Transit-connected land around MARTA stations continues to change across metro Atlanta, with former parking lots and underused parcels becoming places for new housing. The latest example is taking shape where Decatur meets Avondale Estates.
This week, an official ribbon-cutting is scheduled for The Link at Columbia Senior Residences, a new development located a short walk from MARTA's Avondale Station.
What's Opening
The Link is a five-story building with 80 apartments and serves as the second phase of the larger Decatur East development. The project is part of an ongoing effort across Atlanta and nearby suburbs to place housing directly next to transit stations through Transit Oriented Development. The development is a partnership between Columbia Residential and the Decatur Housing Authority and sits along MARTA's Blue Line on the eastern edge of Decatur. Construction began in January 2024.
Who It's For
Apartments at The Link are reserved for residents age 62 and older who earn no more than 50 or 60 percent of the Area Median Income. Ten of the units are designated as market-rate housing. The building offers one- and two-bedroom apartments. Amenities include a fitness center, community room, business center, and outdoor courtyard.
The building is less than a quarter-mile from the Avondale MARTA station and provides convenient access to both the East Decatur Greenway and the Stone Mountain Trail.
How It Was Funded
The project received Low Income Housing Tax Credits and financial support from the City of Decatur, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Decatur Housing Authority, and DeKalb County. MARTA sold two parcels next to the station to Columbia Residential five years ago, citing the company's experience with affordable senior housing.
Next door, the first phase of senior housing opened in 2018 and includes 92 units, along with hundreds of other apartments in the surrounding development. According to Columbia Residential representatives, the senior housing portion of that earlier phase remains fully occupied. This second phase is considered one of the final components of the southside master Transit Oriented Development plan created by MARTA, the City of Decatur, Columbia Ventures, and Cortland.
A Growing Pattern Near MARTA
MARTA officials have previously said similar mixed-income developments near stations reached stable leasing within six to 12 months. Columbia Ventures reported in 2024 that leasing at the Quill was the fastest the company had experienced, with about 40 units rented per month during a three-month peak period.
Hundreds of new apartments have been added in recent years within the Cortland Decatur East corridor in both Decatur and Avondale Estates. Just west of the Avondale station, another project called Halo East Decatur is underway — the 370-unit development continues to sign retail tenants and is scheduled to deliver its first apartments in April.
This is transit-oriented development working exactly as intended. Placing affordable senior housing steps from a MARTA station is not just smart planning — it is a genuine quality of life upgrade for residents who benefit most from walkable, connected communities. The fact that the first phase is still fully occupied years later tells you everything you need to know about demand. Atlanta and its suburbs need more of this, not less.
