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Residents urge action on affordable housing; business-park opponents warn development may reduce housing options
Summary
During public comments at the Jan. 13 Georgetown City Council meeting, speakers urged the council to address local affordable housing shortages and questioned the planned business park, saying development decisions could reduce housing supply or shift tax revenues.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the Jan. 13 Georgetown City Council meeting to press the council on housing and a proposed business park.
Jeff Norman told the council he is concerned about an affordable housing shortage that is forcing recent high-school graduates to move away. Norman urged policies to support long-term housing and tenant protections, saying, "If we wanna look towards the future of Georgetown, we have to have affordable housing where people actually put their roots here." He asked the council to consider loan programs, landlord accountability and protections for renters who report needed repairs.
Business-owner Steve Glass spoke about a proposed business park and a related editorial. Glass said the revenue split in a discussed annexation deal would give the city 5 percent and the county 5 percent of host-city revenue, while neighboring Berea would receive the full 10 percent under the plan he described. He raised concerns that annexation language and revenue sharing could leave the fiscal court "without any skin in the game" while the city incurs infrastructure costs such as a potential new fire station.
Glass also said opponents of the business park told the council they do not want additional housing near the site; he argued that if the business-park plan fails and the land is later developed for housing, the community could still face an affordable-housing shortage. He suggested that some land in the area—Landrum or Landover Lane Run—might be suitable for less disruptive development.
Ending: Speakers asked the council to consider policies that support affordable homeownership and stronger renter protections, and to clarify fiscal and annexation impacts of any business-park proposal.
