Past CDAP Projects

Upper South River Watershed Corridor Connectivity Study
Project Sponsor: American Rivers and South River Watershed Alliance (ARC Staff Assistance)
American Rivers and South River Watershed Alliance will receive study assistance from ARC to develop an overarching vision for a comprehensive trail network that connects this south Atlanta and south DeKalb County community to nature, help conserve land, and provide a line of defense against flooding and other impacts of climate change. The study will take a parcel-by-parcel view of the corridor, looking at zoning policies, existing conditions, and property ownership. This study will also seek opportunities to promote placemaking along the corridor for those who lack adequate access to recreation.

South Fulton Housing Assessment (ARC Staff Assistance)
Project Sponsor: City of South Fulton

ARC staff will conduct a housing assessment in the City of South Fulton to understand existing housing stock conditions and identify future metrics and strategies that support the city’s vision for a vibrant and thriving community. This study will provide a technical, data-driven analysis to enable the city to better understand the challenges and opportunities related to housing. City leaders hope to find ways to plan for new families, provide accessible senior housing to encourage aging in place, and establish an appropriate mix of housing options. The assessment will ultimately equip the city for the next step of strategizing ways to make housing more accessible and affordable for all residents.

Little 5 Points CID Arts and Culture Assessment (ARC Staff Assistance)
Project Sponsor: Little 5 Points Community Improvement District
The Little 5 Points Community Improvement District (CID) will conduct an arts and culture assessment designed to balance growth while preserving the rich cultural heritage that has made Little 5 Points what it is today. ARC staff will lead a community engagement effort and conduct research on the existing artistic and cultural assets in the area. The assessment will also build on a Little 5 Points mobility study that identified placemaking and identity as key priorities for the district. The CID is working with community-based partner, the Little 5 Points Alliance, to preserve the area’s identity while promoting growth.

Decatur Preservation Strategies for Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing
Project Sponsor: City of Decatur
Assistance Partner: Georgia Conservancy
The city of Decatur and the Decatur Land Trust are working to increase the supply of affordable housing and provide greater socio-economic diversity. Through a partnership with Georgia Conservancy, this CDAP study will focus on naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) to identify policies and strategies that incentivize the preservation of this limited housing stock. Specifically, the study will analyze existing conditions within the city and identify potential strategies to preserve NOAH units in an economically feasible fashion. Using this information, the city plans to work with local organizations, NOAH property owners, and NOAH residents to find collaborative ways of maintaining affordable units amid market pressures and limited room for new development.

Woodstock Housing Capacity and Gap Analysis
Project Sponsor: City of Woodstock
Grant Amount: $80,000
The City of Woodstock seeks to identify the gap between the housing density allowed under current zoning and development regulations and future needs to keep pace with expected population growth. The city hopes to identify potential “opportunity sites” for infill housing and foster greater income diversity so people who work in the community will be able to live there as well, reducing the need for long commutes.

Upper Westside CID Collier Road Multimodal Concept Study
Project Sponsor: Upper Westside CID
Grant Amount: $240,000
This study aims to incorporate multimodal transportation options on Collier Road, a vital east-west corridor. The stretch of Collier Road between Northside Drive and Chattahoochee Avenue is home to a diverse array of shops, housing, and commercial and light industrial sites. But travel in the area is dangerous because of poor walking and bicycling infrastructure. Through extensive community and business outreach, the study will develop a preferred concept for multimodal connectivity along Collier Road complemented by placemaking and green infrastructure. The study will include a traffic study of key intersections, an existing conditions analysis, public outreach to determine unique amenities and design preferences, and up to two design alternatives to improve connectivity.

City of Suwanee Roundabout Master Plan (ARC Staff Assistance)
The City of Suwanee will work with ARC staff to build upon the 2015 Downtown Suwanee Master Plan Update to develop a vision for an activity node at the intersection of Buford Highway and Russell Street to better connect the Old Town and Suwanee Town Center. The project will guide desired downtown land uses based on market studies and inform design guidelines for future buildings and public spaces in the area.

