September 14, 2026Smith Douglas Homes Breaks Ground on Elliott Crossing in Thomaston

On Friday, September 4, Smith Douglas Homes joined community members and local, state and federal leaders to officially break ground on Elliott Crossing in Thomaston, Georgia.

The celebration marked an exciting milestone for a project focused on expanding opportunities for homeownership in the community. Elliott Crossing is being developed through a partnership between Smith Douglas Homes and the City of Thomaston and is the first project in Georgia to utilize the state’s Rural Workforce Housing Initiative.

Through the initiative, the City of Thomaston received a $2.47 million grant to support infrastructure improvements in and around Elliott Crossing. By helping offset development costs, the investment will help make new, quality homes more attainable for future homeowners.

A Partnership Focused on Thomaston’s Future

The groundbreaking brought together community members and representatives from the City of Thomaston, Smith Douglas Homes, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Speakers included Thomaston Economic Development Director Taylor Smith, Mayor J.D. Stallings, Smith Douglas Homes Founder Tom Bradbury, Central Georgia Division President Eddy Kleid, Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Christopher Nunn and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development Ronald Kurtz.

Throughout the event, speakers reflected on the importance of homeownership and the role quality, attainable housing can play in supporting a thriving community.

“Today is more than breaking ground on a new neighborhood,” Mayor Stallings said. “Today, we are breaking ground on new opportunities for families to call Thomaston home.”

The partnership comes at a time when Thomaston is working to encourage new residential growth. According to local officials, approximately 36% of the city’s housing stock is owner-occupied today, compared with approximately 67% before the closure of the community’s mills. Only 82 single-family homes were permitted in the city between 2010 and 2025.

For Smith Douglas Homes, Elliott Crossing represents an opportunity to bring our process-driven approach to homebuilding to a community focused on quality, value and long-term growth.

Quality Homes Within Reach

Elliott Crossing will bring 90 new detached, single-family homes to Thomaston, with a selection of thoughtfully designed floor plans ranging from two to four bedrooms.

The homes will be built with the same commitment to quality and integrity that guides Smith Douglas communities throughout the Southeast. As Central Georgia Division President Eddy Kleid shared with The Upson Beacon ahead of the groundbreaking, the savings made possible through the state initiative do not come at the expense of quality.

“We are building [Elliott Crossing] the same way we do elsewhere,” Kleid said. “Same process, same labor, often times the same subcontractors. We want to build something you can be proud to live in… We will not compromise integrity.”

Plans for Elliott Crossing also include greenspace and a neighborhood park, along with a variety of home designs throughout the community.

Through the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative and the partnership between Smith Douglas Homes and the City of Thomaston, Elliott Crossing is designed to create new opportunities for attainable homeownership close to downtown Thomaston.

Building New Opportunities for Homeownership

The vision behind Elliott Crossing closely reflects what we believe at Smith Douglas Homes: a well-constructed home, personalized with choices you love, should be within reach.

As development moves forward, Smith Douglas Homes plans to work alongside the City of Thomaston to share information and resources about the homebuying process and opportunities at Elliott Crossing.

The groundbreaking was an important first step, and we’re grateful to the community leaders and partners who helped make it possible. We look forward to watching Elliott Crossing take shape and welcoming future homeowners to this new Thomaston community.

Interested in Elliott Crossing? Explore Elliott Crossing and sign up for community updates to follow our progress and be among the first to learn more as new home information becomes available.