Growth in Douglas County Sparks Discussion

The recorded by the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau in the combined Douglasville-Lithia Springs area didn’t surprise some county residents.

In fact, they were quite aware of the significant population increase as they are dealing with heavier traffic in restaurants and on roads.

“I think it’s overpopulated,” said Kim Panell, 19, who lives in Douglasville, but works in Powder Springs as a server at  restaurant. “Traffic, restaurants, shopping—all of those things are overpopulating."

"There’s just twice as many people, so you can’t do stuff," she continued. "My plan is to move out of Douglasville.”

Sarah Mulliford, 22, mostly agreed with Panell’s assessment of the area’s growth.

“We’re like a little Atlanta, really,” said Mulliford, as she sat in Victor Green’s Flavors barber shop off Bankhead Highway in Lithia Springs. “There’s a lot more businesses too because there’s more jobs. I was in high school when (Hurricane) Katrina happened, and that seemed like everything blew up."

She added: "Everything got overpopulated. It’s not like it’s a bad thing; it’s different. Atlanta’s moving closer to here."

Two suggestions Mulliford, a 2007 graduate, had were widening Bankhead Highway and adding more sidewalks "because we walk everywhere."

“It’s not very safe to walk along the street when people fly by 70 miles per hour on a 45.”

The Douglasville-Lithia Springs Census County Division increased from 50,762 people in 2000 to 70,215 in 2010—a 38.3 percent rise, according to census numbers. The whole county saw a 30.4 percent increase, going from a population of 92,174 in 2000 to 132,403 in 2010, census records show.

Georgia's population grew 18.3 percent over the decade to 9.69 million people.

Douglas County District 1 Commissioner Henry Mitchell III lives in Lithia Springs. Mitchell, who previously was Douglasville’s mayor-pro-tem (vice mayor) for four years, said he looks at the positive aspects to the area’s population boom.

“It might give us another seat with the redistricting drawing in Congress from the federal (level),” said Mitchell, who was sworn in as a commissioner in January.

Other perks Mitchell mentioned include more sales taxes, increases in property taxes, and a higher revenue stream "because there’s more people buying things in Douglas County."

"This might bring more problems, but I think we have great public safety in the county," he said, referencing Sheriff Phil Miller and Douglasville Police Department Chief Chris Womack. "With that said, I’m confident with what they do that this growth will be a positive, as opposed to a negative.”

Douglasville resident Jose Rivera, who hails from Puerto Rico, sees the positives with the population increase in Douglasville and Lithia Springs but fears not enough jobs are being created in the region to keep up with the growth.

“It’s busy, but people are leaving again because there’s no jobs here,” said Rivera, an employee of the WellStar Health System, as he waited his turn for a haircut at Flavors. “When I first came here (eight years ago), everyone was buying a home, and now they can’t buy a home."

Rivera, 55, said because of his age, he's here to stay. But if he was younger, "I wouldn’t stay here because the opportunities are very little, and the growth for better positions is very little."

Aside from those aspects, he said "the living is good for you and your kids.”

Douglas County’s 11.4 percent unemployment rate reported in February by Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler was higher than the state average of 10.2 percent. Douglas County spokesman Wes Tallon said the country’s economic woes have contributed significantly to those numbers.

“This last decade of growth hurt us some when the economy dropped in the last three years because many of our local jobs were tied to the construction industry:  builders, contractors, tradesmen, realtors, insurance, etc.,” he said. “This has caused our unemployment rate to be temporarily high, but we continue to work to attract non-construction industry jobs into our county so that future economic downturns will hopefully affect us less."

In the past seven years, Tallon said, industrial taxes rose to $800 million from $500 million—"a sure sign that we are moving in the right direction.”

Tallon said Douglas County has taken steps to accommodate the growth with its Comprehensive Land Use and Comprehensive Transportation plans.

“The Comprehensive Transportation Plan will also help us leverage state and federal road monies to help us build new roads, add intersection improvements, construct new roads and lanes, and more,” he said. “Both of these plans were developed with extensive citizen input. After all, the county belongs to its citizens."

Tallon said he foresees population growth in the county to continue.

"But quality of life controls," he said, "have been put in place for new development that will benefit both the existing residents and the new ones moving in.”