In Atlanta’s Pittsburgh neighborhood, just a mile from downtown and nestled along the BeltLine, empty lots whisper stories. Stories of families long gone, of shotgun houses that stood through generations, and of a community that once thrived—until disinvestment and redlining took their toll.
But where some see blight, others see potential. The kind of potential that can reshape not just a block but a future.
Malik Johnson isn’t a real developer, but his story is inspired by dozens of real projects taking shape across cities like Atlanta, Denver, and Seattle. His journey reflects the challenges and creativity required to bring truly affordable housing to neighborhoods that need it most.
Malik grew up two blocks from what is now a tangle of weeds and cracked pavement. His grandmother used to sit on the porch, greeting neighbors by name. When she passed, the house sat empty—like too many others in the neighborhood.
Years later, Malik returned—not to reminisce, but to rebuild. With a background in construction management and a head full of spreadsheets, he wanted to create something Pittsburgh hadn’t seen in decades: high-quality, truly affordable housing built for the people who lived there before the cranes arrived.
His plan? A 52-unit mixed-income development, with rents that wouldn’t require three roommates or two jobs.
It’s difficult to build affordable housing when the cost of land, labor, and capital is rising—and when the returns don’t fit into traditional underwriting models. But Malik knew the tools available to those who are patient, creative, and mission-driven.
Here’s how he stacked the capital:
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC):
This federal program provided the core equity. By partnering with a tax credit investor, Malik was able to raise roughly 40% of the project’s total cost.
Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds:
With support from the city and the Atlanta Housing Authority, Malik secured bond financing to reduce the project’s cost of debt—critical for keeping rents low.
Local Gap Funding:
Grants from Invest Atlanta and Fulton County’s housing trust helped bridge the difference between what the project cost and what it could earn.
Permanent Loan from a Mission-Aligned Lender:
Once construction was complete and units were leased, a nonprofit lender stepped in with a low-interest, long-term loan—focused more on impact than return.
Atlanta’s growth has been dizzying. Glass towers rise, rents spike, and longtime residents are pushed to the margins—or out of the city entirely. Neighborhoods like Pittsburgh are ground zero for this tension.
But the solution isn’t to stop development—it’s to guide it with intention. To build affordability into the city’s comeback story. To ensure that the people who kept the lights on during the hard years aren’t forced out when prosperity returns.
Malik’s project opened its doors last fall. All 52 units were leased out in under 45 days. Ten units went to seniors on fixed incomes. Eight to veterans. Others to teachers, rideshare drivers, and retail workers who otherwise would’ve been priced out of the neighborhood they called home.
The building includes a shared courtyard, bike storage, and free high-speed internet. There’s a mural on the west wall honoring the community’s history. A local coffee pop-up sets up on weekends.
And just like that, what was once a vacant lot became the heartbeat of the block again.
This isn’t just a story about one project. It’s a blueprint—for cities, for developers, for communities. Infill development, tax credit equity, municipal bonds, and strong local leadership aren’t just policy tools—they’re instruments of transformation.
And if enough Maliks show up, if enough cities lean in, and if we start seeing empty lots as beginnings instead of endings—then maybe the story of Pittsburgh won’t be the exception.
It’ll be the expectation.