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ARC’s Livable Centers Initiative Awards $985,000 for Community Planning Studies

Posted on: Feb 09, 2017

Contact: Jim Jaquish
Phone: 404-463-3194
E-mail: jjaquish@atlantaregional.com

(Atlanta – Feb 09, 2017)

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded $985,000 in Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) study grants to 11 metro Atlanta communities.

The grants will help recipients develop plans and policies that support the creation of more vibrant, connected places. Once the studies are complete, these communities will become eligible to receive funding for transportation projects, such as sidewalks and intersection improvements, to help implement their visions.

“The LCI program has helped transform communities across the Atlanta region,” said Kerry Armstrong, ARC chair. “These grants have enabled many of our local government partners to improve livability, encourage healthier lifestyles and provide greater access to jobs and services.”

The 11 LCI planning grants awarded this year include two new studies, four major updates to plans already underway, and five supplemental grants to help continue existing studies.

The 2017 LCI study grant recipients are:

City of Ball Ground
Grant amount: $100,000
The City of Ball Ground will use its LCI grant to address truck traffic and create a blueprint for new development in its downtown district in a manner compatible with the historic significance of the area.
Contact: Eric Wilmarth 770-735-2123 eilmarth@cityofballground.com

Central Atlanta Progress
Grant amount: $32,000
In conjunction with three existing LCI areas, Central Atlanta Progress will analyze land use, zoning and transportation needs in the City of Atlanta’s Memorial Drive corridor and develop recommendations for legislative and regulatory changes.
Contact: Greg Giuffrida 404-895-3082 ggiuffrida@atlantadowntown.com

City of Atlanta
Grant amount: $100,000
This major plan update to the Greenbriar Town Center LCI will identify creative ways to generate economic development opportunities in the Greenbriar Mall area, a key goal of the Invest in Southwest Atlanta Task Force.
Contact: Charletta Wilson Jacks 404-330-6145 cjacks@atlantaga.gov

Gwinnett Village CID
Grant amount: $136,000
This major update to an existing LCI plan aims to improve livability, accessibility and sustainability along the Jimmy Carter Boulevard corridor.
Contact: Marsha Anderson Bomar 770-449-6542 marsha@gwinnetvillage.com

City of Holly Springs
Grant amount: $56,000
This update to the Holly Springs LCI study will further refine the goal of creating a walkable, vibrant downtown with a variety of housing.
Contact: Nancy Moon 770-345-5536 nmiin@hollyspringsga.us

City of Sugar Hill
Grant amount: $55,000
This major plan update to the Downtown Sugar Hill LCI study will establish new goals for the area and ensure that development regulations are aligned with the LCI plan.
Contact: Kaipo Awana 770-945-6716 Kawana@cityofsugarhill.com

Aerotropolis Atlanta Community Improvement Districts
Grant amount: $160,000
This supplemental study will develop a plan for a trail network that connects the communities around Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as well as the Atlanta Beltline, the Phoenix Trail, and Southtown Trail.
Contact: Kirsten Berry 404-349-2211 kberry@aeorcids.com

City of Alpharetta
Grant amount: $100,000
This supplemental study will develop a plan to transform the North Point Parkway area into a more vibrant area featuring a mix of businesses and residences that offers people the ability to walk to work, shopping and transit options.
Contact: Michael Woodman 678-297-6072 mwoodman@alparetta.ga.us

Cumberland Community Improvement District
Grant amount: $50,000
This supplemental study will assess the feasibility of, and the demand for, a bike sharing system in the Cumberland Galleria area, and will identify potential station locations.
Contact: Kyethea Clark 770-859-2324 kclark@cumberlandcid.org

City of Decatur, City of Atlanta, MARTA
Grant amount: $100,000
This supplemental study will develop conceptual plans for development at the East Lake MARTA Station and pedestrian/bicycle connections to surrounding neighborhoods and amenities.
Contact: Angela Threadgill 404-371-8386 angela.threadgill@decaturga.com

City of Hampton
Grant amount: $96,000
This supplemental study will update the city’s development regulations in the LCI area to better support bicycling and walking.
Contact: Denise Sharpe 770-946-4306 dsharpe@hamptonga.gov

ARC has awarded more than $201 million in LCI grants to 120 communities in the past 18 years. LCI communities cover less than four percent of the region’s land area, but in recent years these areas are home to seven percent of metro Atlanta’s residential development, 29 percent of commercial development and 69 percent of office development.

The LCI program is funded with federal transportation dollars. The grants cover 80 percent of the cost of each study or transportation project, with the recipient making a 20 percent match.

“Metro Atlanta communities are eager to revitalize their town centers and underutilized properties to create places that foster a vibrant, neighborhood feel,” said Doug Hooker, ARC executive director. “From established centers like Midtown Atlanta to budding downtowns like those in Chamblee and Suwanee, the LCI program is helping communities re-imagine what they would like to be and helping to make those visions a reality.”

To learn more about the LCI program and the impact it has had on the Atlanta region, visit atlantaregional.com/lci.

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CDAP
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MARC
Metro Atlanta Speaks
MNG Water Planning District
RLI
State of the Region
UASI
WorkSource GA