Centerville honors former mayor, awards community housing point

CENTERVILLE — “We want to take a moment to recognize someone who has been an important part of our city, who had quite a bit of influence in the growth and all the good things that have been happening in Centerville. Many of the ideas and things that we see now were because of the work he did.”

Those were remarks from Councilman J. Micheal Evans as the City of Centerville honored John Harley during their City Council Meeting on Tuesday, April 1.

The city issued a proclamation designating April 4 as “John Harley Day,” to honor and thank the former mayor for his 15 years of leadership. Harley also recieved a key to the city, celebrating the moment alongside his family and the city council.

“It’s been a great time I’ve had here, a lot of wonderful people, and I think we have a great team carrying on,” Harley said.

Following his celebration, the council appointed a new mayor pro tem to fill the vacancy left by Harley’s retirement at the end of 2024. Evans had been serving in the role, but the position has now been entrusted to Councilman Edward Armijo.

Armijo’s appointment comes as the city prepares for a special election to fill the mayor’s seat. So far, Evans and Councilman Justin Wright have announced their candidacies.

“Some of us may be qualifying to run for office. So in the event that happens, we need to make sure there is still current leadership available in the city, to represent the city as necessary,” Evans said.

The city also awarded a Georgia Initiative for Community Housing point to a proposed senior housing development on Gunn Road.

According to a presentation from the city’s March 18 meeting, the development, named “The Villas on Gunn,” would be a $21 million, nine-acre complex featuring up to 75 one- and two-bedroom units.

The awarded point strengthens the applicants’ bid for funding from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs but does not guarantee approval from the city, as Wright clarified.

Council members emphasized the city’s role in guiding land use. Evans noted that city officials want to have some influence over potential developments, while Wright highlighted the city’s regulatory process.

“They’ll have to go through the design review process, like everything else, to make sure everything they’re building is conforming to the design plan for the town center district. This is just us saying that we think this is an acceptable project,” Wright explained. “When a piece of property has that much road frontage on Gunn Road, someone is going to to develop something there sooner rather than later. I think of the things that have been proposed, this is a more palatable project to the immediate neighborhood.”

If approved, construction is expected to begin in March 2026, with occupancy anticipated by late 2027, developers said at the March 18 meeting.

A full livestream of the meeting and supporting documents are available on the city’s Facebook page.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 5 p.m., at Centerville City Hall, 300 E. Church Street.