Gilmer County commissioners have approved plans for a new, low-income apartment complex in East Ellijay in a 2-1 vote at last Thursday’s board of commissioners meeting.
The apartment complex inquiry is called the Mountain View Terrace project, with 50 units planned. The R-5, high-density zoning application was through Coosawattee Properties LLC. for the address 0 Mountain View Drive.
“To the property owner whose desire is to help provide some affordable housing for this community, thank you,” Commissioner Karleen Ferguson said ahead of their vote. “To the builders that work for communities to provide affordable housing, thank you. To the governor of our great state of Georgia, who supports funding this much-needed affordable housing to communities like ours across the state, thank you.”
Ferguson and John Marshall voted to approve the zoning amendment to allow for the Mountain View Terrace project, while Chairman Charlie Paris voted against it. Paris discussed his concerns with teachers and first responders not being able to meet the income requirements to move into these apartments.
“I don’t believe this is something that’s good for Gilmer County,” Paris said. “In the end, I think down the road, we are going to regret it.”
The approved zoning change allows Coosawattee Properties to move forward with their plans for low-income apartments, with a tentative groundbreaking planned for Spring 2026. However, developers are required by the city of East Ellijay and county commissioners to add a right-turn lane on Coosawattee Drive.
Out of around 50 people in the crowd at the Courthouse Jury Assembly Room, seven citizens spoke against the commission’s decision, while four people spoke in favor of accepting the zoning change.
Gilmer resident Joene Rueckert reflected Paris’ concerns over local workers’ ability to qualify to rent with the future complex’s income requirements.
“This is low-income housing, and the caps on this project make it almost impossible for anyone in this county to qualify,” Rueckert said. “I have no problem with the R-5 zoning density because we do need apartments to be built, but to let the developer get these big federal grants so they make a lot of money … It’s going to open the door [to other developers], it’s a huge mistake, and it’s going to drive up the price of our land.”
Mary Abernathy brought up the difference between four units per acre versus 10 units per acre in such a rural community. She’s worried about what the infrastructure in place can handle, as well as who’s making the decisions for the county.
“There is a group of 50 to 70 people who run this county, and it is not citizens like me,” Abernathy said. “The [zoning] decision was made that will not affect Gilmer County for a few years, not for just a little bit, but for the next 100 years, whether any of us like it or not … This particular type of housing is not going to meet the citizens’ needs of our county.”
People who supported the commission’s decision brought up Gilmer’s Joint Comprehensive Plan, issued in October of last year, that stated workforce housing was the main request from surveyed community members.
“Not mad that I didn’t have a seat at the table … Y’all approved a whole lot of this on public information back in October,” Gilmer resident Derek Rigslo said. “I can’t imagine how many meetings you all had over that joint plan, with a lot of professional advice, even from citizens … Thank you for doing what’s right.”
Director of Gilmer Family Connection Tiffany Watson also thanked the commission for their work to obtain affordable housing, as that is a platform two commissioners ran on before being elected.
“I know there are concerns with who is going to fill these units, but I can tell you just from the families that I work with … I get calls every day about housing,” Watson said. “Different organizations like Pilgrim’s Pride, speaking with them, knowing that honestly they could fill up the 50 units just with their workers … This is going to change peoples’ lives and give them a chance to get a start.”
While Paris was against the Mountain View Terrace project, he made it clear that he is not against the development of apartment complexes in general. Commissioners moved to vote on final approval of raising the R-5 density zoning to allow for 10 units per acre, instead of four units.
“I really believe that the primary problem is not as much affordability, as it is availability,” Paris said. “What I hear more is that ‘I can’t find anywhere I can afford to rent, basically at any price.’ So, I recognize that there’s a need for apartments.”
Some citizens who spoke against the commission’s decision requested a zoning moratorium to be put in place, to prevent zoning changes for deannexed properties.
Toward the end of the meeting, Paris asked the other commissioners if they could move forward with a moratorium on rezoning requests from any property owner where their land hasn’t been within the county for at least a year, as well as get an ordinance started with the same rules.
“I don’t believe that Gilmer County wants to be the default for people who are not able to get what they want within the city,” he said about the drastic increase in deannexation requests they’ve been receiving.
Ferguson was against this request, where she said they haven’t been able to discuss it properly. Paris later rescinded the motion on the moratorium and ordinance, to allow them to approve a deannexation application by Gilmer resident John Jones at the board meeting.
Jones represents the property owner, and explained to commissioners that the land behind the new Piedmont medical facility along Hwy. 515 is partially in the county and the city of East Ellijay. Manor Lake Development hopes to build a senior assisted living facility there, so for zoning purposes, commissioners voted to approve the partial deannexation.
Commissioners further discussed the potential moratorium and ordinance regarding rezoning requests for deannexed properties at a special called meeting this morning, May 14.