{"669121":{"#nid":"669121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech EDA University Center Funds Redevelopment and Housing Studies for Two Georgia Towns","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFITZGERALD, Ga. \u2014\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EIn many ways, this South Georgia town boasts the best of small rural communities. Just 23 miles east of Interstate 75,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fitzgeraldga.org\/\u0022\u003EFitzgerald\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;has a busy downtown thoroughfare with shops, antique stores, and eateries. It has a modern airport with a 5,000-foot runway, an active mainline railroad, and industrial parks. It\u2019s also home to a museum with a nod to its 1895 beginnings as a community and haven for veterans who fought on both sides of the Civil War.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFitzgerald also has a successful history of industrial recruitment that has provided the community with a significant manufacturing base. Recent capital investments in wood products, food and beverage processing, plastics, and manufacturing have increased employment, personal income growth, and the community\u2019s GDP.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWith its local economy steadily improving, this community of 9,000 is also looking to boost its new home development construction activity. Now, city leaders and officials from surrounding Ben Hill County are working with the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cedr.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Economic Development Research\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(CEDR) and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grow.gatech.edu\/eda-university-center\/\u0022\u003EEDA University Center\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/a\u003Eto produce a study to figure out a viable strategy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study is funded in part through an\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cedr.gatech.edu\/category\/edrp\/\u0022\u003EEconomic Development Research Program (EDRP)\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;grant, which is administered by the EDA University Center. These grants are targeted toward economically distressed communities that can\u2019t afford the cost of this type of comprehensive economic development research. EDA University Center grants offset some expenses that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive to rural communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECEDR is conducting the six-month research and analysis project in Fitzgerald, which entails looking at housing that\u0027s for sale, determining what the rental rates are, and developing housing development strategy recommendations for the entire city, said Betsy McGriff, a CEDR associate project manager and lead researcher on the study. It will also include ways to maximize cost effective development strategies, such as new home construction in historic neighborhoods to help revitalize them.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur objective is to get a much better understanding of the factors that are deterring new home development,\u201d said Jason Dunn, executive director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/developfitzgeraldbenhill.com\/\u0022\u003EFitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cWe want to create more homeownership and have the data needed to influence new residential development in Ben Hill County.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe need for the Fitzgerald study comes as the community has seen increased demand for more housing with options in both single family, owner-occupied homes, as well as rentals. But the city\u2019s existing inventory isn\u2019t enough to meet the demand, nor is it energy efficient, comprised of buildings that are at least 100 years old.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe believe the study will give us the market data needed to pursue a public-private partnership to meet the community needs and lead to residential development that will provide housing solutions in one of Georgia\u0027s most rural areas,\u201d Dunn said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECEDR is also doing a nine-month study for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cityofjeffersonga.com\/\u0022\u003ECity of Jefferson\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;Downtown Development Authority, located in North Georgia\u2019s Jackson County, about 22 miles northwest of Athens. That multifaceted project, which is also partly funded by an EDRP grant, includes a housing market analysis to create a strategy to get more residential housing units built closer to its downtown.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt also includes a retail market analysis to determine what goods and services are needed in the area.\u0026nbsp;It also includes visioning sessions to advise the Downtown Development Authority and help its leaders prioritize strategies and future steps needed for maximum community impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Missing Middle\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two projects reflect the growing housing challenge that scores of communities face across the country said Alan Durham, a CEDR researcher and director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gt-bedc.org\/\u0022\u003EBasic Economic Development Course\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAcross the U.S., right now we\u0027re short about 4 million housing units. And a lot of those missing units are entry level affordable housing, and workforce housing for police, fire fighters, nurses, and teachers. That\u0027s what\u0027s called the missing middle,\u201d said Durham, who has been researching the national trends and leads the Jefferson project research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs costs rise, developers are trending toward building very high-end homes. While the high-end housing market is doing well, not enough at the other end \u2014 entry-level housing \u2014 is being built, squeezing out a market segment communities need to attract.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMillennials and Gen Z, they can\u0027t even get their foot in the door in the housing market anymore,\u201d Durham said. \u201cThe ideal range on housing expenditures is 25% to 30% of gross income. In reality, many are spending over 50% of their wages on housing, leaving them cash-poor to deal with basic necessities and unforeseen expenses.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPart of the research CEDR will do includes data analyses of both communities. The research will break both communities into their respective income tiers to see how many people make a set amount of money per year, Durham said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBased on the different income tiers, the CEDR analyses in Fitzgerald and Jefferson will guide the types of housing price points leaders in both communities should pursue.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDetailed Analysis\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the income tiers and bands major employers in each community pay, the CEDR studies will analyze employee commuting patterns, where residents shop for staple goods and services, and other factors that shape where people decide to live.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese are very rural markets so our work to pull meaningful and actionable data will be different than in a metro area where it\u2019s a little clearer or there\u2019s just more data to be had,\u201d McGriff said. \u201cOur focus and approach will be a lot more granular to assess the demands of a rural market and pull out really meaningful data.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EArmed with that data, both communities will be positioned to develop strategies for targeted engagement with the right mix of investors and developers, McGriff said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThey\u2019re going to have to sell their communities to investors using the data we produce and the recommendations that we develop together for development strategies,\u201d McGriff said. \u201cThese EDA University Center grants are really an investment tool for economic development, and they can leverage that money to attract investments to their communities, which could lead to more jobs and increased tax base, which just then cycles into helping these communities thrive.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech economic development programs helping rural Georgia communities address the challenge of the \u0022missing middle\u0022 in housing.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Analyses to help community leaders create long-term residential home development growth strategies"}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2023-08-23 14:56:45","changed_gmt":"2023-09-05 14:46:00","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-08-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-08-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671587":{"id":"671587","type":"image","title":"WIN_20220812_14_14_55_Pro.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe AB\u0026amp;A Historic Train Depot in Fitzgerald, Georgia, is one of the community\u0027s key attractions. The Depot is home to the Blue \u0026amp; Gray Museum, the Genealogy Research Center, and Collins Railroad Collection.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1693924492","gmt_created":"2023-09-05 14:34:52","changed":"1693925148","gmt_changed":"2023-09-05 14:45:48","alt":"AB\u0026A Historic Train Depot","file":{"fid":"254676","name":"WIN_20220812_14_14_55_Pro.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/05\/WIN_20220812_14_14_55_Pro.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/05\/WIN_20220812_14_14_55_Pro.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1128449,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/09\/05\/WIN_20220812_14_14_55_Pro.jpg?itok=QuqEg7Sz"}},"671586":{"id":"671586","type":"image","title":"Jason Dunn Headshot.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Dunn is executive director of the Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1693924333","gmt_created":"2023-09-05 14:32:13","changed":"1693925134","gmt_changed":"2023-09-05 14:45:34","alt":"headshot of Jason Dunn","file":{"fid":"254674","name":"Jason Dunn Headshot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/05\/Jason%20Dunn%20Headshot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/05\/Jason%20Dunn%20Headshot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3469349,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/09\/05\/Jason%20Dunn%20Headshot.jpg?itok=7DK7SNk0"}}},"media_ids":["671587","671586"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"815","name":"economic development"},{"id":"184294","name":"Center for Economic Development Research"},{"id":"193011","name":"EDA University Center"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EP\u00e9ralte C. Paul\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E404.316.1210\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:peralte@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eperalte@gatech.edu\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["peralte@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}