Griffin staff: FY26 housing survey shows big drop in ‘at‑risk’ housing, plans code rewrite and new positions

Kelsey Carden, assistant city manager for Developmental Services, told the Griffin City Commission workshop that the city’s FY26 housing survey found meaningful improvement since 2017 and gave staff a roadmap for next steps. “One of the proudest accomplishments and the key takeaway for today is that 10 years ago, we wanted to be where we are right now,” Carden said.

Staff said the FY26 windshield-style survey, completed in December 2025 using an in‑house app, evaluated 10,516 units and produced an audit margin of error of about 3.5 percent. Compared with 2017, the ‘At‑Risk’ category fell from 68 percent to 34 percent; dilapidated structures remain about 3 percent but rose in absolute numbers (from 23 structures in 2017 to 79 in 2025). “That improvement was made possible by adding housing, nuisance abatement, and investments after the tornadoes,” Carden said.

The presentation connected those results to policy proposals: staff recommended a rewrite of the Unified Development Code (UDC), a comprehensive plan update (RFP closes Aug. 7), and several new or refilled positions — notably a business relationship manager, a planning manager, and a grant manager — to close operational gaps and better align development and code enforcement work. Carden said construction costs and current minimum house-size rules are creating an affordability gap (staff cited an average single-family construction cost of ~$270,889) and recommended adjusting standards to permit more attainable starter homes.

Next steps include bringing a UDC contract forward for review, continued in‑house surveys for operational use, and development of staffing plans to implement the new approach. The presentation balanced the survey’s positive trend with warnings about relying on short‑term disaster recovery funding as a long‑term strategy.