College Park Housing Authority’s College View Hills Stakeholder Engagement (ARC Staff Assistance)
The College Park Housing Authority will work with ARC staff to engage in community outreach for an ongoing redevelopment feasibility study for the College View Hills development. This project will allow residents from College View Hills and surrounding neighborhoods to help guide redevelopment of this space to meet the needs of all community members.

DeKalb County Stone Mountain Trail Master Plan
Grant Amount: $300,000
DeKalb County will receive a project grant to assist in developing a two-year master plan for an area along the Stone Mountain PATH Trail. This project will bring together cross-jurisdictional stakeholders to help align planning goals and regulations to create more affordable housing, multimodal transportation options, and places for the community to work and play.

Henry County Local Bus Service Creative Placemaking Plan
Grant Amount: $125,000
Henry County will receive a project grant to assist in assessing new fixed-route local bus services in Henry County between McDonough and Stockbridge. The study will develop the proposed bus route into a more transit-friendly corridor by designing bus stops, bus stop signs, bus stop shelters, landscaping, sidewalks, crosswalks, flashing beacon lights and other “transit creative placemaking” concepts that prioritize safety and accessibility.

City of Marietta Mountain to River (M2R) Trail Activation Strategy (Partner Assistance)
The City of Marietta will work with the Georgia Conservancy to conduct a trail activation study for the Mountain to River (M2R) Trail that links Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and beyond. The study aims to reinvigorate access to Marietta Square and use creative art installations and other amenities that encourage greater use of the trail.

Cascade Heights Greenway Network Plan
The Cascade Springs Nature Conservancy seeks assistance in prioritizing a proposed network of eight multi-modal greenway corridors connecting 600+ acres of greenspace within a 1-mile radius of the Cascade Heights Business Historic District. The planning process will include convening primary stakeholders and decision makers to prioritize trail segments identified in several planning documents, including the 2006 Campbellton-Cascade Corridors Redevelopment Plan and 2021 AeroATL Greenway Model Mile Atlanta Project Feasibility Study. The completed plan will include renderings of the prioritized segments, cost estimates for design and construction of the multi-modal corridors, and a matrix of funding sources.

Cobb County Housing Study
Cobb County seeks assistance in analyzing the current state of housing in Cobb and the needs to support their growing population, identifying issues and opportunities related to attainable housing, defining housing goals, and providing policy and programming recommendations to achieve those goals. As a part of this initiative, the County hopes to gain an understanding of the current inventory of housing countywide, including the number and type of various types of housing units, average cost of housing, and how this range of housing in distributed countywide. The completed study will summarize engagement conducted with key community stakeholders, as well as detail the data collection and analysis conducted.

Gwinnett County Safe & Equitable Multimodal Access Study & Mountain Park Commercial Revitalization Plan
GRANT AMOUNT: $250,000
Gwinnett County seeks assistance in developing a multimodal access study in the area generally bound by I-85 to the north, US 29/SR 8 to the south, SR 378/Beaver Ruin Road to the east, and Old Norcross Tucker Road to the west - one of the most diverse, and often under resourced, areas in the County. In addition, the County seeks assistance in developing a commercial revitalization plan for the intersections of Five Forks Trickum Road at Rockbridge Road and Killian Road in collaboration with the Mountain Park Community Association. The completed study and plan will detail prioritized project recommendations and provide a framework for evaluating inequities in multimodal facilities, as well as provide a guide for the creation of vibrant commercial nodes in the Mountain Park community.

Henry County Housing Study
The Georgia Institute of Technology will be working with Henry County on the following project.

Henry County seeks assistance in completing a study focused on housing affordability and services for low-income households and the unhoused. The planning process will include the facilitation of stakeholder meetings to assess the state of homelessness and analyze the affordability of housing, as well as outreach and engagement of families and persons receiving housing assistance and families that include homeless students. The completed study will assist in defining and better understanding "homelessness" within the County, as well as identify County committees and sub-committees and their assigned tasks toward filling the current gaps in services for the homeless population.

Villa Rica Placemaking and Alleyway Activation Plan
The Georgia Conservancy will be working with the City of Villa Rica on the following project.

