Members of a newly created action group are hoping to find ways to improve the lack of affordable housing in Gilmer County.
The group includes input from Post Two Commissioner Karleen Ferguson, representatives of multiple local utilities and government agencies and a handful of younger Gilmer residents who are experiencing the housing shortage firsthand.
“This group is trying to find affordable housing or entry-level housing. That’s our primary goal,” said Ferguson. “We’re trying to find rentals, as well as smaller square footage structures on smaller properties.”
Edward Sanford, Jadie Lee and Jonathon Miller are among the local young people who’ve attended group meetings to discuss the issue.
Sanford said he worked in the hospitality and restaurant industry for almost five years since moving back home to Gilmer County. Restaurants are among the local business that are short-staffed, in part because employees have such a hard time finding places where they can afford to live, he noted.
“I’ve seen the housing crisis among my coworkers and staffing has been such an issue. I know so many people who’ve had to move away because they can’t find anywhere to live that’s in their budget,” Sanford said.
Miller, 23, said that’s what happened to him.
“It’s personally affected me (lack of affordable housing), and it’s pushed me out three times so far. I keep coming back because I want to live here. This is where my family is, but the rent prices are so high,” he added.
Miller said, at one point, he was working two jobs to pay his rent and basic expenses. He has no dependents, but realizes that there are many with children in that same situation.
“I did that for a year straight. I’d get up at 7, go to work at 8 and work at that first job till 3 o’clock. Then, I’d get off work and go into the other job at 3:30, work till 12 a.m. and repeat,” he said. “That was just to survive. It wasn’t like I was going out and buying stuff. I had to move away.”
Lee said she also grew up in Gilmer County and has lived her whole life here. In the past year, especially, she’s known more and more people who’ve struggled with their rent going up or faced the unreachable goal of buying a home in such a high-priced market.
“I’ve heard so many people say their rent has gone up since just last year,” she said. “At the end of last year, when I was hearing everybody telling me these stories, I thought this is getting really bad.”
The price range of affordable housing being explored by the group is in the $200,000 or less (range) for homes and under $1,000 a month for rentals.
“We’re trying to stay under $1,000. Ideally, it would be $700-$800,” Ferguson said.
One factor that sometimes prevents smaller apartment complexes from being built is the lack of profit in that type of housing, Ferguson noted. As for starter homes in the $200,000 or less range, they’ve become pretty much impossible to find.
Ferguson said the popularity of short-term or “vacation” rentals has also lessened options for long-term renters.
“We’re really being hit by investors who are buying Airbnb houses,” she added.
The group has been exploring a few different projects and avenues, including talking with developers and researching overlay or “special zoning” districts, to see if that type of zoning approach would work here.
“Primarily in metro counties, they use overlay districts in areas that they want to build or allow specific things. They don’t want them all over the county, so they just literally draw a line that will allow it. It’s a new word for us in this county, so we’ve been doing a lot of research on what it means,” Ferguson said. “Some are used for industrial purposes, and some are used for housing. They’re used in different ways.”
It will take a lot more work and planning, but Lee said there are a few things she would ultimately like to see happen here to broaden affordable housing options.
“I’d like to see multifamily units that can be rented out as apartments. I’d like to see entry level houses that people who are mortgage eligible can buy,” she said. “We’ve (also) talked about different things like community land trusts or even expanding section 8 (low income) housing.”
At a recent meeting, group members conferred with Gary McVey, Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority director, to get a better understanding of where water and sewer lines are already run throughout the county.
McVey said water and sewer service is already run to several areas in the county area, and the water system has enough capacity to serve additional housing.
“We like to extend (the system) when we can, but you’ve got to have enough participation to extend,” he added.
Ferguson said an ideal location for apartments would be near Highway 515, but also within walking distance to East Ellijay or possibly downtown Ellijay.
“We’re looking at walkability and bikeability for folks who may not have a car so they could (be able to) walk or ride a bike to downtown Ellijay or East Ellijay and work. We’ve got to find housing for people to live here to be able to work here,” she added.