We’ve decided to experiment with a podcast! Join Briana Bivens, Organization Coordinator; Broderick Flanagan, Co-Coordinator of the Housing initiative; and Jesse Houle (Local Political Coordinator) for our first episode. This was recorded in mid-January.

They discuss the 2018 local elections, A4E’s 2019 priorities, affordable housing and the A4E Housing initiative, and our 2019 Annual Conference.

If this is something you’d like to see us do more of, please let us know at contact@athensforeveryone.com. If you are interested in joining the A4E Board of Directors, you can apply here.

Athens for Everyone
February 8, 2019

How Does the Housing Initiative Work?

Claire Bolton and Broderick Flanigan, who head up the Housing Initiative, have focused first and foremost on base-building. What does that mean?

1. Inviting leadership from individuals who work or live in Athens neighborhoods most impacted by housing discrimination.
2. Working closely with existing/emerging housing-related groups in communities of color, including material ($) or logistical support.
3. Building vocal support for pro-black housing policy in Athens (for example, public statements, showing up to City Hall).
4. Building a crucial knowledge base for informing policy ideas, based on the idea that the knowledge we need to make good policy comes not only from abstract research, but from community spaces in which many people are impacted by housing discrimination and related issues.

Attacking the problem this way builds support for good ideas that actually help the people who need affordable housing, rather than taking a top-down approach that may create unfeasible solutions. Some examples include starting neighborhood associations in historically underserved areas, building relationships with real estate professionals who are dedicated to racial justice and affordable housing, as well as regular meetings with affected groups. Affordable housing is a large, complex and difficult issue to solve, but we can do it if we work together.

Base-building makes up about three quarters of the initiative’s time. The other 25 percent goes to policy. For example:

1. Doing the more abstract research on things like the implications/implementation of the policy ideas currently on our platform, the current state of housing and community development policy in Athens and historic racial disparities around housing in Athens.
2. Working with A4E’s Policy & Elections Committee to shape elected officials’ policy agendas.
3. Keeping on top of policy developments through attending public meetings and other monitoring activities

Housing is first and foremost a racial justice issue. A history of anti-Black segregation and dispossession fosters inequity that can be seen in Athens’ schools, job market, health care system and other vital institutions. These issues have affected nearly every city in the United States, and we can make changes here that influence the rest of the country. The Housing Initiative’s identified priorities are: housing affordability, anti-discrimination efforts and the “right to stay put” in gentrifying neighborhoods.

Preserving, Rehabilitating and Building Affordable Housing

A crucial part of keeping cities affordable is building more affordable housing. Doing so is expensive and must be subsidized, but federal (HUD) subsidies are low. We need to identify funding and policy mechanisms that can increase the supply of affordable housing in Athens.

We should be advocating for:

• Securing additional, annual, permanent funding from Athens-Clarke County’s General Fund for the Housing Production Trust Fund. Like most US cities, Athens receives insufficient federal funding from HUD for housing and community development. We need to work with local government to identify permanent funding streams for the existing housing trust fund.
• Carefully implemented infill development in multifamily (typically minority) neighborhoods. Infill development ordinances allow for developing vacant or under-used land in built-up areas. We could work toward implementing a program like Miami-Dade County’s Infill Housing Program in which “Every dwelling unit developed through the Infill Housing Program must be sold to a very-low, low- or moderate-income household to be used as their primary residence.”

Gentrification

Gentrification is a race issue. As historically Black in-town neighborhoods become unaffordable, low-income residents are pushed out to Athens’ periphery and beyond. Gentrification is not integration if residents of color cannot stay in their homes. We must intervene with policy to make in-town Athens affordable and help people stay in their homes.

We should be advocating for:

• Affordable housing overlay districts with specific policy, zoning and design guidelines oriented to affordable housing in neighborhoods at risk of gentrification (such as West Hancock and East Athens). This includes requiring and/or incentivizing inclusionary zoning for rental and condominium development.
• Property tax abatement for seniors in neighborhoods at risk of gentrification.
• Re-zoning for racial justice: minority neighborhoods such as West Hancock, East Athens and the Hawthorne corridor should have similar zoning to the majority-white Prince Ave. corridor. Downzoning gives local government a bargaining chip to use for any new development plans.
• Having the local government buy parcels of land in neighborhoods vulnerable to gentrification (such as those surrounding the Greenway and Firefly Trail) and designate them for affordable housing and other forms of accessible development.

