THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — As Thomasville launches its TNID zoning, the Wright House becomes the model for building affordable, neighborhood-friendly homes.
- TNID zoning allows more homes on smaller lots, helping address the city’s affordable housing crisis without displacing longtime residents.
- The Wright House, designed by Thomasville’s first African American architect, Arthur Wright, will serve as the model for future TNID homes.
- Watch the video below to see how the community is responding to this new zoning.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Behind me is the Wright House, Thomasville's first home preserved and relocated under the city's new TNID zoning.
I'm Layan Abu Tarboush, your Thomasville neighborhood reporter, explaining how this zoning is helping tackle the city's affordable housing crisis and why the Wright House is now the model for future homes in our neighborhoods.
Affordable housing has been a growing challenge in Thomasville for years.
Right now, the Thomasville Housing Authority reports more than 250 people are on the waiting list for housing.
And as I've reported before, that shortage forces families into hotels, run-down homes, or even onto the streets.
Now, the city says it's rolling out one of its biggest solutions yet... a new zoning option called the Traditional Neighborhood Infill District, or TNID.
"And what it does is it provides for more flexibility in lot size, more historic types of development, but it also comes with additional architectural standards, additional development standards, all with the intent of promoting more of the missing middle housing types," said Thomson.
City planner Kenny Thompson says this zoning could unlock more than 500 vacant lots across Thomasville many of them sitting unused for decades.
Under TNID, smaller minimum lot sizes are allowed, meaning more homes can be built on land that was previously considered unbuildable.
And because these lots are already on existing streets.. with roads, water, and sewer already in place building costs are lower, making homes more attainable.
That interest is already showing.
"Well, one of the interesting things is this, so the district was adopted by council last year, and since that time we've had over 12, I think we've had at least 12 rezoning requests come through," said Thompson.
One of the very first projects to move forward under this new zoning is the Wright House, designed and built by James Wright, Thomasville's first African American architect.
"The house was going to be destroyed in order to build a parking lot, and landmarks couldn't allow that to happen. This building is very significant, given Mr. Wright's role in the community. So we acquired the property, located it here, and we're working with the Thomasville Community Development Corporation, TCDC, to rehab the house as workforce housing," said Nancy Tinker, Executive director of Thomasville Landmarks.
Wright House will now become the standard for TNID homes moving forward.
It's compact, practical, and affordable but also thoughtfully designed, full of architectural detail, and built to fit the character of the neighborhood.
The goal is growth without pricing the neighborhood out.
"This neighborhood is critically important. There has not been economic reinvestment here in a very long time. It's close to downtown. People who live in this neighborhood can walk to shops, or if they work in downtown, can walk to work. We would like to reinforce that ability, that amenity for the neighborhood without creating an enclave of $400,000 homes. We want to protect," said Tinker.
Besides the Wright House, four new homes will also be built here on Fletcher Street under the TNID zoning.
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