Last week, the Regional Industry Support Enterprise (RISE) hosted Building the Future: An Interactive Discussion on Attainable Housing at the Mikell Foxworth Gym in Pembroke.
This regional event brought together local government planners, bankers, builders, developers, realtors and other housing professionals and experts from throughout the eight-county RISE region (including Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty and Screven counties) to discuss attainable housing. The event was held at the Mikell Foxworth Gym due to its proximity to existing attainable housing developments, including a development built with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and homes built using programs offered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
“We were very pleased with the diversity of attendees who came to the event last week,” said RISE President and CEO Anna Chafin. “I think people appreciated the opportunity to meet and interact with public and private-sector professionals in housing-related industries from around the region.”
Attendees of the event had the opportunity to see presentations highlighting affordability gaps and outlining supply/ demand differences for housing throughout the region. They also heard a panel discussion about existing attainable housing projects/ barriers. Panelists included local government officials, a developer, a landscape architect and a local banker. These presentations and the panel set the stage for interactive breakout sessions in which attendees could participate. The breakout sessions made up the majority of the event, and the sessions presented the opportunity for attendees to have meaningful conversations about topics related to attainable housing. Topics discussed during the sessions included transportation, infrastructure, zoning and ordinances, and creative financing.
The Development Authority of Bryan County provided breakfast for attendees and BankSouth provided lunch. The City of Pembroke provided the facility and Georgia Southern University provided event support.
The Regional Industry Support Enterprise’s mission is to be the key facilitator of industry support services and workforce development in the Savannah region. The organization is focused on seven core focus areas: Military, Underrepresented, Housing, Education, Transportation, Childcare and Marketing.