Jack Murphy, chief investment officer with development group Carter, presents updated details of the Homewood Hills redevelopment plan to Athens-Clarke County Commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. Murphy outlined the proposed residential buildings, commercial renovations and amenity areas with updates since the company’s previous proposal. (Photo/Hollis Turner)
The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted Tuesday to delay a decision on a proposed redevelopment of the Homewood Hills Shopping Center. The postponement came after nearly two hours of sharply divided public deliberation.
The proposed development would update the long-standing Homewood Hills shopping center by adding new residential buildings, renovated commercial space and shared amenity areas such as an amphitheater. Plans presented to the commissioners by Atlanta-based Carter include two 5-story apartment towers, townhomes and improvements intended to create more pedestrian-focused connections throughout the site and adjacent neighborhoods.
The scale of the changes planned for the well-established commercial area has drawn significant public attention from nearby residents.
Nearby residents’ concerns focused heavily on safety, neighborhood character and the increased traffic in an already dense area.
Patrick Stanley, who lives in the area, questioned whether the update would improve the site’s appearance at all.
“Many of us in this neighborhood see what is being proposed as an eyesore,” Stanley said.
So I have to ask, what is the difference between an eyesore in need of redevelopment and a redeveloped eyesore?”
Keith Hubbard, who also lives close to the site, said the project would significantly affect the walkable, wooded character of the neighborhood.
“Everyday, our neighborhood is quiet,” Hubbard said. “People walk, they stroll babies, they walk dogs. I’m seriously concerned about the impact and safety of the community, and it would deeply, deeply impact the quality of this beautiful neighborhood.”
Some community members, like Ken Blumreich, who owns AFK Athens Martial Arts located in the shopping center, spoke in support of the proposed plan.
“The proposed improvements and additional housing will absolutely result in a revitalization of the area that is long overdue,” Blumreich said. “It’s my thought that this project will be a huge boom in the community.”
Athens community members are lined up to speak during public comment on the proposed Homewood Hills redevelopment at the Athens-Clarke County Commission meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. More than 20 people lined up to share their thoughts on the project. (Photo/Hollis Turner)
After the public comments concluded, commissioners began discussing the proposal and raised their own questions about the redevelopment. Commissioner Dexter Fisher, who represents the area that includes the shopping center, expressed his support for the project and said he wants to see something positive come from the area.
“One of the first calls I got when I got elected was people complaining about people hanging out (at Homewood Hills), and some of the crime that has started happening in that particular area,” Fisher said. “What (better) way to eliminate some of that (than to) redevelop that project.”
Other commissioners said they were not ready to move forward. Commissioner Melissa Link said concerns raised by residents and county staff need further review before a final decision. Link made a motion to delay the vote, and the commission approved the postponement in a 7-3 decision.
Hollis Turner is a journalism major in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
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