Housing Stability and Tenants’ Rights

All Athenians deserve stable housing. Displacement pressures are rising for public housing and Section 8 tenants in in-town neighborhoods, many of whom are Black and Hispanic. These tenants must be able to stay in their homes. Athenians must do everything we can to protect and maintain in-town public and Section 8 housing.

We should oppose:

• Displacement of any residents if mixed-income redevelopment of Rocksprings, Broadacres, Parkview, Bethel Homes or any other public or private low-income housing complex in Athens occurs. In the case of mixed-income redevelopment, the bare minimum package for displaced residents must include: more than 1-for-1 replacement of subsidized or low-income units; guaranteed right of return for every resident; full funding of all moving expenses and minimal disruption of neighborhood life by redeveloping fewer than 10 units at a time in garden-style complexes.

We should also be supporting neighborhood organization efforts in historically marginalized neighborhoods, including homeowner, homebuyer and tenant educational programming.

Other Key Issues

• Fostering a culture of affordable housing among the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission. Every proposed new development should raise the question of what can this developer do to a) increase the stock of affordable housing and b) avoid displacement of low-income Athenians.
• Repealing the single family ordinance.
• Investigating housing value discrimination in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
• Comprehensive re-zoning for racial justice, where it applies outside of the cases discussed above.
• Advocating for permanent housing for Athens’ homeless population, including those living in tent cities.
• Providing a mechanism or incentive for a progressive property tax on residential property.

This isn’t a fight that’s going to be won overnight, but we believe we can win it, especially with your help. The A4E Housing Initiative meets monthly, and we post Facebook events for those meetings, which are usually in the early evening on weekdays. To get involved, email  housing@athensforeveryone.com.

Their own constituents overwhelmingly spoke out against the towering luxury condos. But seven of our ten commissioners voted for the downtown Athens development anyway. What happened?

Developers Profit. Do We?

City Hall was packed on September 5th when the Mayor and Commission discussed the Mitchell Street rezoning requested by developer Carl Nichols — rezoning which would allow the developers to make an estimated $30 million on condos they had actively promoted as being for the extremely rich. Citing concerns about size, affordability and traffic, the Planning Commission had voted against the project six to one — and our elected Athens Clarke County Commissioners had received over a hundred emails opposing the rezone.

Athens for Everyone stood with dozens of allies who spoke at the podium about our need for affordable housing and sane, rational downtown development that would actually benefit the city and the real people who live here. Constituents provided suggestions: if developers want to profit from us, the Mayor and Commission could incorporate inclusionary zoning that would mandate that the tower have a number of affordable units; they could advocate that the developers hire local black contractors and subcontractors for the project; they could take steps to keep the development from damaging what makes our city special; and could make sure the people who will gain from the luxury vacation homes in Athens actually give something back.

Seven Commissioners Voted for the Wildly Unpopular Rezone, No Strings Attached

The majority of the commission did not listen. Seven of our ten commissioners — Sharyn Dickerson, Harry Sims, Allison Wright, Diane Bell, Andy Herod, Mike Hamby and Jerry NeSmith — voted yes on the rezoning. They voted against their own community to prioritize third and fourth homes for wealthy retirees from Atlanta who only come to Athens on gamedays, and they voted to give the developers $30 million in revenue, but they asked for nothing beyond the usual property taxes for our city in return — and they provided no credible plan that even those tax monies would be used for progressive policies. Why did these commissioners only value the needs of the wealthy few? And do you know if your commissioner one of them? 

