DeKalb committee approves land-trust feasibility funding, advances land-bank transfers amid debate over hotel-motel tax and zoning changes

DeKalb County’s PECS committee recommended immediate budget action on housing tools and moved several items to the full board after a work-group session that combined public comment, staff presentations and commissioner debate.

Committee recommendation on community land trust study: Commissioner Long Spears moved and the committee approved a substitute resolution to allocate county funding for a feasibility study to create a community land trust (item 20-24-1564). Commissioners amended the requested amount downward during committee discussion to $122,000; the committee recorded approval by voice vote and recommended the amended substitute be considered at the October business meeting. Administration and the chief housing officer were asked to review the substitute language to confirm scope, procurement approach and study parameters.

Land bank parcel transfers: The committee approved a substitute increasing the number of county parcels to be declared surplus and transferred to the DeKalb Regional Land Bank Authority (agenda item cited as 20-25-0 4 3 1 in the record). Commissioners requested a district-by-district spreadsheet to be produced for fuller review ahead of the business meeting so members can see how many parcels fall in District 3 and other districts.

Hotel-motel tax and housing trust fund debate: Commissioners debated a companion resolution that would dedicate a portion of hotel-motel tax revenue to an affordable housing trust fund (a figure discussed was roughly 1/8 of the 8% rate, which presenters estimated could yield about $650,000 annually). Chief Housing Officer Alan Ferguson and administration urged precise statutory language and recommended a feasibility analysis to determine downstream effects on existing recipients and to design the trust fund so it can leverage additional public and private capital.

Minimum unit-size (zoning) discussion and waiver proposal: Commissioners and staff discussed a proposed reduction to minimum single-family unit size (R75/R85) to expand housing choice. Ferguson cautioned that reduced minimums can produce smaller but still unaffordable homes unless paired with affordability requirements; he and several commissioners recommended a waiver process tied to public benefit (affordability conditions) rather than automatic blanket reductions.

Procedure and next steps: A procedural question about whether the session was a work group or a committee meeting prompted legal staff to clarify rules: the session had been advertised as a special-called PECS meeting but was operated as a work group; deputies noted that committee action is permitted when a quorum is present. The committee deferred several other housing agenda items to the October business meeting and asked administration to supply additional documentation (detailed parcel breakdown, substitute language and fiscal feasibility analysis) before the board vote.

What passed or moved forward: The committee recommended funding for a land-trust feasibility study (committee substitute recommending $122,000) and approved the land-bank property-transfer substitute; other items were deferred for a future business meeting for further review.