It’s no secret the City of Waycross has a housing issue. It has been 25 years since the Waycross-Ware County Development Authority has commissioned a housing needs assessment.
Now, the Authority will be holding a Community Housing Symposium Thursday, July 30, to discuss the results of the new assessment with the community.
The free event will be held at the Coatal Pines Miller Lecture Hall, 1701 Carswell Avenue, Waycross. It will also feature a panel of various local businesses and organizations tol discuss their own perspectives on the community’s housing needs.
Jason Rubenbauer, President and CEO of the Waycross-Ware County Development Authority, encouraged the public to participate in the event, stating they at least “would love to have 150 show up.”
“This is to shape our housing for the future,” he reiterated.
Rubenbauer acknowledged some of the issues the area has experienced with housing.
“We have seen a decline in city population, and that’s partly due to housing conditions,” he said.
He also mentioned considerations of the average workforce income, and the impact that has on housing.
Other housing-related issues mentioned included trying to reduce urban sprawl and keeping new housing closer to “areas of influence.”
Rubenbauer encouraged residents to also contribute by filling out the Development Authority’s housing survey, which can be found at https://wwda.us/housing- survey/ While the symposium is free and open to the public, Rubenbauer also encourages interested parties to RSVP in advance.
The link to do so can be found on the Development Authority’s Facebook page.
