Cities Civil and Municipal September 2024

Warner Robins, Georgia

October 11, 2024

Warner Robins, Georgia

Innovating for Tomorrow While Providing Residents What they Need Today

Transforming through cutting-edge technology, strategic redevelopment, and community-focused initiatives

Warner Robins, Georgia, often referred to as Georgia’s international city, is a vibrant and rapidly growing community. Established 81 years ago during the Great Depression, it has transformed into a bustling hub known for its military-friendly environment. It is home to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia’s largest single industrial employer.

Mayor LaRhonda Patrick paints a lively picture of the city’s essence. “Warner Robins is the 11th largest city in the state of Georgia,” she notes. The community is notably diverse, with a rich mix of ethnicities contributing to its cultural fabric. “It’s a very nice place to raise families,” she adds, highlighting the city’s excellent school systems and well-paying jobs. Spanning two counties—Houston and Peach—Warner Robins continues to develop at a remarkable pace.

The Director of Community and Economic Development, Kate Hogan, further elaborates on the city’s strengths. She echoes Mayor Patrick’s sentiment about the community’s vibrancy and the city’s strategic advantages. “We are a vibrant community with leading global companies and investments,” she remarks. The city boasts a robust defense sector, primarily due to Robins Air Force Base and associated defense contractors, which employ around 24,000 people.

The city’s demographic growth has been impressive. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in our population from 2010 to 2022, about 23%,” Hogan states. This population boom demonstrates the city’s appeal and the opportunities it presents to residents and businesses alike.

Revitalizing Downtown Warner Robins

Warner Robins is actively working to transform its downtown district, through Operation ReAwaken, a central part of the city’s redevelopment strategy, which aims to create a vibrant downtown area from the ground up.

Mayor Patrick highlights the importance of this initiative, stating, “Currently, one of the biggest initiatives during my administration has been to redevelop our downtown district, which includes our historic Commercial Circle.” She notes the city’s significant progress: “In the last two and a half years, the city went from owning less than an acre of the Commercial Circle area to now controlling approximately 12 acres.”

Hogan shares additional details about the vision for the downtown area, aligning with the theme of economic resiliency. “As Mayor Patrick indicated, it came about as some of the first businesses in Warner Robins for service to Robins Air Force Base,” she says. She emphasizes focusing on this core business district and reviving it to its former prominence. “We do have some environmental challenges with some of the property,” she notes, “but we own 81% of the area and are working hard to fix those issues.”

The city has secured a $1 million brownfields grant from the federal EPA, which will be instrumental in addressing these environmental challenges. The redevelopment vision includes creating a live, work, and play area focused on pedestrian and bicycle mobility rather than car convenience. “We want to make sure that we’ve got all of the wonderful, international flavors of Warner Robins in a centralized, concentrated area,” Hogan explains.

Industrial Expansion and Critical Infrastructure

In addition to downtown redevelopment, Warner Robins is also focusing on expanding its industrial base. The Robins International Industrial Park, located in the Peach County portion of the city, is being actively marketed to attract new industrial companies.

Mayor Patrick mentions the recent successes in this area, including the arrival of Pratt Industries, a significant project supported by Governor Kemp. “We are still getting more and more interest for companies to come into the Robins International Industrial Park,” she says, noting that this park is currently the primary industrial area seeking new businesses.

Hogan elaborates on the governance and strategic partnerships involved in promoting the industrial park. “The Robins International Industrial Park is governed by the Joint Development Authority of Peach County and the city of Warner Robins,” she explains. This partnership has existed for about five years and allows cost-sharing mechanisms to advertise the property proactively.

In addition, the city is taking significant strides to upgrade its critical infrastructure, which is essential for supporting both commercial and residential growth. Mayor Patrick provides insight into these efforts.

“We’re currently working on upgrading our sewer lines. We had to upgrade our sewer lines in four phases. We’re currently in phase three, which expands our sewer capacity to bring more residential and commercial development into Warner Robins.” The city’s ambitious 20-year infrastructure plan is progressing swiftly, adapting to faster-than-anticipated growth rates. “Our 20-year plan is looking more like a 15-year plan for our infrastructure upgrades,” she adds.

Workforce Development

The city of Warner Robins is addressing the nationwide challenge of workforce development head-on by implementing strategies to retain young professionals and enhance job opportunities. Mayor Patrick acknowledges the city’s proactive stance on this issue.

“A lot of municipalities are trying to figure that out. Our city is no exception,” she says. One of the key initiatives in this regard is Operation ReAwaken, which will develop a live-work-play community downtown. “They’re looking for a place where they can live, walk to the grocery store, walk to have any kind of entertainment,” she explains. This vision aligns perfectly with the preferences of younger professionals seeking convenience and a vibrant urban lifestyle.

