The Bridge SolutionRoots to Rise

East Thomaston, Georgia

Roots to Rise

Honoring Our Roots. Building Our Future.

The Bridge Solution, Inc. is advancing Roots to Rise, a community-led revitalization initiative in East Thomaston, Georgia. Working with residents, municipal leaders, and institutional partners, we are creating pathways to attainable homeownership, fresh food access, workforce development, and lasting economic opportunity.

Community-led concept plan7.83 acres
Aerial concept plan of the 7.83-acre Roots to Rise site with 24 single-family home lots, 9 townhomes, a pond and walking paths inside a red boundary.
Concept plan designed with residents in partnership with the Serenbe Placemaking Team. A planning concept, not a final site plan.

Community history

Freedom and enterprise shaped this community.

After Emancipation, formerly enslaved people made their homes in East Thomaston, a community once known as “Colored Town.”

Freedom, enterprise, and community self-sufficiency defined it. More than 50 Black-owned businesses once served the community, and Upson County’s Emancipation celebration dates to 1866.

Residents have chosen a name for the community’s identity: the Guilford-Cunningham Historic District. Formal designation work is underway with city officials, the Historic Preservation Committee, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

Our responsibility is to carry that legacy into what we build next.

What residents named

A community shaping its own future.

East Thomaston has a proud legacy of freedom, entrepreneurship, and community self-sufficiency. At an August 2026 community charrette, 64 participants identified five priorities: heritage, ownership, opportunity, well-being, and the next generation. Those priorities guide our work.

A large group of residents and partners stands together in a community room after the August 2026 charrette.
Participants at the August 9, 2026 community charrette.
  1. HeritageCarry the community’s history into what comes next.
  2. OwnershipPathways for families to own where they live.
  3. OpportunityWork, skills, and enterprise close to home.
  4. Well-beingFresh food and healthy places for every age.
  5. Next generationPlan for the future, even if you don’t get to see it.
Handwritten pink sticky note: Plan for the future even if you don't get to see it.
Handwritten pink sticky note: Good health for our community.
Handwritten pink sticky notes about history and pride of self.

Notes from the charrette legacy wall, in residents’ own words.

The vision

A neighborhood rooted in people and nature.

Phase 1 is the near-term work. Phase 2 is in planning and partnership development, with its operating model and feasibility still to be defined.

Phase 1Planned

Attainable homeownership

Planned for-sale homes on a 7.83-acre site, with design inspired by East Thomaston’s mill-house heritage.

Planned for-sale homes
33
Site
7.83 acres
Single-family homes
24
Townhomes
9

Intended affordability planning goal: 80% to 120% of area median income (AMI).

Final pricing and affordability targets remain subject to financial validation. Homes are not available for purchase at this time.

Concept plan showing the 24 single-family home lots in yellow and 9 townhomes in pink within the red site boundary, with a central pond and green paths.
  • 24 single-family homes
  • 9 townhomes
  • 7.83-acre site
A one-story mill-style house with a front porch, white railings and a gabled roof. Line drawings of front, side and rear elevations for a mill-style house plan.

Mill-house reference home and city pre-permitted elevations that inform the design.

Phase 2Planning & Partnership Development

Growing Food. Cultivating Talent. Creating Opportunity.

Phase 2 is a vision for expanding fresh food access, building workforce skills, supporting entrepreneurship, and strengthening community impact in East Thomaston.

Phase 2 is in planning and partnership development. The operating model, partnerships, budget, and feasibility still need to be defined. It is not funded or ready for construction.

Partner in Phase 2 planning Discuss supporting the planning work
Food access
Explore ways to grow, distribute, and connect residents with fresh food.
Workforce training
Explore learning pathways connected to food, agriculture, culinary work, and supply chains.
Entrepreneurship
Explore opportunities that could help local people build and grow enterprises.
Community impact
Shape a model that responds to community priorities and creates lasting local opportunity.

What comes next

Phase 1 predevelopment

Our $410,000 Phase 1 predevelopment campaign supports site engineering, due diligence, financial feasibility, and development readiness.

Phase 2 planning and partnership development is a separate, not-yet-priced opportunity.

Give to predevelopment Partner or sponsor

  1. Site and engineering

    Survey, due diligence, infrastructure, and design readiness.

  2. Financial feasibility

    Phasing and affordability analysis to validate pricing and targets.

  3. Development readiness

    Advance the development team and the financing pathway.

Supporting public information

Read more from the city.

The City of Thomaston publishes information on its housing work, including GICH participation, East Thomaston revitalization plans, housing reports, and pre-approved mill-house plans.

City of Thomaston Housing page