COVINGTON, Ga. – With Covington’s population growing and the need for various types of housing increasing daily, Covington City Council members are taking steps to educate themselves about housing options.

A large portion of that education was completed Friday when the Council visited Atlanta to tour several different styles of multifamily dwellings including midrise apartment complexes.

“There may be some negative connotation associated with apartments, and that is not fair,” Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston said. “The purpose of the trip was to see there are indeed some very, very nice apartments out there. Something anyone would be thrilled to live in and we definitely saw some today.”

Recently, developers have attended City Council meetings seeking permission to build apartments in the Covington city limits, but the council wasn’t ready to commit until some research could be complete.

“This was very a beneficial investment of our time,” Councilman Michael Whatley said. “There is a demand in Covington for different types of housing and it is our job as council representatives to listen to our constituents as well as try and determine what will be beneficial to Covington in the future.

“Part of that is trying to forecast who may be interested in living here in the future and with some of the job opportunities coming to our city, high-end apartments will be a nice piece to add to our housing inventory.”

Council members attended a presentation and met with officials from Elevation Development Group, a leader in developing multifamily communities and mixed-use developments across the southeast, before touring various properties.

“The experience was eye-opening and I feel like as a group, we have a better handle on where we want to go in terms of multifamily housing,” Johnston said. “I appreciate the Council for taking the time out of their daily schedule to attend this tour.”