Navya Shukla
Multimedia (photo, story)
Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz speaks to University of Georgia journalism writing students about the Georgia Square Mall redevelopment project at a news conference in the Instructional Plaza on Feb. 26, 2023. (Photo/Navya Shukla)
Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz discussed how the new proposed Georgia Square Mall redevelopment project plans to address Athens’ current housing crisis at a news conference on Feb. 26 in the Instructional Plaza South Auditorium at the University of Georgia.
The proposal’s primary aim is to transform the currently deteriorating Georgia Square Mall on Atlanta Highway into an amenity-rich, mixed-use development, which Girtz believes will “magnetize the west side of Athens” and attract more development to the area.
With the Athens-Clarke County Point-in-Time (PIT) Count reporting at least 283 individuals experiencing homelessness in early 2022, housing availability remains a pressing issue in Athens, which is why a cornerstone of this redevelopment will be the addition of approximately 1,200 homes.
Girtz said these homes will lessen the current stress on housing by increasing supply and stabilizing housing prices. With the PIT count revealing a 112% increase in total homeless individuals from 2021 to 2022, this will be an important step towards increasing housing availability.
Girtz said 10% of the 1,200 homes in the project are also intended to be permanently affordable at 80% of area median income, which is currently $49,503. However, as much as 29.9% of ACC’s population is still sitting below the poverty level, making it unclear how much this initiative will affect more affordable housing in Athens.
Girtz acknowledged the Georgia Square Mall redevelopment project cannot act as the only solution to the city’s current housing crisis.
“No one project is going to get you everything you need in any regard: around housing, around youth development needs, around environmental needs,” Girtz said. “And so we’re having to work overtime as a local government and take this seriously that we’re going to be bringing many, many, many housing opportunities to the table.”
The redevelopment project was also discussed from other aspects, including its effect on current and future employment in the mall, how it would attract and rebuild a community on the west side of Athens, and its environmental sustainability.
After facing multiple delays, the final vote on the Georgia Square Mall redevelopment proposal will take place on March 7.
Why I Wrote the Story:
This story was extremely newsworthy for Athens residents, as the housing crisis is getting worse and urgently needs solutions, one of which may be the Georgia Mall redevelopment project. The main skill I learnt from this story was how to take large amounts of information, such as the variety of topics discussed during this news conference, and filter through them to find a strong, relevant news angle, such as the focus of my story on the Athens housing crisis.