The Georgia Residential Land Development Council (GRLDC) introduces Jim Chapman, Founder and CEO of Jim Chapman Construction Group (JCCG), as a founding member of its Board of Directors. A longtime leader in Georgia’s homebuilding and land development industry, Chapman helped establish GRLDC to address regulatory challenges that increase housing costs and restrict housing supply.
Chapman brings 30 years of experience in homebuilding, land development and construction, along with more than 13 years of leadership and service with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Currently serving as NAHB Third Vice Chairman, Chapman brings both a Georgia and national perspective to GRLDC’s work to improve housing affordability and increase housing supply.
Today, JCCG is a full-service Build-to-Rent (BTR) general contractor that partners with institutional investors, commercial developers and publicly traded REITs to transform raw land into residential rental communities. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Atlanta, the company has delivered more than 4,000 homes, 5,000 lots and 18 amenity packages across Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Indiana.
That experience helped motivate Chapman to become one of GRLDC’s founding board members.
“Affordability is won or lost before the first home is ever framed — in zoning, entitlements, plan review and platting,” said Chapman. “GRLDC gives our industry a unified, data-driven voice and allows us to demonstrate the real-world impact these processes have on housing costs.”
For Chapman, one of the biggest challenges facing housing affordability in Georgia is time. Entitlement timelines, plan reviews, land disturbance permitting and final plat approvals can add months to development schedules. During those delays, developers continue paying interest, taxes and other carrying costs that ultimately become part of the cost of delivering housing.
“Jim has been part of GRLDC from the beginning and has helped shape our focus on practical, results-oriented reform,” said Jay Knight, chairman and co-founder of GRLDC. “His 30 years in housing and development, combined with more than a decade of involvement with NAHB and his current role as Third Vice Chairman, give him a valuable perspective on the challenges facing housing at the local, state and national levels. He understands that many of the costs affecting affordability are created long before construction starts.”
Chapman points to GRLDC’s successful work on land disturbance permitting reform and Senate Bill 447 as one of the organization’s most important accomplishments to date. He believes Final Plat Reform is the logical next priority as GRLDC works to create greater predictability in the development process.
Looking ahead, Chapman supports defined and enforceable review timelines, expanded statewide data collection and stronger partnerships between the development industry and local governments.
“Georgia’s growth is a blessing, but only if the people fueling that growth can afford to live here,” Chapman said. “That’s why this work matters.”
Chapman’s work with GRLDC complements his longstanding involvement with NAHB, where he has spent more than a decade advocating for the homebuilding industry. As Third Vice Chairman, he is increasingly engaged in national conversations surrounding housing supply, affordability and regulatory reform.
For more information on GRLDC, visit https://grldc.org.
