The city of Cornelia hosted a town hall meeting to open a community-wide dialogue on housing at Cornelia Elementary School Monday, March 31.
During the meeting, led by Cornelia’s Community and Economic Development Director Jessie Owensby, about two-dozen local stakeholders and residents delved into dynamics of development and housing needs within the city, which has a median income of around $58,000 and a diverse blend of populace.
Current statistics indicate Cornelia is about 50% white, 40% Hispanic and 7-8% African-American.
The list of stakeholders involved in the discussions all consist of what’s referred to as the GICH (or Georgia Initiative for Community Housing) team. In partnership with the University of Georgia and the state’s Department of Community Affairs, the team will provide input and feedback that will later be analyzed and used to draft a long-term plan for Cornelia’s Commission in deciding the future of development proposed throughout the city, according to Owensby.
With a lack of affordable housing gripping Cornelia as well as much of the U.S., the dialogue comes at a pivotal juncture for the future of the city, which, like other municipalities, must navigate such challenges in the years ahead.
Now Habersham will have the full story on the town hall – the first of three over the topic – on Tuesday, April 1.
Future town halls, as part of a three-year program, are expected to come later this year, Owensby said.
