Thomasville City Council approves changes to neighborhoods, vacant lots

THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WALB) - On Monday, Thomasville residents learned about some changes coming to the City of Roses that could make daily walks much safer and enjoyable.

One of the items on the Thomasville City Council agenda that caused concern for some was adopting traditional neighborhoods. City leaders say that they are trying to decrease the number of vacant lots in the city.

“We are working through the changes and being qualified for the traditional neighborhood’s money. It allows us to maybe take some of those lots, consolidate them and make it more interesting for a developer to come in and do some infill for them,” Thomasville mayor Jay Flowers said.

Tired of not having sidewalks to walk your dog? Well, residents in Thomasville can finally enjoy having sidewalks in the community from a project that has taken nearly four years to develop.

“We need housing for all people within our community. And tonight, we are working on low-income housing. There is a traditional school, Douglas High School, that was our traditional African American school for the city school system. It was left behind when the city school moved on in the 2000s. That’s been owned by a group of alumni,” Flowers said.

Many residents expressed their concerns about being able to preserve the building because of its historic background. Because this item has passed it requires that 90 percent of the building should go towards low-income housing.

All of the items on the agenda on Monday were passed by the council. Residents can expect to see changes sometime in summer 2023.

Copyright 2023 WALB. All rights reserved.