GA lawmakers draft bill to spur economic development in communities around HBCU campuses /* passes Senate

[get these nets]

*Sen. Sonya Halpern Press Conference to Discuss Findings from the Senate Study Committee on Excellence, Innovation, and Technology at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)​

*start to 8:30 Sen. Alpern speaks
@9:04 Sen. Anavitarte
@11:35 Nathaniel Smith, CEO of the Partnership for Southern Equity (Morehouse grad)
@14:35 Raymond Pierce, CEO of Southern Education Foundation
@ 16:25 Kimberley Ballard Washington , President of Savannah State U.
@17:37 closing comments and questions from reporters

Feb 21, 2023

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New bill aims to create HBCU planning districts for economic development​

State Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, discusses her new proposal to create HBCU planning districts during a press conference in February. (Photo credit: Rebecca Grapevine)

ATLANTA – A new bill with bipartisan support would, if passed, take the first step toward creating “ planning districts” around Georgia’s 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“These planning districts allow … governments as well as private and philanthropic interests to leverage their resources to support innovation, technology, entrepreneurship at our HBCUs and modernize the campuses and surrounding communities,” said state Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, who introduced the measure this week.

The idea is to leverage the resources of the HBCUs to improve the economic and workforce prospects of surrounding communities, Halpern said. If eventually created, such prosperity planning districts around HBCUs would likely be the first of their kind in the country.
“Perhaps some mixed-use housing could be developed on land owned by our HBCUs, also creating another revenue stream for the schools themselves,” Halpern said.
Halpern also suggested that funding for broadband upgrades could benefit both the colleges and their surrounding communities.
Halpern’s bill proposes creating an 11-member commission within the state’s Department of Community Affairs to spearhead research about the needs of communities around the state’s HBCUs, with an eye toward recommending economic development measures around those campuses.

The commission would establish advisory committees for planning districts around Albany State University, Savannah State University, the Atlanta University Center, Fort Valley State University in Middle Georgia, and Paine College in Augusta.

The proposal grew out of a Senate study committee* focused on HBCUs that was chaired by Halpern and met several times last fall.
Halpern is the main sponsor of the new bill, which has garnered support from Republican cosponsors Sens. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas, Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, and Billy Hickman of Statesboro.
It has been assigned to the Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee, which is chaired by Beach

Spoiler: GA Senate Study

@xoxodede @NoMoreWhiteWoman2020 @RealCrownHeights @R.E.N. Spells Ren @Peachstate @staticshock
@DrBanneker @BigAggieLean. @CoryMack @Originalman

 

[Voice of Reason]

Sounds good but what does this mean in practice?

 

[NoMoreWhiteWoman2020]

I hope they do something to innovate as well as preserve the neighborhoods (in a historical district) type manner, because I do not want to see people priced out of black communities. Hopefully they invest in the community without the community losing out in the long run

 

[Piff Perkins]

Sounds good but what does this mean in practice?

Better incorporating HBCUs into communities and giving them the ability to generate revenue. The article mentions building affordable housing on or near HBCU campuses. I'd imagine it would also include building restaurants. A lot of campuses do somewhat similar things. For instance I went to the University Of Michigan for undergrad, and USC for grad. Both universities are heavily connected to the cities they're in. Anything you could possibly want - food, theater, entertainment, shopping, etc - is within walking distance of campus. But most of those are private businesses. If you set it up where many or most of those restaurants, stores etc are owned by the (HBCU) university you're potentially opening up a massive revenue stream that allows them to be self sufficient.

A lot of HBCUs do tours and shyt. Imagine how much better that would be with better streamlining. More walkways and paths to retail and restaurant options. More housing for students and non-students. Sounds like a damn good idea to me.

 

[staticshock]

This is dope as hell. A lot of HBCUs are either surrounded by projects like the AUC or in the middle of nowhere like Alcorn, MVSU & PVAMU.

I can see this having the biggest impact in Georgia around Fort Valley. It’s country as hell but it’s only chain restaurants near it. It’ll be cool to see more black businesses around FVSU

 

[ReturnOfJudah]

lets see if they push the black folks out after these developments.

 

[CoryMack]

sub

 

[JetFueledThoughts]

This is good and important because the west end is getting gentrified as hell. 600k townhomes and it’s still a food desert.

 

[DrBanneker]

I hope they do something to innovate as well as preserve the neighborhoods (in a historical district) type manner, because I do not want to see people priced out of black communities. Hopefully they invest in the community without the community losing out in the long run

lets see if they push the black folks out after these developments.

This is good and important because the west end is getting gentrified as hell. 600k townhomes and it’s still a good desert.

Yeah I am hoping it isn't a situation like UPenn here in Philly that is basically gentrifying and pushing out the historic Black residents of West Philly.

I'm from ATL and part of my family lived in the West End for decades. It is gentrifying like crazy but the only thing I can think of is the HBCUs own affordable housing for working class families or find a way to attract middle class Black folks (who typically head to the burbs).

 

[Voice of Reason]

This is good and important because the west end is getting gentrified as hell. 600k townhomes and it’s still a good desert.

The Westend is more gentrified than what it was 5 years ago but it's still not all the way there yet.

 

[Voice of Reason]

This is dope as hell. A lot of HBCUs are either surrounded by projects like the AUC or in the middle of nowhere like Alcorn, MVSU & PVAMU.

I can see this having the biggest impact in Georgia around Fort Valley. It’s country as hell but it’s only chain restaurants near it. It’ll be cool to see more black businesses around FVSU

I went to FVSU then eventually transferred.

 

[Voice of Reason]

Better incorporating HBCUs into communities and giving them the ability to generate revenue. The article mentions building affordable housing on or near HBCU campuses. I'd imagine it would also include building restaurants. A lot of campuses do somewhat similar things. For instance I went to the University Of Michigan for undergrad, and USC for grad. Both universities are heavily connected to the cities they're in. Anything you could possibly want - food, theater, entertainment, shopping, etc - is within walking distance of campus. But most of those are private businesses. If you set it up where many or most of those restaurants, stores etc are owned by the (HBCU) university you're potentially opening up a massive revenue stream that allows them to be self sufficient.

A lot of HBCUs do tours and shyt. Imagine how much better that would be with better streamlining. More walkways and paths to retail and restaurant options. More housing for students and non-students. Sounds like a damn good idea to me.

They need to write a bill that gives HBCU's the billions that they are owed by the state.

If they get those billions something like this bill could be really impactful.

 

[get these nets]

Senate considers bill that would create HBCU prosperity districts​

11Alive
Mar 3, 2023
Five prosperity planning districts will also help federal and state funds for the schools.

 

[get these nets]

Sen. Sonya Halpern Applauds Passage of Legislation to Further Support Georgia HBCUs​

ATLANTA (Feb. 26, 2024) - Today the Georgia Senate granted Senate Bill 235 full passage. This measure, sponsored by Sen. Sonya Halpern (D-Atlanta), aims to establish the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Innovation and Economic Prosperity Planning Districts Commission under the University System of Georgia.

The proposed commission would consist of 11 appointed members and would establish smaller, localized advisory committees to better understand the needs and experiences of individual universities. The bill now moves to the Georgia House of Representatives for further consideration.

More detailed article about the vote is here

Bill that creates Community Impact Districts near Georgia's HBCUs passes out of Georgia Senate

SB 235 passes, it would establish the HBCU Innovation and Economic Prosperity Planning Districts Commission to support Georgia's HBCUs.

theatlantavoice.com