The Housing and Community Development (HCD) department of Athens-Clarke County is on the lookout for public feedback as they gear up to refurbish parts of Inner East Athens (IEA). They're setting the stage to apply for a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA) designation — a move to hook some community development block grant (CDBG) dollars for revamping the locale. Folks in IEA, including those in the Reese-Hancock Corridor, have seen this kind of thing before, but now there's a push for more concentrated efforts in IEA, according to the Athens-Clarke County official website.
For those keen on having their voices heard, HCD has lined up a couple of community forums at Heard Park Multipurpose Room — the first, running on March 20 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and a second, slated for March 27 between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Snug in their calendars, Athenians can set aside a scant five minutes to complete an online survey, to pitch in their two cents on the community's strengths and needs. And, for those with some chops in sectors like community and economic development, or affordable housing — HCD's hosting focus groups this March.
Once the collective insights and data are harvested, a draft NRSA application is expected to drop for further public digestion and debate in the upcoming spring. It's part of a larger playbook, the FY26-30 Consolidated Plan, promising to blueprint a more vibrant Inner East Athens.
Anyone looking to learn more or put their stake in can hit up the HCD Public Input Opportunities website, flick an email to [email protected], or call them at 706-613-3155.
