City department heads spoke before a packed house at the Carrie J. Mays Community Life Center on June 20 to outline Augusta’s participation in the three-year Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program.
The program will initially be aimed at the Turpin Hill area in Southeast Augusta.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but we are laying the foundation here, and we plan for it to spread all across Richmond County,” District Two Commissioner Stacy Pulliam said.
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The Turpin Hill neighborhood was chosen as the pilot area for this effort due to the number of blighted homes and infrastructure needs.
Shauntia Lewis, assistant director for the Augusta Housing and Community Development Department, said the first step will be partnering with the CSRA Regional Commission to conduct a “windshield assessment,” or tour by vehicle through the neighborhood to better determine the needs of the area.
From there, the plans are to offer tax credits to businesses, code enforcement for blighted properties, commission land trusts, offer down-payment assistance for housing and have the area designated an “opportunity zone.”
“We need rooftops to attract jobs, but we also need jobs to be able to build those rooftops. So, we will be approaching this from both angles,” Lewis said.
The approach will also have the city partnering with Georgia Power, Habitat for Humanity and other business and charity partners.
According to Lewis, one known problem is that most of the houses in the neighborhood were built before 1978, so many, if not most of those buildings contain lead pipes and other lead based materials. The city has received a federal lead reduction grant in the amount of $3.6 million.
Along with Augusta, the cities of Cornelia, Thomaston, Saint Marys, and Catoosa County were also chosen to participate in this statewide initiative.
Interim City Administrator Takiyah Douse said she is pleased that the city has the resources through the initiative to bring positive change to a long-neglected part of the city.
“Augusta, Georgia is excited for the opportunities and experiences we expect to gain as a participant in the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing Program. The proposed projects within Turpin Hill will act as a catalyst for continued growth in other communities,” Douse said.
The results of the windshield assessment will be presented at a town hall meeting to be held on Sep. 19.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
