State buys more than 100 Houston County homes for RAFB encroachment
WARNER ROBINS -- Georgia became one of Houston County’s biggest landlords by buying more than 100 houses, mobile homes and apartment units that could threaten the future of Robins Air Force Base.
But the land buys aren’t moving fast enough for some local politicians.
The state is handling property purchases in north Houston County. The goal there is the same as a regional effort in south Bibb County: using local, state and federal money to buy houses in noisy areas near Robins Air Force Base, then demolishing them. That lowers the population density and reduces the threat of what’s called encroachment, which could be a critical factor in another Base Realignment and Closure Commission process.
In the past several months, Georgia has finalized the sale of four small mobile home parks, a small apartment complex and some other properties, said Daniel Brown, business operations specialist for the state Department of Natural Resources. In all, that puts the land purchases by the state at 25 properties. In total, 107 housing units have been bought to battle encroachment issues for Robins.
“We’ve made a lot of progress,” Brown said. The newly acquired multiple-unit parcels are on Pine, Cranford and Walnut streets as well as Bargain Road.
The state also is shifting a focus away from noisy areas near King Drive. The new area of focus is an area generally within several blocks of Ga. 247 north of Ignico Drive and south of Elberta Road. People interested in selling to the state can call Brown at 404-656-5165.
Brown said the state is close to completing efforts with another 13 properties that could be approved at the next State Properties Commission meeting, which likely will be held in the spring.
The bulk sales clear out more housing units faster, but few parcels with multiple houses remain. The state is negotiating now for one more property with seven buildings.
An earlier sale at 779 Walnut St. vacated 61 mobile homes and a house.
But much of that debris remains behind, from metal foil-wrapped ductwork to staircases that no longer lead to mobile homes. Several trailers, stripped of most of their siding, also remain.
Brown said the state is moving to begin cleaning up the properties it’s buying. A contractor should be selected in early March, though Brown said the state is trying to find a way to clean up the Walnut Street site even sooner.
Such cleanups go beyond picking up the remaining trash to also include demolition of concrete driveways.
“We have estimates, but we don’t know, on this scale, how much it’s going to cost us to demo these properties. We’re removing all the concrete, driveway, fencing. Everything goes. Then it’s going to be graded, and grass will be sown,” Brown said.
No properties have been acquired in south Bibb County in recent months, though an effort through the Central Georgia Joint Development Authority has acquired 199 properties over the years.
Daniel Cummings, a senior government services specialist with the Middle Georgia Regional Commission who has been coordinating the Bibb County buys, said he has seen a “significant slowdown” in property acquisitions but anticipates things will pick up this year.
“We will acquire several properties over the next couple of months,” he said.
Houston County Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker said he expected state property purchases to move faster, though he said that might have been because of what he called the “outstanding success” of the regional effort in south Bibb County.
“I think our expectation was the state would do it equally as fast,” Stalnaker said.
But Stalnaker said he’s not worried that encroachment will still be a problem when another BRAC begins.
“I don’t see that is an issue. I think they will pick up the pace,” he said.
State House Majority Leader Larry O’Neal, R-Bonaire, said encroachment needs to be cured before the next BRAC.
“It’s not fast enough until we get it done,” he said.
O’Neal said he is talking with the Department of Natural Resources about the possibility of getting another employee to work on appraisals and acquire properties to avoid any bottlenecks.
Writer Maggie Lee contributed to this report. To contact writer Mike Stucka, call 744-4251.
This story was originally published January 31, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "State buys more than 100 Houston County homes for RAFB encroachment ."