DOUGLASVILLE STATE OF THE CITY
300 APARTMENTS TO BE BUILT AT GREYSTONE AMPHITHEATER/TOWN GREEN
The State of the City was held in Douglasville on March 17. Anyone could attend for free.
Mayor Rochelle Robinson made remarks. She stated that this year is the 150th anniversary of Douglasville. She stated this year’s theme is “Discover, Delight, and Dream.”
A short video was played about the history of Douglasville. The video stated that the opening of Arbor Place Mall “marked a major milestone, attracting visitors from across the region and cementing our city’s reputation as a destination for retail and commerce.” It also touted Google, Microsoft, DC Blox, and Switch building data centers in the county.
Mayor Robinson also highlighted small businesses. She stated in 2024, 138 new businesses came to Douglasville. This included Miracle Lounge which is now closed and is moving to another city.
Mayor Robinson also stated that new distribution centers brought more jobs to the city.
A short video was played about parks in Douglasville, calling Douglasville a “vibrant community.” It stated that there were over 600,000 annual visitors to Douglasville. The video stated the city had recieved over $300,000 in grants for parks. The video stated that it had boosted youth athletics training by 700%.
Mayor Robinson also discussed the recent ribbon cutting and block party at the renovated Jessie Davis Park, a $25 million project.
Mayor Robinson also highlighted events at Greystone Amphitheater and the Douglasville Town Green.
Mayor Robinson also highlighted community programs held by the Douglasville Police Department. She also stated the city is currently acquiring land for the Driving Training Course, which will be a state-of-the-art driving course for officers and will offer driving courses for young residents. She stated that the Douglasville Police Department had received a CALEA Certification. The CALEA website states “The CALEA Accreditation program seals are reserved for use by those public safety agencies that have demonstrated compliance with CALEA Standards and have been awarded CALEA Accreditation by the Commission.” Annual continuation fees to continue certification for 200-999 officers is $5,000 per year.
Mayor Robinson stated that the city of Douglasville has paved 42 miles of city streets since 2016 using SPLOST and LMIG funds. A total of $16.3 million has been collected from the 2022 SPLOST. Approximately $9 million has been collected from the Tax Allocation District (TAD). Funds collected are used for infrastructure and beautification projects within the TAD area.
Mayor Robinson stated there has been “significant progress” on the Douglasville Recycling Center. The city broke ground on October 25, 2024. She stated the facility would be opening later this year. A “comprehensive outreach program” would be launched instructing residents how to use the recycling center.
Mayor Robinson also stated that the Downtown Douglasville Master Plan was approved last year. There will soon be a phase two of the Town Green which will include 300 residential units and 10,000 square feet of retail space. In 2021, it was stated there would be “luxury apartments” at the Town Green. Mayor Robinson did not elaborate further on the 300 residential units. A few articles I found stated there would be 350 apartments.
I asked the city of Douglasville if these would be affordable or luxury apartments. This was their response: "We are currently finalizing the details and do not have specific information at this time. Once an agreement is in place with a developer, we will provide further updates and share more information."
Mayor Robinson also discussed the New Horizons community. A short video was played. The video stated it was “one of the south’s best kept secrets for developers.” It highlighted the $25 million Jessie Davis Park renovations. The video stated that Douglasville offers tax incentives, tax breaks, and grants for newcomers “interested in investing in New Horizons.” Median household income is $65,000. It also unveiled a website, choosenewhorizons.com, which doesn’t seem to be up as of yet.
Mayor Robinson stated that city hall has been renovated many times. It was previously the Alpha Theater.
”Our staff is out of room.”—Mayor Robinson
Mayor Robinson announced that at the end of 2025, city hall staff would be temporarily relocated as construction begins on a new city hall. She stated this project would be fully funded with no impact on the residents.
Questions were taken after. One citizen stated that New Horizons needed a grocery store. He also stated the website did not work. The citizen stated that “half the street lights don’t work.”
Mayor Robinson stated they provide infrastructure and incentives to bring people to the community.
”You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.”—Mayor Robinson
Mayor Robinson told the citizen that she used to live in New Horizons 20 years ago and they didn’t have a $25 million park, a new road. The citizen disagreed and stated the park was the same size.
”This is not an argue session.”—Mayor Robinson
One citizen commented that tickets for the Greystone Amphitheater concert were “being gone in two minutes.”
Mayor Robinson stated that Greystone is paying for the musicians as well as the hotel/motel tax. She stated the money is not coming from city taxpayer dollars.
Another citizen commented regarding senior citizens trying to get tickets to events at Greystone Amphitheater. Mayor Robinson stated there are computer classes for seniors at Jessie Davis Park.
Mayor Robinson stated that there is a 3,000 seat capacity for the Greystone Amphitheater.
You can watch the State of The City here: