At its April board meeting, Invest Atlanta approved two grants from Eastside TAD (Tax Allocation District) funds to finance the rehabilitation of two buildings in the historic Wheat Street district.  

The first grant of $1.5 million from the Eastside TAD Community Empowerment Fund will support the rehabilitation of the historic Wheat Street Educational Building (WSEB). The WSEB is a historic office building that has provided Church-centered educational services since its construction in 1955. The new space will be targeted towards community-serving small businesses and non-profits and offer 21,000 square feet of office space. 

Atlanta Center for Self-Sufficiency, a non-profit organization will also be permanently housed at the site. The organization provides food, job training, interview training, job placement, housing assistant and other social services and has been in operation at WSEB since 1982.

The building will be fully renovated and restored to its original condition in accords with the State of Georgia’s Historic Preservation Office’s guidelines. Improvements include all new electrical, HVAC, double-pane windows, an expanded commercial kitchen, and an elevator serving all floors.

The second grant of $650,000 from the Eastside TAD Resurgens Fund will finance the rehabilitation of the historic Wheat Street American Legion Building (ALB) to provide space for local retail, restaurants and small businesses.

The ALB, once home to the neighborhood’s American Legion post, has provided neighborhood retail and office space along Auburn Avenue since the first level was built in 1930. However, the property has been vacant and unusable for nearly 20 years. The ALB will be restored to its original condition in coordination with the State of Georgia’s Historic Preservation Office’s guidelines so that it can support retail, restaurants, small businesses and non-profits. Improvements include: a new storefront, all new electrical, HVAC, double-pane windows, and an elevator serving all floors and the roof. 

Wheat Street Charitable Foundation (WSCF), a 501(c)(3) formed in 1969 as a separate legal entity from Wheat Street Baptist Church, is the developer for both renovations. In accordance with the Eastside TAD funding guidelines, 20 percent of leasable square footage for both buildings will be restricted to rents that are 20 percent below the area’s market rate for 15 years. These guidelines allow WSCF to target community-serving small businesses and non-profit organizations.