Microsoft to return part of halted campus site for affordable housing
The city of Atlanta has announced tech company Microsoft will give back land to the city to allow it to turn part of 90 acres of property in Atlanta’s Grove Park neighborhood into affordable housing.
According to the city, Microsoft will transfer 22.5 acres of the Quarry Yards property through the Atlanta Urban Development Corp., the city nonprofit that helps it create permanently affordable housing on public land through public-private partnerships.
In 2021, Microsoft announced plans for a corporate campus on the city’s Westside. But in 2023, it put the campus on indefinite hold while it reappraised its real estate holdings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Mayor Andre Dickens said the tech giant, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, would partner with the city to help it build more affordable housing in the Grove Park neighborhood.
“This contribution will both bolster our efforts to provide affordable housing and enrich community resources that are essential to the well-being of our residents. Together, with the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation, we are forging a brighter and more equitable future for Atlanta,” Dickens said.
Officials said they expected to finalize the donation in the summer of 2026, but there are currently few details about what any new development might look like.
The city said the aim was to create a development that would be a “vital community hub” and serve as a “crucial link to essential community resources” such as the KIPP Woodson Park Academy charter school and the Grove Park Recreation Center.
When it acquired the Quarry Yards property, Microsoft committed to preserving a quarter of the land for community use.
“While plans for the campus remain paused, this partnership fulfills that initial promise and creates the space needed for development that will strengthen the local neighborhood and broader Atlanta community for years to come,” officials said in a press release.
“Through this land donation, we’re advancing a shared vision for Atlanta that supports families, empowers students, and strengthens local communities,” said Kia Floyd, general manager of state government affairs for Microsoft.
Last year, Dickens urged Microsoft to clear up uncertainty about the campus’ future, just south of Westside Park and about 4 miles northwest of downtown, after hopes it would create 15,000 jobs.
“We really want them to develop their property or offer it back to us so we can develop it. Even if you don’t know what you want to do, just let us know what you know you won’t be able to do,” Dickens told Bloomberg in March 2024.
About the Author
Matt Reynolds is a housing reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's local government team.