Five ACC Commissioners joined Mayor Denson and the Would-Be Developer to Raise Funds for a GOP Candidate

Commissioners Dickerson, NeSmith, Bell, Herod and Hamby — plus a large number of prominent commercial real-estate developers that included Carl Nichols, the developer of the Mitchell street project — joined Mayor Nancy Denson to host a fundraiser for Republican Houston Gaines’ campaign for Georgia State House 117 on August 31st. The fallout for Mayor Denson was dramatic: she was removed from the ACC Democratic Committee last Thursday for breaking their bylaws by campaigning for a Republican when there is a strong Democrat — Deborah Gonzalez — in the same race.

Athens votes for Democrats. 65% of ACC voted for Clinton last fall. Why are so many of our local elected officials campaigning for a Republican? Gaines’ platform is minimal; even those who support him mostly emphasize that he’s “a nice guy.” If elected, he will join and vote with a radical Republican majority in the Georgia state legislature that prioritizes corporations and the wealthy while neglecting everyone else; that attacks immigrants, women, LBGTQ folks, the environment, and our right to peaceful protest; that voted against Medicaid expansion which denied insurance for thousands of Athenians, that rejects criminal justice reform, that refuses to raise our minimum wage, and that has gerrymandered Georgia’s voting districts to keep a lock on their power. Deborah Gonzalez is also “a nice lady,” but in stark contrast with Gaines she has a robust progressive platform and policy positions that will help, not hurt, the people of Georgia.

Five days after the five Commissioners co-hosted the Republican event alongside Carl Nichols, the would-be Mitchell street developer, they all voted yes on the Mitchell Street rezone. 

Athens is Solidly Progressive. Why Doesn’t Our Mayor and Commission Reflect That?

Why does Athens have the Mayor and Commission that we do? It’s a good idea on paper: Athens Clarke County has a non-partisan local government. In practice, however, non-partisan elections have allowed many candidates to run progressive-sounding campaigns while actually standing for the status quo, if they stand for anything at all. We are a progressive city that still somehow elected a Commission majority that votes conservatively on issues that matter— issues like the Mitchell Street development which really only benefit the wealthy and powerful.  

Athens Deserves Politicians Who Represent Athens

How do we start electing the kind of Mayor and Commission Athens deserves? Next May 22nd, Athens will be holding elections for Mayor and commission districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9 – that’s Sharyn Dickerson, Harry Sims, Melissa Link, Jared Bailey, Diane Bell and Kelly Girtz respectively (Girtz and Sims will be running for mayor). We need to demand clear platforms and positions from every candidate for office, and we need to hold them to their progressive positions once they’re in office. Every election cycle Athens for Everyone creates a questionnaire to send to all ACC candidates. Candidates who choose to respond have to take clear positions on transportation, the needs of black people in Athens, housing, marijuana legalization, a single-use plastic bag ban, and more. Candidates who choose not to respond make their priorities clear. Athens for Everyone also tracks and publishes how our Mayor and individual Commissioners vote on key issues, and we provide you with publicly available info about their campaign donation history. Athens for Everyone endorses and campaigns for candidates like the Commission’s most progressive member, Melissa Link. We fight for transparency, clarity, and honesty. This is how we empower Athens to choose the candidates ACC wants and needs—candidates that work for us, not against us. On May 22nd we have the chance to get one step closer to an Athens for Everyone. This is how we win.

Athens for Everyone
October 3rd, 2017

Here they go again.

The Mayor and Commission are considering rezoning a property on Mitchell Street, which is situated between downtown and the university. The proposed development is a 100-plus-foot tower, much like other recent high-rise residential developments downtown, only taller. This is a massive increase in scale over what would be allowed under the current zoning, making it a big ask on the part of the developers that would would result in tens of millions in additional revenue for them if the Mayor and Commission approve the project.

Who Benefits?

What does Athens get in return if this proposal passes? 258 bedrooms of game-day condos. Yes, second or third or fourth homes for well-heeled UGA football fans. As reported in a Flagpole article published June 2, the developer acknowledged this fact during a Planning Commission meeting, saying, “We’re looking at people who already have a mountain house, already have a beach house, already have an Atlanta house, but want to come to Athens.”

Several commissioners have spoken favorably about the development, arguing that it would be housing density where we need it most, that it would serve a different demographic than students downtown, that it would reduce our dependence on cars. None of this is true.

