historic Auburn Avenue and encompass 37 co-living apartment units with retail and commercial space on the ground floor. These units will provide a diversity of affordable housing compared to what is available in the area and allow collaborative ecosystems of people to live together.

"The whole development will be dedicated to affordability for both the residential and commercial spaces, Dr. Hatcher explains. "This will be the first new construction mixed-use project developed and built along the corridor since the housing market crash." He continues, "From graduate students living together in one unit, or a group of film industry professionals could lease another unit, and another industry-related group could inhabit another unit. The possibilities for potential end-users are unlimited.

Dr. Hatcher, a LEED accredited professional and construction industry innovator, has been a project leader on LEED-certified projects that achieved LEED GOLD Certification. The FRONT PORCH project has a sustainable design and construction component to it. A green building consultant will focus on sustainability, urban farming, art and community engagement. The development will have a rooftop garden to provide fresh produce to the tenants and the community.

HDDC is one of Atlanta's oldest surviving community development corporations and the only non-profit organization specifically dedicated to preserving the availability of affordable housing in the Old Fourth Ward district.

Chenee' Joseph shares, "Our goal is for Front Porch to be the example of truly equitable development in Atlanta. I am honored and humbled to be a part of the team of amazing people who believed in HDDC's vision to create a project that is the catalyst for the revitalization of Auburn Avenue. The time is now for our community to thrive and HDDC and its partners are proud to lead the way."

SDC has led and executed a wide range of commercial construction projects, including historic restorations and Highrise multi-family tower renovations in the southeast region of the U.S. in cities like Atlanta and Charlotte.

The construction firm was selected as a contractor for the renovation and historic restoration of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market (ATL). This historic landmark originally opened in 1924 as the Municipal Market of Atlanta.

SDC was also selected by the Atlanta Housing Authority and the Habitat Company as the construction team for an extensive series of residential unit renovations across its property portfolio in the city. They've worked with both the Atlanta-Fulton Library System and the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as clients. Sovereign has also constructed, developed and managed over 1000 affordable housing units since its inception in 2007.

For more info, visit https://www.sovereigncd.com/.