A discussion of a public-private development deal turned heated during a meeting of the Athens-Clarke County Commission on Tuesday night. The project involves swapping public land near the current site of the Graduate Hotel for over seven million dollars in affordable housing funds and other benefits.
Several commissioners were unhappy with the student housing project led by Core Spaces, including Commissioner Tiffany Taylor, who represents the 3rd District. She said the project would push residents out of predominantly Black neighborhoods nearby.
“We don’t need big people coming like the Core group coming in making an economic donut,” she said during the meeting. “What an economic donut is, the haves are on the inside and have-nots are on the outside.”
District 10 Commissioner Mike Hamby, however, viewed the project as a needed source of economic development.
“They’re providing for our affordable housing fund, they’re providing for the next 15 years to the TAD for inner East Athens, they’ll generate roughly a million dollars each year, and it will grow over those 15 years, because we know property taxes will grow,” he said. “I see the benefits. I hope y’all do to.”
The developers would also dedicate funds toward construction of a new parking deck on the eastern edge of downtown, as well as sewer improvements.
The Commission voted eight to two to table the deal until a later work session. They hope to discuss protecting Lay Park, which is expected to be impacted by construction.
A supplemental fund of $150,000 for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia was also passed unanimously by the Commission after several community members stepped forward to support it. The move comes as the ongoing shutdown of the federal government has paused food benefit programs. The money will come from the city’s general fund.
