Members of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s second Local Leadership Housing Action Committee recently announced a series of steps they will take to address housing affordability challenges in their jurisdictions.

The second cohort of the housing action committee, comprised of eight mayors and county commission chairs from across the Atlanta region, spent the past eight months exploring housing issues in the region and in their communities. Along the way, they shared best practices, discussed barriers, and learned from industry experts, working together to improve leadership and collaborative efforts to address affordability.

ARC created the housing action committee as part of the implementation of the Metro Atlanta Housing Strategy, which launched in 2019 to provide a regional, collaborative approach to address the area’s housing challenges.

The commitments are specific for each jurisdiction. Common themes include reviewing zoning codes, exploring accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinances, identifying funding partnerships, addressing housing for seniors, and working with developers on strategies to foster greater affordability.

2023 LLHAC members are Brian K. Mock, Mayor of Chamblee; Bianca Motley Broom, Mayor of College Park; Kelly Walsh, Commissioner, Decatur; Joseph Geierman, Mayor of Doraville; Deana Holiday Ingraham, Mayor, East Point, Alfred John, Chair, Forsyth County Commission; Oz Nesbitt, Sr., Chair, Rockdale County Commission; Anthony Ford, Mayor of Stockbridge; and Michael Caldwell, Mayor of Woodstock.

A few of their commitments include:

Local Leadership Housing Action Committee – Individual Commitments

NOTE: Committee members are pledging to work collaboratively with their fellow elected officials and members of the community to explore steps to address their jurisdiction’s housing challenges.

Mayor Brian K. Mock – City of Chamblee

Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) Inventory

• Complete an inventory of multifamily for-rent costs, including rent and fees, across the City of Chamblee.

• Complete a review of current code sections for opportunities to make changes that allow more affordable housing development.

Mayor Bianca Motley Broom – City of College Park

• Address the inadequate housing supply for older adults, including planning and supporting the 300-acre mixed-use development at 6 West.

• Seek rezoning for 182 units of new housing on Godby Road.

Commissioner Kelly Walsh – City of Decatur

• Acquire additional residential properties in partnership with the Decatur Land Trust to create permanent workforce homeownership opportunities.

• Assess potential for expedited permitting process for affordable housing.

Mayor Joseph Geierman – City of Doraville

• Support city council’s efforts to update zoning along Buford Highway to allow for a mix of residential and retail where previously only retail was allowed. As a result, hundreds of units will be under construction through­out 2024.

• Support city council’s focus on creating transit-oriented development (TOD) at the 10 acres of land that it owns across from the Civic Center. Also support city council’s efforts to ensure TOD aligns with city’s LCI studies.

Chairman Alfred John – Forsyth County

• Conduct gap analysis to understand what types and price points of housing is needed in Forsyth County

• Further the housing discussions with peer commissioners in the coming year.

Chairman Oz Nesbitt, Sr. – Rockdale County

• Organize a regional bus tour promoting and educating residents on housing through all 11 counties targeting and aligning with Board of Commission meetings. Tour will include a robust education initiative including mayors and elected officials on all stops.

Mayor Anthony Ford – City of Stockbridge

• Pursue conditional zoning to obtain an agreement from developers to create 5% to 10% affordable units which would involve 80% of our area median income (AMI) within their (developers) proposed single and multiple family projects.

• Conduct an evaluation of new housing prices to ensure there are homes being constructed within our city that can accommodate the entire income spectrum.

Mayor Michael Caldwell – City of Woodstock

• Conduct a residential density audit.

• Clean up and review the city’s ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) ordinance.

These and other commitments are responses to troubling trend lines. Housing prices in metro Atlanta have been rising much faster than wages. The supply of housing isn’t keeping up with the region’s fast-growing population, and the number of affordable units has been shrinking. As a result, more than one in three households are considered ‘cost burdened’ – that is, they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

“There’s no doubt that fixing our housing challenges won’t be easy. But it’s something that we must prioritize. Our region can’t truly succeed when so many are unable to afford, without burden, to live here,” said Anna Roach, ARC’s Executive Director and CEO.

Partners of the LLHAC program include the Atlanta Feds, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Urban Land Institute, Enterprise Community Partners, and Georgia Conservancy. Partners operate in the fields of finance, construction and policy and assist by contributing content.

The next cohort for LLHAC begins March 14. For more information, visit Local Leadership Housing Action Committee – ARC (atlantaregional.org)