Downtown Growth Brings New Challenges for Locals, ACC Commissioners

Student housing in downtown Athens is a booming business. In just the past four years, developers have built four massive luxury apartment complexes downtown. Occupancy rates for these new developments are hovering around 90%, sharply increasing the number of people living within the small geographical footprint of downtown Athens. City leaders say this growth brings economic opportunity along with significant challenges for longtime local residents and small businesses. In March, ACC commissioners passed a moratorium on new apartment construction. They hope to examine the long-term effects of rapid growth and develop policies for managing future residential projects.

This video story was produced by Nathan Toburen for Grady College’s Advanced Video Journalism course, JOUR 5280, taught by Chris Shumway.