Old Macon Charter Academy demolished to make way for affordable housing in Pleasant Hill

The old Macon Charter Academy in Pleasant Hill was demolished Tuesday morning to make way for a new affordable housing development.

The new development — which will provide 64 units and is expected to be completed in 14 to 18 months — is meant to revitalize the area and help solve broader affordability issues in Macon.

The building that was demolished has sat vacant for nearly a decade after previously being home to the charter school.

Macon Charter Academy opened in August 2015, but soon ran into issues. It was put on probation only a month after its opening, and its charter was revoked by the state Board of Education in August 2016, after just one school year.

Telegraph articles at the time said Macon Charter Academy struggled with academic performance, finances, management and maintenance. Students at the school tested below the county average in 20 of the 24 content areas on the Georgia Milestones Assessment during its lone year of operation.

City officials said demolishing the building, which was poorly constructed and hadn’t been occupied for years, and building affordable housing presented a more productive opportunity for the land and the surrounding community.

“We’ve been hearing that we need good affordable housing,” Miller said. “Affordable housing … is providing people an opportunity to have a place to live and to raise a family,” Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller said.

The final project will consist of three different three-story buildings. Units will be between one and three bedrooms, according to Macon officials. Some will be income-restricted based on limits set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but county officials said other units will be mixed-income.

Mike Austin, CEO of the Macon Housing Authority, said the project has been in the works since the end of 2023 and will be completed through a public-private partnership.

“Anytime we build affordable housing, the planning starts years before,” Austin said.

The county will contribute $2 million from the newly-created Macon-Bibb County Affordable Housing Fund. The remaining costs, which are estimated to be around $17.5 million, will be covered by federal and state tax credits that the project’s private partner will receive in exchange for assisting.

While a private investor has not yet been named, Austin said the MHA has narrowed its list of candidates to about five, and is seeing which can offer the best price. He expects to officially announce who the city will partner with in three to six months.

City officials hope the project will be a catalyst for revitalizing the historic Pleasant Hill neighborhood.

Miller and Austin said a major goal of the project is to bring families with young children into the area in hopes of repopulating L.H. Williams Elementary School, which faces threats of closure as the Bibb County School District seeks to consolidate.

Weston Stroud, Macon-Bibb County’s transportation safety manager, said building safe and affordable housing in the area will also help stabilize families by combating poverty and blight.

“Residents told us they wanted a neighborhood that is safe, vibrant and inclusive. They want more than just physical improvements, they want opportunities, resources and a sense of belonging,” Stroud said.

This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM.