WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Like almost every real estate deal, at its heart, are three simple words: location, location, location.
Denis Blackburne with Woda Cooper Companies thinks Perkins Field is a good one for a three-building, three-story affordable housing complex. He stressed it would not be 'Section 8' housing, but said of the development's 90 units, nearly all would be reserved for people making around half of Warner Robins' average median income. "You already have a huge percentage of the population in Warner Robins that would qualify for this type of development," said Blackburne.
Others want to leave the location as it is now: a baseball park named in honor of a Warner Robins teen killed in the 1960s. "You don't have to tear down history," said one resident.
Still, others were open to the idea of the project, but want it built somewhere else. "Go to Front Street, go to Armed Forces Boulevard, go to 6th Street," said Jon Nichols. "That area needs to be revitalized."
Rutha Jackson, the Houston County NAACP president, saw it differently. "They are affordable workforce houses that will improve the economy, the quality, and value of this community," she said.
According to Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms, they might get their wish. After initially backing the project, he pulled his support after receiving a number of complaints from citizens. He said he still doesn't support the project at its currently proposed location, but in his opinion, a majority of council now does.
"I think that most of the council members have already decided that that's where they want it," said Toms. "I don't think they heard anything tonight that's going to change their opinion on where it should go."
But when we asked councilman Tim Thomas, who's historically backed development projects, he wouldn't confirm that. "I can't answer that yet," he said. "We haven't got to that point where we're making a vote. That's why we did this tonight, we want to hear pros and cons."
The hearing ended without any formal vote which means, at least officially, this is still not a done deal.