Applicants for the affordable housing must meet requirements
In recent months motorists and pedestrians using busy South Main Street and Industrial Boulevard have undoubtedly noticed a rising structure on the hill above the intersection. County Commissioner Karleen Ferguson was asked how it felt to see the new skyline of one of the two “Overlook at Ellijay” apartment buildings, which are a project of the Gilmer Initiative for Community Housing (GICH).
“Well, first off it’s going to be a darker color as a finished product so it will not stand out like a ‘Hello, I’m here!’ in our mountain view,” she said. “It will blend into the mountain much better when it is finished. But it was so exciting. In fact, I’m sure I looked across the intersection where Dairy Queen is and shed a few tears because it was such a long process of working through the GICH retreats and learning the process of what we could do to bring some kind of affordable housing here. So it was very rewarding — our whole team just felt good to see it.”
That local team has been working for four years to bring affordable housing to working-class folks, and it took cooperation between state agencies, federal departments and local government. The 50-unit complexes at 168 Courier Street — there is another three-story building tucked behind trees — are projected to be available by next May. Both apartment buildings are now at the “dried-in” stage with roofing where interior work can proceed apace.
Ferguson elaborated on the “affordable” aspect of the project — a housing issue not just being experienced here but around Georgia and the nation.
“The management company, Georgia Communities, which is a nonprofit, has a formula to decide what the income applicability levels will be,” she explained. “We’re ‘guesstimating’ that the price range of each one — and it may be a little more or a little less — will be the one-bedroom at about $750-ish (per month); the two-bedroom, $850-ish and the three-bedroom, around $950.”
Asked if she was referring to a “sliding scale, based on affordability” concept, Ferguson replied, “Yes, that’s fair. It’s based on the AMI — Area Median Income.”
“The number people will call will place them on a waiting list, and the management company is calling back each one of these people in the order they got the phone calls in,” she continued. “So it’s important to leave your name and phone number on that message. The next phase of application will not start until January, and we expect a grand opening in May.”
Georgia Communities specializes in LIHTC (Low-Income Housing Tax Credit) building, a program that was started decades ago by President Ronald Reagan and supported financially by Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget for Georgia, and “still supported federally,” added Ferguson.
Requirements
An applicant must be a legal U.S. citizen, and undergo background and credit checks.
“The credit check is not extremely high, but they just want to verify income, that you’re a working person and can pay the rent,” noted Ferguson. “I encourage everyone, if you are at all interested, to go ahead and put your name and phone number on the list. The management company will contact you when they start doing the next phase of application.”
However, none of the GICH team members can “push” to help get someone into the apartments since the process is totally under the auspices of the management company. Ferguson was asked about any “hoops” or other criteria that had to be met for the apartments to become a reality.
“Luckily, that property inside the city limits was already zoned for highe density, so it didn’t require a rezoning,” she said. “We do have another development that had to be rezoned in the county. Georgia Communities applied to the state to get these tax credits, and there is some federal and state (Department of Community Affairs) involvement. The developer works with us, and it does have to have local government on board with the application for development. We have representation on our GICH team of everyone from the different communities. The mayor and city council had to sign off on this application, and they are very excited about it.
“It’s a beautiful facility and will have a playground, fitness room, a business center and there will be Wi-Fi there,” Ferguson pointed out. “It’s going to be a great facility, and the view is not too bad either. We do have another apartment project coming, hopefully in the next two years. We’re in that application process now and have not been awarded that new LIHTC development money. We won’t know until November of this year if we get it. I think that’s the time line.”
‘Really exciting’
Tiffany Watson, the chair for GICH and coordinator for Gilmer County Family Connection, noted seeing the skyline take form has made board members “just so proud.”
“I know all the work that has gone into it, and just knowing the families that are going to be helped by having those apartments there — not only for right now but for generations, is rewarding,” she said. “I see that as being a huge success.”
Watson said she has seen the need for workforce housing through her work with Family Connection and also by being involved with the Gilmer Chamber, where she has served as a board member in the past.
“Our (GICH) team has had a chance to research and see what is working in other parts of Georgia and bring those ideas to our community,” she detailed. “So even though we don’t have decision-making power, we can bring those ideas to the table … Whenever you’re trying to move the needle on housing or anything that is very layered or complicated, it’s going to take time. But we’re seeing it happen now and it’s really exciting.”
The Overlook at Ellijay
﹣ 1, 2 & 3 bedrooom apartment homes
﹣ Full kitchen with energy-efficient appliances
﹣ Ceiling fans
﹣ Washer and dryer included
﹣ Hardwood-style flooring
Communitity amenities:
﹣ Business center
﹣ Furnished community building
﹣ Fitness center
﹣ Playground
﹣ 24-hour emergency maintenance
To apply:
Call 706-690-3235 and leave a message with your name and phone number. The next phase of application review will begin in January.