By Marvin Nesbitt,
President of Focused Community Strategies
I’ve developed a bit of a habit over the past few months. Every so often, I’ll look out from the Focused Community Strategies office across Jonesboro Road, pull out my phone, and take a picture of the construction happening at Brownsville Pointe, our new mixed-use development at the intersection of McDonough Boulevard and Jonesboro Road.
I know a construction site might not sound especially photogenic. And if you scroll through the pictures I’ve taken since May, you might wonder what exactly has kept me so interested. In some of the photos, there’s dirt. In others, there’s more dirt that has moved to a different place.
But I also know what this little stretch of land is becoming.
For seven years, neighbors, FCS leaders, partners, and funders have been working to get Brownsville Pointe to this point. So I’ve found myself paying attention to the small changes happening across the street, even when they weren’t particularly exciting to photograph.
Earlier this year, we shared that FCS had officially closed the construction loan for Brownsville Pointe. Since then, a lot has been happening, even when it hasn’t necessarily looked like it.
Before We Could Build Up
Brownsville Pointe sits on land that was previously home to a gas station. Because of that history, preparing this property for its next chapter has required more than clearing a lot and starting construction.
Before buildings could begin rising, there was important work to do at and below ground level, including environmental remediation, grading the land, coordinating utilities, and preparing the site for what will eventually stand here.
It isn’t necessarily the kind of progress that makes you stop the car as you drive by, but it matters. Part of creating the conditions for a neighborhood to thrive is thinking about the health of the entire neighborhood, including the physical environment.
That work takes time. And for the past few months, I’ve had a pretty good view of it.
Now, We’re Going Up
And now, the view across the street really does look different.
Vertical construction at Brownsville Pointe is underway. After years of planning, partnership, and work behind the scenes, you can begin to see what’s taking shape: 18 new apartment homes, including 12 dedicated affordable units, and 1,790 square feet of commercial space for an entrepreneur to grow a business right here in the neighborhood.
That combination is intentional. Creating the conditions for neighbors to thrive means quality, affordable housing, but it also means a strong local economy where people have opportunities to build businesses and benefit from the growth happening around them. Brownsville Pointe brings those pieces together on one corner.
Progress You Can Finally See
Watching this process unfold from across the street has reminded me that neighborhood development is long work.
Brownsville Pointe didn’t begin when we closed the construction loan earlier this year, and the work won’t end when the first wall goes up. It has taken years of listening, planning, partnership, and persistence to get here.
For months, I’ve been taking pictures of a lot where sometimes it didn’t look like much was happening. Now, we’ve come to a point where that progress is going to become a lot easier to see.
Soon, there will be homes here. There will be commercial space where an entrepreneur has an opportunity to grow a business. And a property that sat underutilized for years will be contributing in a new way to the health and vitality of the neighborhood.
There’s still plenty of work ahead, and the story of Brownsville Pointe is still forming. I’m excited to have a pretty good view of what comes next. While I’ve documented plenty of dirt, I’m looking forward to capturing the rest of the journey.
