T.I. gave fans an update on the affordable housing community he’s currently developing in the Bankhead neighborhood of Atlanta. The 41-year-old hopped on Instagram Tuesday (Oct. 26) to share a video of the building site, which he said is 40 percent complete.
“Checking up on my development in Bankhead right here,” Tip said in the video. “We’ve got affordable housing, 143 units going up. Mixed-use community. We about 40 percent done, we supposed to be done sometime next year.”
According to The L.I.B.R.A. rapper, the development will include a community center, garden, greenhouse and over 140 affordable housing units.
“This is our first project that’s a development — proud of it,” he added.
The area was previously a shopping center, which T.I. said he used to visit with his grandma. Seeing as many successful rap stars and entrepreneurs hail from Atlanta, Tip also challenged other natives to give back to the Georgia city.
“Since everybody’s somewhat from here, let’s see what you done did for here, ya dig?” he said.
T.I. grew up in Atlanta’s Center Hill neighborhood just off of Bankhead Highway. In 2019 — two years after launching Buy Back the Block — he, Killer Mike and other developers purchased the Bankhead Seafood building with a plan to revitalize the area.
“… I didn’t want it to be one of those situations where luxury condos go up and people who are native are pushed out to the fringes because they can’t afford to live there,” he told Inc. Magazine at the time. “I wanted to provide development that would allow people from the area, who love the community, to be able to afford to stay.”
Elsewhere in the interview, T.I. also mentioned wanting to have “a movie theater, bowling [alley], laser tag” and “green spaces” at his development.
“I’d love to see children walk and play and live in green spaces. I want to see senior citizens excited about the next generation. The only way to do that is to invest,” he said. “Why wait for someone else to come into a community where I went to elementary school, where I rode my bike and played?
See T.I.’s video about his upcoming Bankhead development on Instagram below.