This development has more parking spaces than bedrooms and a drive-through auto court to boot. Everyone who stays there will drive. People who come to Athens for seven weekends a year are not residents, and the condo tower where they stay would not be housing; it would be a private hotel. So if approved and built it would do nothing to add to Athens housing stock for any income level and would displace actual housing that could be built on that site. And this proposed development is certainly not intended for a different demographic than other recent developments. Nearly everything that has been built in Athens recently is for the same demographic; whether expensive single family infill, luxury student apartments, or, now, luxury football vacation homes, it is all being built for the wealthy.

“We’re looking at people who already have a mountain house, already have a beach house, already have an Atlanta house, but want to come to Athens.” -Mitchell Street Developer

We need better balance. It’s what our community has asked for repeatedly. While actual Athenians struggle to find housing they can afford, it seems painfully out of touch for the Mayor and Commission to seriously consider approving this development.

Please contact the Mayor and Commission (agenda item 15) and tell them to vote NO on the Mitchell Street rezone. Come to City Hall on September 5th at 6:00pm and tell them that we want Affordable Housing for All, not more options for those who already have the most.

Better Ideas for Housing In Athens

Here’s a preliminary list of policy changes that ACC could implement to move us in the right direction, by increasing the availability of affordable housing, unlike the proposed development.

1. Fund Our Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

$250,000 to $500,000 of annual funding would quickly make this an effective financial tool able to leverage millions of dollars of investment in affordable housing.

2. Institute an Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance.

Inclusionary zoning, where new developments are required or encouraged to include affordable units, would harness our robust student housing development market to assist the funding of affordable housing.

3. Bring Unused Properties Back into Use Through Partnership with Our Not-For-Profit Affordable Housing Providers.

Empty houses represent both a drain on the surrounding neighborhood and  an opportunity to seamlessly add more housing where it is needed most. Moving these houses back into use through affordable housing providers would ensure their affordability.

4. Reduce the Minimum Lot Size in Single Family Zones.

Allowing lots as small as 2500 square feet, coupled with house size limits, provides an alternative to building large and expensive single family houses as infill, currently the only viable option within our single family zones.

5. Institute Preferential House Size Thresholds within Our New Infill Housing Ordinance.

Our new infill housing ordinance disadvantages small lots, making it prohibitively difficult to build on our smallest lots in our densest neighborhoods, where lower priced single family homes are more likely. Adding language to suspend the new setback restrictions for houses under a certain size would encourage the construction of smaller houses on these smaller lots.

6. Allow Accessory Dwelling Units in Single Family Zones.

Accessory dwellings, whether included in the primary structure or separate, are a low-impact, easily-managed way to bring mixed-income housing into all of Athens’ neighborhoods. Quality of life concerns are mitigated by a requirement that one of the units be owner-occupied, verifiable through our homestead exemption.

7. Establish a Property Tax Abatement Program for Low-Income Homeowners.

Development in many neighborhoods is a cause for concern because of the effect that it has on the property tax assessments of existing residents. Rising property values and subsequent higher property taxes are a real hardship for our low-income residents. The answer to these concerns is not to restrict additional housing, which would exacerbate rising property values, but to alleviate the tax burden on those who are most harmed by the increases.

Athens for Everyone
8/30/17

“Wildflowers” used to be an RV park, owned by the same man who’s now in his 80s. Over the past decade he’s been transitioning into the Tiny House community, and there are dozens of Tiny Houses there now, occupied by people who own their house but pay a fee for the lot.  These lots aren’t huge, but you’re not looking into your next-door neighbor’s window, either. There’s room around the outside for a small garden or a patio, and some people have added decks or screened porches. They’re often custom built for the people who buy them, but many do it themselves and cut down on expenses by doing so.

