Public housing residents may lose home to medical school expansion

Residents of a public housing facility in eastern Georgia may lose their home soon.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday okayed a proposed sale of the apartments to the Medical College of Georgia for a planned expansion.

The deal means the city of Augusta will have to move about 260 families out of Gilbert Manor Apartments by April. The move has to happen before the property is sold.

MCG plans to build a new dental school there and buildings that will house some of the school's core programs. Officials also say the property may eventually house additional buildings for research, technology transfer and economic development.

Residents have mixed feelings about the move.

Keisha Tanksley has lived in the public housing complex for five years and wants to see it go.

"This place is old and worn out. It’s a better opportunity for people who want to move...get out of the hood, the project," she said.

Gilbert Manor has no central heat or air conditioning. It was built in 1941.

Officials say renovating it would cost too much.

The deal is expected to cost M-C-G about $6.9 million.

Officials will use the money to build communities that will house people of varying incomes.

For now, they’ll move the residents into other public housing. Other tenants will receive vouchers to help pay for homes that are not in public housing complexes.

But some residents don’t want to leave.

They’re considering litigation to try and stop the sale.

The deal, meanwhile, has no bearing on whether MCG will open a branch campus in Athens.

The school is currently reviewing its expansion options, which has caused some political controversy. Governor Sonny Perdue (R) wants the Athens campus, while politicians from the area want to see expansion in Augusta. They fear expansion elsewhere will mean a cut in revenue and economic development opportunities.

MCG's president, Dan Rahn, suggested Friday that there is room to grow both in Augusta and elsewhere.

"We need to maximize what we can do here on our home campus and also engage in partnerships around the state in order to provide the best education for the future doctors of the state," said Rahn.

MCG officials will make their recommendations on expansion to the state Board of Regents on January 15.