Those interested in the future and potential revitalization in key areas of Cornelia have a chance to learn about those possibilities during the September city commission meeting.
Through the Downtown Renaissance Fellowship, a University of Georgia collaborative with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the city has received technical and design assistance for revitalization for revitalization initiatives.
UGA fellow, Garrison Patricia Taylor has spent the summer working with Cornelia Community Development Director Jessie Owensby to identify and develop revitalization strategies in key areas that were identified by city officials, the city’s vision committee, and the Cornelia Downtown Development Authority.
Taylor is one of the UGA masters-level landscape architecture students who apply their expertise to specific projects during the 12-week summer fellowship, which is coordinated by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and supported by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and its Georgia Cities Foundation.
“There's a lot of designs that they've done on some private property of things that could be redevelopments,” Owensby said. “And saving buildings that look like they can't be saved. So I'm inviting all of those property owners to see this presentation because it kind of gives you a visual of what could be. And, for example, I was blown away during the progress meeting earlier, because she showed me this amazing transformation of a building that I drive by every day, and would never think it was anything but what it is now, and she had it as something completely different. And I was just blown away. And you could do that in like a week with no money. It’s amazing. And so I'm just really excited for the whole community to see it.”
Taylor, along with Creative Design Specialist Clark Stancil and Fellowship Program Director Danny Bivens, will present the final report and visual concepts to the community during the Sept. 6 Cornelia City Commission meeting. The presentation will be part of the agenda for the 6 p.m. meeting in the Municipal Courtroom at Cornelia City Hall.
The public is invited to learn about the new concepts that will be presented as potential for growth and development throughout the corridors and downtown Cornelia, Owensby said.