We were invited to tour the interiors of two THs at Wildflowers, one that was a single-level house and furnished and the other which was unfurnished with a ladder leading up to two lofts on either end. Most THs have sleeping lofts, which provide more living space on the ground level. I was surprised that the furnished one felt very spacious to me, with a fairly large bedroom and a nice bathroom. It had everything one could need for a comfortable life. It even had a working fireplace! It was about 400 sq. ft, which is larger than most THs. It was also more expensive (close to $100,000) because it had many high-­end touches, such as a granite kitchen countertop, fireplace (stacked stone border), and an etched glass shower door. ­­­It was gorgeous!

The houses in Wildflowers are all built on foundations, meaning they can’t be moved. A lot of people who like living in a Tiny House also like the idea that they can be built on flat­bed trailers and can be towed by a pickup or similar vehicle. Not too many folks actually do move them around much, but they like the fact that they can relocate if they want.

I started to get more curious about THs, and started thinking about the possibility of living in one myself. The only problem is that I have accumulated a lot of “stuff” over the past 40+ years; there’s no way I could fit it all in a Tiny House, or so I thought. Fortunately, I’m at a point in my life where I’m ready to let go of most of my stuff. Getting rid of all the clutter and simplifying your life certainly has its appeal. I moved three years ago and some of the boxes are still unpacked in the garage; I’m not really sure what’s in them, but I obviously can live without whatever it is.

Another factor that draws people to THs is that they can be built for less than a traditional house. A comfortable Tiny House about 300 sq ft in size could be built for about $30,000. Some people have built them (DIY) using reclaimed materials and whatever free things they could find on Craigslist for as little as $12,000. Imagine not having a monthly rent or mortgage payment, owning your Tiny House free & clear. Some folks take it a step further and go off the grid entirely using solar panels, composting toilets, collecting rain water, etc.  Owning my own house has always been a dream of mine.

Tiny Houses are also beneficial for the environment. They allow us to leave a much smaller carbon footprint, because they take less energy to heat and cool.

Many retirees and/or ‘empty nesters’ realize that a Tiny House will free them from the demands that the upkeep of a larger house requires (in both expenses and time). On the other hand, THs are also a good choice for younger people who are just starting out in the world and don’t have enough money or credit to buy a traditional house. I imagine that with the way our economy has been so unstable for the past decade or so, some people will decide to avoid living beyond their means, using credit cards to acquire ‘things’ they don’t really need.  Fortunately, those things just won’t FIT into a Tiny House.

I’m excited about building and living in a Tiny House. The problem is, Athens-­Clarke County is not excited about allowing them on properties unless that property also has a ‘traditional’ house already there. So, one would have to have a relative or a really good friend, someone who has enough property for your Tiny House to fit and not crowd their own house. This person would also have to allow you to use their water source and electricity. Unfortunately, this kind of situation is rare for most people!

Athens also has a old law that requires houses to be 1,000 sq. ft. or more. This makes the lack of affordable housing here even worse, and no one seems to be addressing this issue. Athens used to have plenty of affordable housing, for buyers and renters, but over the past decade, most of the development has been mega-­sized student housing complexes on every piece of property that becomes available. There doesn’t seem to be ANY development for non-student housing. The people who like living in Athens and have chosen to stay here are being priced ­out of places to live. Some are having to move due to skyrocketing rents.

I’m not suggesting that Tiny Houses should be built everywhere, but I am suggesting that they are a very good option for people who want to live in Athens affordably. There are several locations all around Athens where TH communities could be built, if the current zoning law (minimum of 1,000 sq. ft.) were changed. Student housing is sprawling over all of Athens, crowding out our artists, musicians, and our local small businesses. There is no money left over to spend enjoying Athens, unless something is free. That’s my budget: FREE. It shouldn’t have to be that way, and Tiny Houses CAN be part of the solution to more affordable housing.

Let your Commissioner know that you want him/her to DO something about this problem. Remember, we vote for these people and if they’re not doing the job we want them to do, we can vote them out. First, though, we can call, e-mail, stop them on the street, whatever, and let them know that you are in favor of Tiny Houses!