In addition to revitalizing the downtown district, the city is exploring opportunities to connect with the high school population, even the ones that are going off to college. Mayor Patrick notes that the goal is to introduce these students to essential jobs within the community, including positions at Robins Air Force Base, industrial partners, and city workforce roles, emphasizing the importance of presenting job opportunities that may not require higher education but offer on-the-job training.

Mixed-Use Residential Projects

Warner Robins is also prioritizing residential development, particularly in the downtown area, to support its growing population. Mayor Patrick outlines the phased approach to this redevelopment.

“Phase one is the Commercial Circle, which is Operation ReAwaken, where, of course, the mixed-use communities are going to be commercial at the bottom, some office spaces above that, and the rest residential,” she describes. This approach will create a traditional apartment community while incorporating condos to offer diverse housing options.

Phase three focuses on providing downtown living spaces outside the Commercial Circle area. “We want to see a mixture of different structures that are within walking distance of Commercial Circle,” the mayor says. The vision includes dense housing options such as townhomes, row homes, and quad developments. “All of our plans when it comes to areas around Commercial Circle involve densely populated areas and including as many mixed-use communities as we could hold,” she elaborates.

Community Engagement and Green Initiatives

Community engagement is a cornerstone of Warner Robins, and ensuring residents have a direct line to city leadership remains a central focus. Mayor Patrick emphasizes how the city prioritizes accessibility and transparency.

“I’d say that the whole city has an open-door policy,” she states, adding that the administration is always ready to listen to residents’ concerns and ideas. To facilitate this, she introduced “Moment with the Mayor,” an initiative that allows constituents to have a ten-minute pitch session with her. “Many of them are coming with ideas of things they want to see inside of our community,” she notes, highlighting the open dialogue that this program offer. Scheduled to occur every other month, this initiative has been well-received by the community.

On the green initiatives front, Warner Robins is installing EV charging stations as part of its downtown revitalization efforts, a project spearheaded by Hogan. “It was one of our revitalization tools for trying to bring more people down, especially at lunchtime,” she remarks. She details the installation of four EV chargers, including two DC fast chargers, which provide a quick 45-minute charge.

“We are trying to encourage more lunch traffic to our small businesses on that frontage street to Robins Air Force Base,” she explains. The project, funded through the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant and partnerships with Flint Energies and the Middle Georgia Clean Air Coalition, is set to be completed by September this year.

Innovations and Strategic Collaborations

Regarding innovation, Warner Robins is making notable strides, propelled by strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technology. Mayor Patrick proudly highlights one of the city’s major achievements in the tech sector.

“This year, the City of Warner Robins was invited to participate in an international Smart City conference in Taipei, Taiwan,” she says. Warner Robins submitted its Digital Twin City project, earning recognition as one of the top 21 Smart Cities globally. The initiative, a collaboration with Georgia Tech and the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, focuses on public safety and enhancing police department capabilities.

“Our digital twin technology allows our police department to pull information from our camera system, which can detect small characteristics on a vehicle,” Mayor Patrick explains, demonstrating how the system has been instrumental in resolving crimes more swiftly by identifying suspects through advanced camera analytics.

Another exciting collaboration involves Apple and Ed Farm, which are helping to establish the Community Innovation Lab, affectionately called the Ino Lab. This upcoming facility will offer free STEM education to the public, with a strong focus on children. “The lab will include different sections like robotics, coding, podcasting, green screen fabrication, drones, and also have a community outdoor garden,” Mayor Patrick describes.

Strategic Priorities and Upcoming Projects

As Warner Robins looks ahead to the next 18 to 24 months, the city is setting its sights on a handful of main priorities. Mayor Patrick enthusiastically outlines her top initiatives.

Operation ReAwaken, the ambitious downtown redevelopment plan, is at the forefront of these efforts. This initiative will create a vibrant downtown area that combines commercial and residential spaces, bringing a new dynamic to the city center.

Addressing homelessness is another critical focus for the mayor. Warner Robins has over 100 individuals registered as homeless, and the city is taking proactive steps to provide support and resources. “We purchased a building last year to be the future home of our homeless shelter, Haven Hope House,” Mayor Patrick explains.

The third major project is the establishment of a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This long-awaited project will honor fallen soldiers from Georgia and provide a place of remembrance and reflection. “We are this close to getting a deed in hand,” the mayor reveals, sharing her excitement about finally securing a location for the memorial.

As Warner Robins advances these strategic priorities, it continues to build on its reputation as a forward-thinking city committed to innovation, community engagement, and sustainable growth.