Forest Park joins Georgia Initiative for Community Housing; city to mail permitting guide

Forest Park will participate in the 2026 cohort of the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing, city officials announced during the monthly awards meeting. "The city of Forest Park has been selected to participate in the Georgia initiative for community housing program," Planning and Community Development Director Dozier said, and the city "will be receiving our official invite on the November 19," Economic Development Director Dennis added.

The planning department said it has prepared a mailed pamphlet to help homeowners apply for building permits online and to clarify when permits are required. "We put together a pamphlet, kind of a guide to kind of help homeowners to be able to apply for their building permits online and know when they need their building permits," Dozier said.

Economic development staff described several local development efforts tied to the city’s outreach. Director Dennis said six new, ground-up homes are under construction on Cherry Street and that the city has installed signs in the Downtown/Main Street district marking properties available for development and properties already sold. Dennis also previewed small-business promotions and events intended to drive local commerce, including Small Business Saturday and a tentative small-business awards breakfast on Dec. 5.

City officials said the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing invitation will be received officially on Nov. 19; staff plan to follow up with outreach materials for homeowners and prospective developers. No formal votes or funding allocations tied to the initiative were recorded in the meeting transcript.