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Atlanta Public Schools Seeks Developer to Turn Former Pitts Elementary Site Into Housing
Atlanta Public Schools has issued a call for developers to transform the roughly 9-acre former C.M. Pitts Elementary School site off Perry Boulevard into a housing-focused project, part of broader efforts to return publicly owned land to productive use and address the city's affordable housing needs.
Atlanta Public Schools is seeking a development team to reimagine the roughly 9-acre former C.M. Pitts Elementary School site off Perry Boulevard in northwest Atlanta as a housing-focused project, the district and its partners announced.
The property, now a fenced grassy lot in an industrial corner of the city, once housed a school built as a Black school at the tail end of segregation. The building was demolished more than a decade ago, leaving the land vacant. The district has now issued a request for proposals inviting developers to submit residential visions for the site.
CBRE, a real estate services firm hired to support the redevelopment, said in a news release that the former school "served as part of the educational and community fabric of Northwest Atlanta" and that its redevelopment "represents an opportunity to return publicly owned land to productive use while addressing the growing need for affordable and attainable housing."
The project is being pursued alongside the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation, a nonprofit development arm created by the city. The effort aligns with Atlanta's broader housing goals and with redevelopment already underway in a northwest Atlanta corridor historically centered on rail yards and large public housing complexes.
The request for proposals leaves room for developers to propose specific plans, with submissions due by Dec. 18. The district has not yet selected a development team.
The site sits in a mixed-income neighborhood near Perry Homes and the West Highlands area, within the Perry-Bolton tax allocation district. The property has been tax-exempt since the district took ownership, meaning it has generated no tax revenue for local coffers while sitting vacant.
Pitts Elementary opened in the early 1950s and was merged with another school in 2002 amid long-term enrollment decline. The district has since closed a growing roster of schools as metro Atlanta grapples with falling student counts, and the Pitts site joins other former school properties being evaluated for alternative uses, including housing.
The redevelopment push comes as Atlanta officials and school leaders look for ways to convert surplus public land into housing at a time when affordability pressures are mounting across the city. The district's request emphasizes mixed-income housing and community-serving elements, according to the release.
Submissions are due Dec. 18, and more information is available through the district's procurement portal.