Life on Main Street
Demand for downtown housing is surging, even in smaller cities.
Public Engagement: Jessica Tullar, housing and special projects manager for the Gainesville Community and Economic Development Department. Photo credit: Eric Sun
A smaller town may not seem like an ideal spot for people who want a metropolitan lifestyle, but that laid-back version of the big-city vibe is catching on. Some Georgians moving out of the state’s bigger metro areas are still seeking the benefits of a walkable, lively environment. Towns like Gainesville, Elberton, Bainbridge and Moultrie are accommodating the demand with renovated historic buildings, new downtown developments and apartments above retail shops.
The small-town Main Street lifestyle got a boost during the pandemic, when people changed their priorities and were able to work remotely, says Jessica Worthington, director of the Office of Downtown Development and Georgia Main Street at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. “We believe the [downtown] housing increase is a direct response to the flexibility given to workers and the embracing of technology allowing people to begin working remotely,” she says.
The impact of the pandemic on Georgia’s downtown housing industry has been astounding across the board, including rentals and condos. “During COVID-19, we saw the demand [for downtown housing] increase 245% in a one-year period, from 2019 to 2020, and it hasn’t cooled off since then,” Worthington says.
The state’s push to improve broadband access has been critical in enabling smaller and more rural communities to be competitive in the housing market. Last year, Georgia received $1.3 billion from the $42 billion nationwide federal investment in broadband expansion. “People realized they can still work in a competitive job market while living in a small town where we know our neighbors and have a sense of community,” says Worthington.
This demand for downtown housing has been great news for the Georgia Main Street Program, part of the national Main Street America movement. Georgia Main Street was founded in 1980 to spur economic development within the context of historic preservation. It has grown from five communities to over 100 statewide. Main Street programs, which are accredited annually by the state, work through public-private partnerships to promote historic preservation, beautification, small business development and investment in downtowns.
The most vibrant Main Street communities are called GEMS—Georgia’s Exceptional Main Street communities. GEMS receive one-on-one technical services through the Office of Downtown Development, discounted training opportunities, and recognition for their successful efforts.
These four Main Street communities – including two GEMS – are experiencing tremendous growth and success.
Bainbridge
From Rubble to Restoration
Some people might be surprised that a city situated nearly 68 miles inland could be in danger of destruction from a hurricane. But in 2018, Hurricane Michael – the first major hurricane to slam Georgia in more than 100 years – wreaked havoc on the city of Bainbridge.
Housing Demand: Jessica Worthington, director of the Office of Downtown Development and Georgia Main Street at the Department of Community Affairs. Photo credit: Haley James
The city did not simply rebuild from the storm’s tremendous damage; it created a whole new vibe by incorporating residential units into many of the downtown’s buildings. “When you are in a really small rural community, [even] two or three units can be a game changer for you,” says Worthington.
Ironically, it was during the pandemic – when commerce came to a full stop – that post-hurricane restorations were completed. “Downtown Bainbridge had several apartments being built out, and we saw people moving into the downtown area during COVID-19,” says Amanda Glover, executive director of the Bainbridge Downtown Development Authority.
Glover says that planning for residential and downtown living began back in 2014, when the city created a downtown master plan. Through involving the community and obtaining residents’ input, it was clear that downtown residential development was very important. “We have a large inventory of multistory buildings with upper floors vacant since the 1940s and ’50s, such as the historic Bon Air Hotel. So we decided to build out and find a use for the upper floors of these historic properties.”
The hotel first opened in 1902 and was once the heart of downtown Bainbridge. After falling into decline in the 1960s, it was renovated by The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in 2001, sparking revitalization of many other surrounding spaces. As a result, there is now more of a core base of people living and working in downtown Bainbridge.
Restoration of parks near downtown Bainbridge has spurred private residential development. Most recently, the city restored the 100-year-old Chason Park as part of the city’s riverfront master plan, aimed at connecting the downtown area to the nearby Flint River. The park was expanded and updated with recreational activities, such as playgrounds, splash pads and walking trails.
New Vibe: Bainbridge’s Chason Park, above left, the Willis Park Hotel, middle, and Bainbridge Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Amanda Glover, right. Photo credits contributed
There is also a new 21-unit apartment complex connecting to downtown retail shops. Glover says this is a huge win for the city. “It’s been on the table for the master-planning aspect of it for years,” she says. “We have nightlife now and are becoming a sought-after destination.”
Moultrie
Focusing on Families
Stop by downtown Moultrie on a random weekend and you’re likely to come face-to-face with bouncy houses, putt-putt golf or a variety of other family-friendly activities and events. With its monthly Second Saturday event, downtown is hopping, as merchants host sidewalk sales, kids climb on obstacle courses, musicians play their instruments and families enjoy fare from local food trucks. “Main Streets across Georgia have been very successful in making downtown the functional centerpiece of the community,” says Amy Johnson, president of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority, who also serves as the area’s Main Street director.
Evolving Community: Popular Moultrie store Cranfords, above left, and the Second Saturday Easter Egg hunt, middle, and Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority President Amy Johnson, right. Photo credits: contributed
Designated a Georgia Main Street City in 1989, downtown Moultrie prides itself on being an attractive destination for families. “The city puts a lot into community space, including alleyways and walkways, surrounding historic sites such as the old courthouse,” explains Main Street’s Worthington. “The city has created an environment supporting its residents.”