The City of Villa Rica seeks assistance in developing a program for downtown placemaking – identifying opportunities for public art, gateway enhancements, place building, and green infrastructure. The completed plan will identify locations for specific placemaking improvements and demonstration projects related to alley improvements and public art installations and include an implementation plan to guide the city and its community partners in future placemaking activities and projects. The Placemaking and Alleyway Activation Program is an extension of the Villa Rica LCI Study. The LCI identifies downtown gateways (D1.03), alley activation (D1.11), and public arts (D1.13) in the Project and Policy Recommendations section of the study.

Fairburn Community Garden Plan
The City of Fairburn aspires to develop a community garden that will stimulate social interaction among residents, increase physical activity, and provide an area with limited access to grocery stores with access to fresh, healthy produce. The completed plan will identify sites across the city for future community gardens, elements to include in each garden, as well as implementation strategies and potential funding sources.

City of Fairburn Community Garden Strategy (PDF - 29MB)

Sandy Springs Flood Mitigation and Resilience Strategy
Developing this strategy would be a first step in Sandy Springs' establishment of a comprehensive climate resilience plan. The flood mitigation and resilience component of the plan will unify current existing work on the city's flood issues. As part of this process, the city will work with ARC's City Simulator, a geographic information system (GIS) tool capable of gathering and analyzing a wide variety of geographic data. Using the tool will enable Sandy Springs to accurately predict its infrastructure's vulnerability to threats such as flooding. The city will incorporate the resulting report into its eventual resilience plan.

South Fulton Citizen Board Training
This training will bring together members of several of this new city's boards to arm them with the knowledge and tools necessary to work with community members, elected officials, and developers as they consider key infrastructure and development decisions in the months and years to come. In addition, the county will receive a reusable lesson plan that they can use in the future to educate new citizen boards as well as the wider community.

South River Forest Consensus Building and Stakeholder Engagement
ARC will convene stakeholders to discuss the potential impact of improved residential access to green space in the 3,500-acre South River Forest area - specifically, the impact on factors such as economic development, tree canopy protection, and water quality. This process will engage both residents and elected officials in an exploration process of the potential for this considerable green space, including examining case studies of similar areas elsewhere and reviewing regulations and policies in the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County affecting the area.

Explore South River Forest (PDF - 47MB)

Tucker Arts in the Alleys Initiative 
The City of Tucker will integrate public art in the alleys in downtown Tucker to enhance the overall sense of place, create an economic driver for local businesses, and allow all residents and visitors to feel comfortable and welcome. In addition, teams made up of local arts and culture professionals taking part in this year's ARC Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta (ALMA) class are developing potential mock-up designs addressing this challenge - and will be in conversation with Tucker about potential future collaboration.

Chamblee Housing Study
GRANT AMOUNT: $120,000
This housing study will complete a preliminary assessment, begun by Georgia State University students, evaluating the city's housing for demographic, economic, and affordability data - establishing the number of residents who are cost-burdened, that is, paying 30% or more of their income on housing. The study will also develop recommendations for improving housing stability and affordability.

Dunwoody Edge City 2.0 Redevelopment Plan
GRANT AMOUNT: $120,000
This redevelopment plan will create a vision for the portion of Perimeter Center that lies within Dunwoody. This vision will incorporate new mixed use and multifamily development based on three different growth scenarios: low, medium, and high. Each will align with the 2020 Dunwoody Comprehensive Plan. Residents and other stakeholders will then be invited to review the plans. A final report will include an assessment of existing conditions, case studies for each growth scenario, and a summary of stakeholder discussions.

Livable Buckhead
GRANT AMOUNT: $80,000
This project responds to Buckhead's housing affordability challenge by exploring the feasibility of a program in which employers assist in securing affordable housing units for employees, as well as gauging interest in such a program among both employers and residents. Thirdly, it will assess the feasibility of employer-assisted affordable housing units from both legal and policy perspectives. Previously, a study found a gap in housing supply for those who earn less than $50,000 annually. The study found that demand for affordable housing was sufficient to fill 6,000 housing units. After determining the interest in and feasibility of employer-assisted affordable housing, this project will create a toolkit that outlines strategies for implementing recommendations.

