It will also include ways to maximize cost effective development strategies, such as new home construction in historic neighborhoods to help revitalize them. EDA University Center grants offset some expenses that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive to rural communities.ĬEDR is conducting the six-month research and analysis project in Fitzgerald, which entails looking at housing that's for sale, determining what the rental rates are, and developing housing development strategy recommendations for the entire city, said Betsy McGriff, a CEDR associate project manager and lead researcher on the study. These grants are targeted toward economically distressed communities that can’t afford the cost of this type of comprehensive economic development research. The study is funded in part through an Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) grant, which is administered by the EDA University Center. Now, city leaders and officials from surrounding Ben Hill County are working with the Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR) and EDA University Center at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute to produce a study to figure out a viable strategy. With its local economy steadily improving, this community of 9,000 is also looking to boost its new home development construction activity. Recent capital investments in wood products, food and beverage processing, plastics, and manufacturing have increased employment, personal income growth, and the community’s GDP. It’s also home to a museum with a nod to its 1895 beginnings as a community and haven for veterans who fought on both sides of the Civil War.įitzgerald also has a successful history of industrial recruitment that has provided the community with a significant manufacturing base. It has a modern airport with a 5,000-foot runway, an active mainline railroad, and industrial parks. Just 23 miles east of Interstate 75, Fitzgerald has a busy downtown thoroughfare with shops, antique stores, and eateries. In many ways, this South Georgia town boasts the best of small rural communities.
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