Gwinnett County Commissioners authorize countywide housing study

On Tuesday, May 27, 2020, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approved a study by KB Advisory Group to inventory and analyze housing countywide to help guide decisions and policies in the future. The nine-month study reviews housing by single-family and multi-family units, the number of units available by category and condition, age and demographics, building materials, and types of ownership, as well as redevelopment policies, displacement issues, and affordable housing. The Board of Commissioners established the housing study as part of its 2019 strategic planning.

“The goal of this study is to develop a better understanding of each of these areas so that County leadership can make appropriate decisions to meet the County’s current and future needs in accordance with the 2040 Unified Plan,” said Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash. “Like the rest of the nation, Gwinnett is seeing societal shifts in which new patterns of demographics, transportation, and lifestyles are transforming our economies and communities. We need to know how these factors are affecting housing.”

For example, factors affecting real estate in Gwinnett include the county’s rapid growth, the retirement of Baby Boomers, the increasing number of smaller, non-traditional households, economic trends, and shifting preferences in housing. The study, budgeted for $238,000, includes data for both the unincorporated areas and the 16 municipalities in Gwinnett County.

Phase 1 focuses on collecting and assessing data on housing supply and demographics, such as location and types of all housing units, condition of housing, population trends, occupant employment, vacancy rates, and housing sales and rentals. Phase 2 assesses housing opportunity through stakeholder focus groups, comparing housing needs with other counties, analyzing housing by price and type, and then defining affordable housing needs and senior housing needs. Phase 3 includes drafting a final report to the Board of Commissioners with recommendations on how to expand the County’s housing inventory.

KB Advisory Group also helped develop the award-winning Gwinnett County 2040 Unified Plan.