Douglas County Lithia Springs Character Area Implementation Strategy
The Georgia Conservancy, with support from ARC, will work with Douglas County to help maximize the potential of the historic Lithia Springs community, in the northeast corner of Douglas County. It will do so by equipping residents with the knowledge and tools necessary to achieve the changes they want to see in their community. First, the nonprofit will work with the County to develop a primer of best practices and regional case studies to illustrate redevelopment recommendations made in the County's small area implementation plan for Lithia Springs. Second, it will produce a training for citizens, planning officials, and the Board of Commissioners, so that they may become even better community advocates. Curriculum for this training will be based on ARC's Community Planning Academy and the Georgia Conservancy's Good Urbanism 101 program.

City of Locus Grove Zoning Code Audit
The Georgia Conservancy, with support from ARC and in partnership with the Incremental Development Alliance, will work with the City of Locus Grove to conduct an audit of its zoning code to address initial, high-level concerns. This is a preliminary step in the City's plan to complete a full update of its zoning ordinance, focusing on housing, downtown development, and density as Locust Grove continues to grow, both in population and in diversity. The zoning ordinance is a key document used by local staff and elected officials to translate planning goals into regulations to ensure the realization of the community's vision for itself. This review will provide the opportunity to rewrite an outdated zoning code, while identifying new standards that could improve social equity and resilience.

Aerotropolis Atlanta Blueprint 2.0 Prioritization Exercise
ARC coordinated with community stakeholders and partners in the Aerotropolis Area on a prioritization exercise to determine what elements would need to be included in an Aerotropolis Atlanta Blueprint 2.0 and prepare a Request for Proposal for Blueprint 2.0.

Decatur Housing Rehabilitation Program Strategy
The City of Decatur worked with ARC to develop a housing rehabilitation program strategy. The program will prioritize assistance to low-income seniors and historic properties to increase housing affordability and preserve small, historic homes. The report outlines an implementation of the program in the next five years.

Douglasville Housing Assessment
ARC assisted the City of Douglasville in understanding its current and future housing needs. The final assessment includes information on lifelong housing options, market trends and existing housing, and recommendations for future programs.

East Point City Agriculture Plan
ARC partnered with the non-profit Food Well Alliance to create Metro Atlanta’s first city agriculture plan in the City of East Point. Through a community driven process, the plan identifies local food assets and offers recommendations on how the city can support its community food system.

Willingham Drive Sub-Area Study (formerly East Point Tri-Cities Headwaters Corridor Study)
This study reimagined the Willingham Drive corridor, from the city-edge land uses present today, to an area with thriving infill development that complements and connects the surrounding neighborhoods The study also envisioned the corridor, now built for cars, as one designed for public transit users, Woodward Academy students, and hotel guests to walk along comfortably and safely. Furthermore, the study incorporated green infrastructure and creative placemaking to elevate the Flint River from a hidden and polluted river to a restored and beautiful public asset of which the Tri-Cities can be proud.

Gateway Marietta Creative Placemaking for Blanche Drive Underpass and CID Signage
This study created a wayfinding and signage program to encourage efficient and safe movement of pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles in the Gateway Marietta activity center. The study also examined opportunities for creative placemaking for the Blanche Drive underpass that will also make pedestrian access safer between a residential neighborhood and Gateway Marietta’s commercial district.

Town Center Sidewalk Network and Walkability Assessment (formerly Town Center Sidewalk Gap Analysis)
In the Town Center CID, ARC inventoried and mapped existing sidewalk, crossing, and transit stop conditions. Using criteria like safety and access to grocery stores, the study employed prioritization scoring to identify top pedestrian infrastructure needs in the district. Each priority project received detailed recommendations.

Tyrone Zoning Map Update and Online Integration
ARC provided the Town of Tyrone with an online Esri web zoning map so that residents and businesses can easily access the parcel-level zoning information and flood risk online. ARC also provided a static, adoptable PDF zoning map that reflects all annexations and rezonings that have happened since 2015.