The strategy is clearly helping drive the residential housing market. “There are so many factors that make it so attractive to live in a downtown setting where you know there are built-in community events, such as festivals, right at your front door,” says Johnson. “It’s so convenient to walk to have dinner, walk to the boutique and buy an outfit or birthday gift, and then walk back to your apartment.”
Johnson says that during the pandemic, while downtown merchants’ storefronts were closed, they made sales online through vendor websites and Facebook.
The development plan for Moultrie’s downtown is ever-evolving, Johnson says. “We continually have to work to improve, which means drawing attention to it and making people want to live here. But it’s very gratifying when you look out your office window and you see a couple getting married at a [historic] courthouse,” she says. “It is just a good time to be in our downtown.”
Elberton
Upstairs, Downtown
Elberton only recently realized that its historic downtown buildings could be rehabilitated into housing – not to mention how appealing that housing would be. Now it’s an example of how to transform structures into attractive places to live.
Revitalized Resources: The 1925 Samuel Elbert Hotel. Photo credit: contributed.
Dubbed the “Granite Capital of the World,” Elberton hosts a huge 20,000-seat sports stadium—classified as a historic site—made nearly entirely of granite. The downtown area also features historic sites, such as the Tudor-style Samuel Elbert hotel, named for one of the heroes of the American Revolutionary War. Renovations to the almost 100-year-old hotel have helped revitalize the city’s downtown.
“We have never had residential living downtown,” says former Elberton City Manager Lanier Dunn. He says downtown housing development happened slowly and is related to the Downtown Development Authority’s (DDA) renovation of some spaces above retail stores into apartments. “We opened our first in the year 2019. We had four apartments that we renovated using a combination of city of Elberton employees and subcontractors,” says Dunn. Funding came from the DDA and from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
The Bailey Building, the oldest surviving structure in Elberton. Photo credit: Devan Seawright
Back in 2008, some city-owned, 100-year-old buildings were also renovated as retail shops. As the city rehabbed the first floors, the second floors remained vacant. Speaking about one such building, Dunn says, “Residential would be the highest and best use for it. And we had owned the building and operated the building for over a decade, and it was time to do this next step.”
The city hopes other business owners will be motivated to renovate their own properties’ second stories once they see the successful results of the rehabbed historic ones.
During COVID-19, we saw the demand [for downtown housing] increase 245% in a one-year period, from 2019 to 2020, and it hasn’t cooled off since then. – Jessica Worthington, director, Office of Downtown Development and Georgia Main Street, Department of Community Affairs
Gainesville
A Vision from 2015
Gainesville has been revamping its downtown for more than a decade. In 2015, the city worked with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia to create a downtown master plan.
Jessica Tullar, who serves as the housing and special projects manager of the Gainesville Community and Economic Development Department, describes the master plan as community-driven: “We had a very deliberate and sort of a different approach to public engagement. We had breakfast with middle school students. We had lunch with high school and college students to get their input. We asked them, ‘What do you want to see in our downtown as a middle school, high school or college student? What would attract you to come back and settle here as a young professional or with your family?’”
Tullar says that some major takeaways were that while downtown had great retail shops and restaurants, the area lacked nightlife – a key factor needed to entice Gen Z – as well as affordable residential options.
After completing plans for the new downtown, the city used tools such as a tax allocation district to raise money for redevelopment. It also made strategic investments in public projects to boost confidence among private owners with the goal of getting them to invest in the downtown area.
The city made one particular strategic property acquisition that even meant transforming a bridge to nowhere into a bridge to … somewhere. “There was a [vacant] property on the other side of the pedestrian bridge that for the longest time was referred to as the ‘bridge to nowhere,’” says Tullar. A few years ago, the city acquired the property and constructed a development with retail shops and apartment complexes, so that bridge now has a destination.
Diversified Destination: Lined with busy restaurants, shops and apartments, the square in historic downtown Gainesville regularly hosts events such as the First Friday Concert series. Photo credit: contributed
This “somewhere” benefited downtown greatly during the pandemic, when Gainesville saw a huge influx of residential rentals and purchases. Tullar also thinks the city’s diversified economy helped the community fare better than most. “We’re close to the mountains, we have the lake [Lake Lanier], yet we’re close enough to Atlanta and its big-city amenities. Plus, we had a relatively affordable cost of living during the COVID times,” she says. “I think that kind of incentivized folks to flock here. They see they can work from anywhere.”
Tullar says that the city recognizes that the downtown housing market rate is fairly high right now, which may be unattainable for some of the city’s workforce. “We are actively working with developers, the housing authority and other partners to find and create housing options and opportunities along the entire spectrum of housing, not just subsidized or market rate.”
Pandemic Progress
As with the other Main Street cities, the pandemic reshaped the possibilities in Gainesville’s downtown. As people gained the ability to work or attend school from home, smaller towns and cities became appealing to folks who prefer a slower pace of life.
“I feel like COVID allowed us to really hit pause and ask ourselves, ‘What are our priorities?’” says Worthington. “‘What are the things we want to have? What are the things we want to focus on?’ While the housing trend in rural downtown cities had been trending upward for several years, COVID really gave people an extra push to say, ‘We can do this [work] anywhere; let’s live here.’”