Paula Loniak
vettopet *at* yahoo.com

Gentrification was defined for this workshop as part of “the class remake of the central urban landscape” (Smith, 1996). The implications of this process are manifold: 1) housing/rent prices tend to rise, 2) property taxes rise, 3) relationships between original and new residents can become hostile, 4) the exterior and interior landscape of the community tends to change dramatically, and 5) typically poor and Black folks are displaced from their communities. Of note, gentrification is very much about race, given that it tends to take place in inner city neighborhoods that have been historically segregated by race.

Three forms of gentrification relevant to Athens-Clarke County are ‘hipster’ or ‘pioneer’ gentrification, new build gentrification, and ‘studentification.’ All three categories exist within Athens-Clarke County borders and have contributed to significant neighborhood change here. Communities that once consisted of working-class, often black families and their homes have been increasingly replaced with commercial centers, student housing, highways, and other profit-making establishments. The transient student population has been prioritized by the wealthy and typically white business owners to the dismay of many residents.

One Athenian in attendance commented, “Being a native feels like belonging to a subculture within a community.” Other attendees described their negative experiences with gentrification and how it has served to dismantle strong and stable, though segregated, black communities. Linda, a resident of Athens’ Brooklyn neighborhood, proclaimed, “We were a community before gentrification.” Verna, also a resident of Brooklyn, described gentrification as something that slowly chipped away at her community; its streets where she played safely as a child were replaced with a highway. Ms. Linda and Ms. Verna shared that these homes within these communities represent pride in their ancestors, former slaves who worked diligently to procure homes for future generations. These homes symbolize generational wealth, culture, stability, and connectedness for black residents.

Attendees engaged in problem-solving strategies in order to shift the tide and dismantle gentrification’s stronghold within the Athens community. The Athens Land Trust and other community members identified affordable homeownership as one step to prevent further gentrification. Inclusionary zoning, establishing a moratorium on large-scale student housing, implementing regulatory policies in regard to construction of buildings were just a few of the strategies identified. Residents also highlighted the need to instill a sense of pride in historically black communities and their homes; this will help to ensure generational wealth is preserved within black communities.

“We were a community before gentrification” is a statement that perfectly summarizes the aftermath of unchecked gentrification — a community becomes past tense in nature and existence. As Bolton so poignantly highlights, the displacement produced by freewheeling gentrification is a social injustice for that very reason. When people are displaced by gentrification, they are torn from neighbors, schools, community organizations, and churches. This not only ruptures the community, but also its members who are left feeling psychologically, emotionally, and physically damaged. Unfortunately, pleasing and providing for a transitory student population seems more important to business and government leaders in Athens than the stability provided by generational homeownership.

I recently drove down Brooklyn Road to see the remnants of the Brooklyn neighborhood. What I saw was fragments of a community crammed into one street. Attendees of this workshop described a once vibrant and flourishing Brooklyn here in Athens that spanned a large area — all the way from West Broad Street School to the Library and the intersection of Oglethorpe and Hawthorne Avenues. Now this area is home to three shopping centers, a hotel, restaurants, and other commercial franchises. All that is left of Brooklyn is this one street, Brooklyn Road.

On that road were beautiful homes, evidently worn by love, family, friends and time. Each house a little bit different whether it be in shape, color, or size. However, and more importantly, each home felt like an intricate part to a larger whole. Two young girls saw me and waved ‘hi’ as if inviting me to become part of their strong community. Ahead, there were more yards filled with toys, grills, the smell of barbeque, open gates, and neighbors chatting. The car in front even stopped in the middle of the road to chat with a neighbor. Community was found in every home, yard, corner, square mile of this one street. I felt supported and stronger simply by driving down it.

In closing, we encourage residents of Athens to take a stand against further gentrification. First by bringing some awareness to its problematic nature, by attending community workshops like the one hosted by Claire Bolton, and by getting organized and speaking out. Write letters to politicians demanding increased housing and zoning regulation, such as a moratorium on student housing. Vote for politicians working to protect Athens. Create homes that are actually affordable for Athens residents, including those living in poverty. Stay informed, get involved, and keep caring about what is happening in our community.

By Jess Nobile MSW, LCSW

For Reference
Smith, N. (1996). The New Urban Frontier: Gentrification and the Revanchist City. London, England: Routledge.