A new housing development near Trion will officially move into the construction phase this week, with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 at 11 AM for Chattooga Ridge, a new apartment community planned for families.

The groundbreaking will take place at 14624 U.S. Highway 27 in Trion. According to the invitation, Chattooga Ridge will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes for families. The project involves Piedmont Housing Group, along with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and local partners.

The development has been in the planning and financing stages for more than a year and will add dozens of new apartments to the Trion area.

44 New Apartments Planned

Records from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs show that Chattooga Ridge is planned as a 44-unit new-construction family development.

The project received an annual allocation of $1.215 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits through Georgia’s competitive housing tax-credit program. The Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce has described Chattooga Ridge as a new workforce housing development in Trion.

The tax-credit award does not mean the developer simply receives a $1.215 million construction check from the state. The federal credits are generally used to attract private investment to help finance construction in exchange for the development maintaining affordable rental housing under program requirements.

Chattooga Ridge was among developments selected as Georgia continues efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing for families and workers.

Town Of Trion Supported Development In 2025

The project received support from the Town of Trion during its early stages.

Minutes from the February 27, 2025 Trion Town Council meeting show that Lanny Thomas, who was serving as mayor of Trion at that time and now serves as a Georgia state senator, asked the council for authorization to sign a letter supporting Piedmont Housing Group’s proposed Chattooga Ridge development.

At that stage, town officials described the proposal as consisting of approximately 52 affordable housing units.

Councilman Jeff Wilson made the motion authorizing then-Mayor Thomas to sign the letter of support. Don Harris seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

The project’s final state tax-credit award lists 44 units, meaning the development moving forward is smaller than the approximately 52-unit proposal discussed by the Trion Town Council in early 2025.

11 Units Connected To Housing Voucher Program

Chattooga Ridge also received a preliminary commitment through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Place-Based Voucher program.

State records show 11 units at Chattooga Ridge were selected for a preliminary Place-Based Voucher commitment.

Place-Based Vouchers operate differently from traditional Housing Choice Vouchers. Rather than the assistance moving with an eligible household to a participating landlord, the subsidy is attached to a particular apartment within the development.

That distinction is important: the state documentation does not indicate that all 44 Chattooga Ridge apartments will be Section 8 units. The preliminary Place-Based Voucher commitment specifically identifies 11 units.

Those commitments are also subject to additional federal and state requirements, including financial and environmental reviews and tenant eligibility requirements.

Housing And Economic Development

The project comes as housing availability has increasingly become an economic-development issue in communities across Georgia.

Workforce housing is intended to provide rental options for people and families whose incomes may make market-rate housing increasingly difficult to afford while still allowing them to live near the communities where they work.

For Chattooga County, the construction of 44 new apartments represents a notable addition to the available housing inventory.

Chattooga Ridge will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, allowing the development to accommodate households of different sizes.

Groundbreaking Wednesday

Wednesday’s ceremony will mark an important milestone for a project that has moved through local support, state housing programs and financing before reaching the construction stage.

The groundbreaking invitation includes Piedmont Housing Group, the Town of Trion, Georgia Department of Community Affairs and Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce, along with other project partners.

The Chattooga Ridge Groundbreaking Ceremony will be held Wednesday, September 9 at 11 AM at 14624 U.S. Highway 27 in Trion.

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing ChattoogaRidgeTrion@gmail.com.