T.I. and Tiny are making a true difference in their Atlanta community. On Tuesday, the married couple and now-land developers hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their affordable housing complex.
“The arts and entertainment industry in this city has been able to collaborate and, I guess, be profitable enough to offer the community so many things that are much needed,” T.I. said at the ceremony.
The update comes after T.I. announced the project in October 2021 from the construction site in Bankhead. At the time, the ‘Whatever You Like’ rapper said the affordable housing project was about 40 percent complete and would be a mixed-use community. He had initially anticipated the development would be open to residents in 2022 with 143 living spaces.
According to WSB-TV, the community met its estimate, plus an additional 25 units for unhoused youth. The outlet reports that the affordable housing development is called Intrada Westside and is located across from Center Hill Park.
The housing complex was supposed to feature a greenhouse, a community garden, and community centers. However, it’s unclear if those features made it into the final design.
Mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens (pictured below), was also in attendance at the ceremony.
In 2021, T.I. revealed the location he chose for the development was previously a K-Mart. His “grandmama,” as he calls her, would shop for groceries and T.I.’s favorite snacks at the shop.
“Since everybody so much from here, let’s see what you done did for here you dig,” T.I. said in his Oct. 2021 announcement. “I ain’t finna do no whole bunch of jaw-jacking. Imma show mine.”
As mentioned, the project marks T.I. and Tiny’s first affordable housing and overall project as land developers.
See T.I.’s initial announcement below.
The affordable dwellings’ update comes after 28 nearby Atlanta residents sought support from the Red Cross for displacement. Over the weekend, police arrested two people in connection to a housing complex fire that destroyed multiple units and killed a tenant’s cat. They face two charges each with bonds out of Fulton County Jail set at $30,000 each.
An initial investigation into the incident found that ignited fireworks on the rooftop may have been the cause. Over 80 firefighters worked to contain and put out the fire from Friday night into Saturday.
