Two houses once stood on the lots at 2883 and 2893 Midway Road. On our September site visit, both were gone.
The cleared 2.12-acre site near Belvedere Plaza is planned to become Cottages at Midway, a community of 18 detached homes for sale around a shared courtyard. It is a different option from the apartments and larger subdivision homes that usually dominate a housing conversation: a smaller house, its own lot and common space shared with neighbors.
For someone considering a purchase, the questions now are practical. What will a particular home cost? Who qualifies for assistance? And what would an owner agree to if they sell?
What is planned for the site
MicroLife Institute and the Housing Development Corporation of DeKalb are developing the community, with Nest Planning & Construction on the project team. The project website shows two-bedroom designs ranging from a single-story cottage to larger two-story homes. Plans include a landscaped courtyard, walkways, off-street parking and some private carports.
MicroLife executive director Will Johnston told ATL Vibes & Views the homes would sit on either side of a central lawn and pavilion. He described them as fee-simple purchases, meaning buyers would own the lot beneath their house, while a homeowners association would manage the shared areas.
The address says Decatur, but the site is in unincorporated DeKalb County. County zoning rules govern what can be built there. DeKalb approved cottage-housing standards in December 2023, creating a framework for small detached homes grouped around shared open space.
How the public investment works
In September 2025, the Decide DeKalb Development Authority approved $2.255 million for the project through the Avondale Mall/Columbia Drive tax allocation district. The announced total development cost was $6.8 million.
The award has three parts: a $752,000 acquisition and construction loan, a $528,000 grant and a $975,000 forgivable loan intended to help the development team offer lower prices to qualified buyers. It is not accurate to treat the full $2.255 million as a grant or to divide the forgivable loan equally among purchasers.
Twelve of the 18 cottages are reserved for buyers in income-qualified groups at up to 80% and 120% of Area Median Income. Those homes carry a 10-year affordability commitment. The other six are planned as market-rate homes.
What the advertised assistance means for a buyer
The project website anticipates prices in the $300,000s to $400,000s and says eligible households may qualify for up to $100,000 in down payment assistance. Those are preliminary figures, not a price sheet or a promise that every qualified buyer will receive the maximum amount. Individual home prices, homeowners association costs and complete buyer documents have not been posted.
Johnston told us that Citizens Trust Bank and Ameris Bank are involved in pre-qualifying buyers. Interested households can join the project’s online interest list for updates, but they should ask for the specific steps and written terms before budgeting around an advertised amount.
One term is particularly important. Johnston described a deed restriction and a second mortgage tied to the assisted homes. He said an owner who sells within the first five years would repay all the assistance received, with the amount declining afterward through year ten. We have not reviewed the buyer loan or resale documents, so the exact schedule and conditions should be confirmed in that paperwork.
Assistance that lowers the cost of getting into a home can still be valuable. Understanding the resale obligation simply lets a buyer weigh that benefit against their own plans.
What happens next
During our Sept. 11, 2026 site walk, Johnston said demolition of the two existing houses had finished and land disturbance permitting was next. He expected foundation work in November or December 2026 and the first completed homes around fall 2027. Those are projections, not a sales or move-in date.
Decide DeKalb’s original announcement had estimated that home sales would start in September 2026, while the project website still displays earlier presale and completion estimates. Johnston’s on-site update is the newer outlook. Until the development team publishes a sales opening and individual prices, the interest list is the clearest way for a prospective buyer to follow the project.
What interests me here is the ownership model. Eighteen smaller homes on two lots, including twelve intended for income-qualified buyers, offer a choice we do not see often enough in this part of DeKalb. But the number I would plan around is not “up to $100,000.” It is the final monthly cost of a specific home and the written terms attached to its assistance. Those details will tell a household whether Cottages at Midway fits not just the day they buy, but the years they live there and the day they might need to sell.
Would a cottage-style home work for you? What would you want to know before joining the buyer process?If you drive Columbia Drive regularly, when did you first notice those two houses were gone?
