News Conference Story
Mayor Kelly Girtz proposes changes to residential ordinance, expanding housing options for UGA students
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz said Friday he is open to modifying an ordinance to expand housing options for University of Georgia students by allowing more students to live together in single family residential zones.
The current Residential Zone Ordinance does not allow more than two unrelated individuals to reside in a single dwelling unit, and Girtz said he is willing to change it to allow at least three individuals.
Girtz discussed the Athens-Clarke County Future Land Use Plan, affordable housing and initiatives to combat the housing supply shortage at a press conference at the Instructional Plaza South Auditorium on April 19.
“I want to make sure that my now fifth-grade son, in another 40 years, can continue to afford to live in Athens,” Girtz said.
Girtz said he is going to propose $1 million toward an Affordable Housing Fund, when he presents next year’s budget to the county commission this week. These funds will allow the county government to purchase underutilized lots and partner with nonprofits and public entities to improve housing options for residents and students.
The Future Land Use Plan involves projects for eight neighborhood centers, eight town centers, two urban centers and two special districts, as the government focuses on accommodating the county’s rising population for the next 20 years.
“We believe that creating additional supply is going to benefit the entire population,” Girtz said.
Mac Roberds, a first-year student at UGA, said it was stressful for him to find off-campus housing for next school year because the supply is not meeting the demand for affordable housing.
“Everyone at some point is scrambling,” Roberds said.
The county government is focusing growth in and around high density areas, like the urban center at the core of downtown. Girtz said additional growth is going to be focused around the Georgia Square Mall in anticipation of making this area a future downtown-style environment.
Girtz said the county commission is going to vote to spend over $2 million in assistance to the homeless population on May 7, by building more supply of affordable housing options.
Girtz emphasized that outdoor spaces and factors like walkability are important to the community and it is important that they continue to seek feedback from students and residents. The county government will host public input sessions throughout the spring and summer and has a survey available to the public through April 30.
Topics: Kelly Girtz, Athens-Clarke County Government, affordable housing, Future Land Use Plan
Why I Wrote The Story
For this assignment, all Reporting I students had to attend a news conference with Mayor Girtz and interview a secondary source to write an inverted pyramid news conference story. I had never reported on a news conference before, so it was an interesting experience having to follow along with what Mayor Girtz was discussing and the questions my peers were asking. I was constantly thinking about what the most newsworthy information was and listening for the best quotes I could use. News conferences are common practice for journalists and PR professionals, so this experience taught me how to follow along during this type of event and write a story with a short deadline afterward. I felt like I was able to use all the skills I gained during the semester to research the topic, recognize the newsworthy information, interview secondary sources and quickly write an inverted pyramid-style story. Likewise, this story showed me how much I have grown throughout the semester. At the beginning, I struggled with writing leads and recognizing what information was the most important, and now I am able to write effective leads and properly structure my work.
