Clarkston residents weigh in on housing priorities — Canopy Atlanta

At a recent housing summit, Clarkston residents listed improving the quality of already existing apartments in the city as their top priority when it comes to addressing the housing crisis in the city. 

“People have been complaining [about] a lot of issues … with their complexes,” said Ahmad, who attended the summit.

The City of Clarkston collaborated with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) to host the event, which took a more interactive approach by having residents participate in providing feedback and information on posters. 

First, we gained insight into the data collected thus far, including comparisons to the greater metropolitan statistical area and DeKalb County. The number of built apartments is decreasing in Clarkston, with the city containing mostly older apartments, according to ARC staff. 

Then, residents answered “If I could change housing in Clarkston, I would do:” by placing stickers in their response box. Options included building more housing, ensuring different housing sizes, ensuring different housing costs, adding senior housing, improving the quality of older apartments, or improving access to parks and recreation.

Next, they were asked what type of housing would enable them to stay in Clarkston in the next five to ten years. A preliminary report shows homeowners would like to see more single-family homes.

Lastly, residents used color-coded sticky notes to describe their low-to-high priorities for community housing. Based on preliminary information, residents chose “near parks, recreation space” for their lowest priority; the highest vote for medium priority was “diverse types of housing to choose from.” For the highest priority, “housing affordability” had the most votes, with “condition of housing” as a close second.

“I think we get caught up in trying to do something new, that we don’t look at what’s already there,” said one potential developer who attended the summit.

That sentiment could not be more relevant, not just to housing, but in acknowledging the strong, diverse community that perseveres for a better tomorrow.