HINESVILLE, Ga. (WSAV) - Two grants from the Governor's Office totaling over $3 million could completely change the economic landscape of a growing region in Coastal Georgia.
A million dollar-plus grant from the OneGeorgia Authority has kickstarted a project that City of Hinesville officials said they hope to break ground on next month: 31 detached townhomes on Court Street, steps away from City Hall.
The grant is part of the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative.
"Rents in this area are going to be anywhere from $1200-$2000/month," Assistant City Manager Ryan Arnold said, "and that's just renting a one-bedroom to three-bedroom apartment, and that's really hard to do if you're only making $40,000-$50,000/year. In order to actually address that problem, we have to increase the overall stock of affordable housing. So, that's what this program is designed to do."
The Liberty County Development Authority was also awarded a grant as part of the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative.
They received $2 million to improve the infrastructure at a large industrial park in Midway, in the hopes of bringing businesses and jobs there.
"Their funding target is to grow the businesses and this grant, this project is to help provide places for people to live in, to work at those jobs," Arnold said.
While the plan is for the two projects to complement each other, Arnold also said the anticipated growth may bring new challenges.
"You're going to see things like traffic," he said, "you're going to see things like semi-trucks. You're going to see all of those types of situations happen, but it's something we know is goanna happen. The county and city are planning on roadway improvement projects, looking at ways to mitigate those downsides, but still leverage the resources we have to get those businesses in here."