H.O.N.G.K.O.N.G. stands for Harrisburg Organization Networking for Gentrification to Keep Our Neighborhood from becoming a Ghetto

The concentration of our efforts lie within these physical boundaries: East to West, from Chaffee Avenue to Milledge Road and from North to South from J. C. Calhoun Expressway to Walton Way. We are also supportive of the property owners who are bound by  the J. C Calhoun expressway to the Canal. These boundaries represent a juncture between the Summerville neighborhood and the downtown business district. Our close proximity to the Summerville neighborhood should serve to foster interest from the Summerville populace. If our area were to become a "world class" ghetto, the Summerville Neighborhood and all adjacent neighborhoods would most likely suffer too. (Note, a modern ghetto does not necessarily refer to dilapidated housing stock but the class of individuals who reside within it. Low rent and too many section 8 tenants will bring down a neighborhood)

The biggest threat to the future of our Historical mill village is population density. There is already enough riff raff in Harrisburg. We want them out.

The Augusta Housing Authority has a mission to strategically tear down all of its federally funded housing projects in Augusta and give the tenants section 8 vouchers. This is supposed to "make better people" out of the former project dwellers. Experience has shown that this does not work because you can take them out of the project but you cannot take take the project out of them. Some of these people better themselve but many others create havoc at the expense of our neighborhood. Not all but too many of  these generational welfare people are a class unto themselves. Most decent white and black people would rather not live next door to them. This is simply a known fact : http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/memphis-crime

We have seen section 8 houses where people were involved in multiple drug busts. The Augusta Housing Authority does not lift a finger to evict the tenant much less drop the tenant from the section 8 program. Your federal tax dollars are being used to harbour drug dealing criminals and to decay our neighbourhoods. EVERY TAX PAYER SHOULD BE OUTRAGED ! THIS IS MORALLY WRONG AND IT WILL EFFECT ALL OF US IN THE LONG RUN. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO RETIRE IN OUR HARRISBURG NEIGHBORHOOD HOME WITHOUT SOME DAY GETTING OUR THROATS SLASHED OR BEING SHOT !

They management of the Augusta Housing Authority have been irresponsible in the way that they allow section 8 placements. In other words the Augusta Housing Authority has "clustered" section 8 tenants into our Harrisburg community. They have done this knowingly. They refuse to acknowledge their actions because they have the upper hand do to "privacy". We now have areas of "mini" projects in Harrisburg. We have wittiness first hand how these large numbers of section 8 rental people interact. There friends and family who visit them are cut from the same cloth. They turn their heads to drug dealing or they are involved in drug dealing or drug using. Many of these people get medicaid (free) prescription narcotic medicine and they sell it too. This clustering of section 8 can occur in any neighbourhood. We must all be aware of it and take a firm stand against it. If we do not we are going to see neighbourhood deterioration. Get to know the landlords who rents the houses around you and try to make them see they if they allow problem people to live here solely because they are happy with getting their section 8 rental check ; they are destroying our neighbourhood and everyone's property values in the long term.

New single family dwellings in Harrisburg can be built but, in most instances they will require additional property in order to maintain the historical mill village appearance. The original Harrisburg structures were built closer to each other. Present day building codes require more footage between property lines and a greater set back distance from the street. In other words, a replica of an original Harrisburg single family residence cannot be rebuilt on the same lot without acquiring additional land.

Modern triangular duplex rental unit are scattered throughout this area. There is a history of a higher rental turnover and more police calls to these "build to rent for profit duplexes and multi family dwellings" Expedient absentee landlords such as Cliff Channel are responsible for many of these out of character structures.

We have observed time and time again that when a house is built for rental profit, beauty and comfort for its' inhabitants is lost. Renters and those around them suffer. This high turnover rate affects the neighborhood adversely.

People who value neighborhood aesthetics make better neighbors.

Original mill village cottages, bungalows, foursquare, Cape Cod matchbox, Queen Anne, arts and crafts and Victorian transitional homes were built with beauty and comfort in mind. The high ceilings and the expansive attic spaces were built to ventilate the homes because of Augusta's hellish summer heat. The scale of the rooms also allowed use of furnishing which we now call antique. Many antique furnishings will not fit in "cracker box" houses.

We need to preserve our Mill Village houses in a manner that is attractive to more upscale people. New construction will most likely require more than one traditional building lot. Adding more property to existing houses, will ensure the quality of life in, and the property values of, our neighborhood. 

The very worst thing that could happen to our Historic Mill Village district would be to build low rent , multiple family dwellings,  apartment buildings or single family "cracker box" houses.
 

It would be much better to have a few "Mac Mansions" on a few blocks than it would be to have blocks of row houses. Historically, there were quite a few mansions on the land that we now call Harrisburg before and after the cotton mills were built.
 
The chance of dope dealers increases by the number of low rent residences; fewer residences mean fewer drug dealers. Fewer riff-raff produce quieter neighborhoods. Quieter neighborhoods are what we want.

The issue of the rich "taking over" through gentrification and gentrification causing us to have outrageous property taxes is a mute issue  because Richmond County government can issue a simple construction moratorium to stop "Mc Mansions"

Wealther folks have an appreciation and the means to afford well landscaped yards. They also are more likely to contribute to their immediate neighborhood instead of always taking and not giving back.

 Argument will be voiced in the future by those who want to build row houses , condos and such. They will also site the "need" of "affordable" housing. This language is created by those who are getting federal grant and low interest money. "Affordable housing" and "Mixed income development" are the new jargon  terms that builders use to describe their federally funded junk and  those awful places that we used to call projects.  Now, they are trying to scatter the project  type people into neighborhoods everywhere. We must be vigilant and be ready to protect our vested interests . The argument of "race" will also be used. This is simply absurd because of the fine outstanding black home owners who live in Harrisburg and who are H.O.N.G.K.O.N.G. members. There is now a middle and upper middle class black population who are themselves the new gentry.

Builders will say anything to make a profit. If they get their way our property values will fly south while, Harrisburg gets more crawdad and congested.

We also ask ourselves the question: 

Is the reason that "they" want to relocate the ball park to downtown to get away from Olmstead homes? Or is it the impetus of enterprise; the elbow rubbing of businessmen and builders...or both?

To better answer this question:  Study the crime reports over the last five years involving people who have lived in Gilbert Manor. These people and others of the same class are headed for Olmstead Homes.

Single family dwellings, with well landscaped yards, occupied by people who care about the neighborhood aesthetic will eliminate many of the social and criminal problems that we have in Harrisburg. In other words, we need to promptly displace the "riff raff" through gentrification or any other expedient method. Most of the riff raff is imported by non-profit groups, section 8 and low rent absentee landlords who do business in Harrisburg.

There are always those expedient builders who are eager to capitalize on the Harrisburg neighborhood by building "wholesale" HUD funded structures that will only serve to depreciate our property values and erode the quality of our lives.

Gentrification will fill Harrisburg with good building practices and better people.

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Remember, if there are "strings" attached to buildings they will pull down adjacent property values. All of the best neighborhoods are PRIVATE. In fact, all of the best of everything is PRIVATE. We H.O.N.G.K.O.N.G. property owners want the best, too.
 
We the people, who collectively own the land of Harrisburg, will determine the future of our properties. If we maintain the architectural character of our existing original mill village homes and construct new ones that mirror the old ours, will be a more beautiful, more valuable community. Together, our discretion and our integrity will translate into the best that Historical downtown Augusta can be.