The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the federal Economic Development District for the 11-county Atlanta area, came out with two major announcements this week. First, they announced the 17 projects selected as part of the Livable Centers Initiative – to the tune of millions of dollars in funding, and second, they are asking for public input to help update the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.
The Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) is a program from the ARC that was begun to reduce the number of cars on the road and improve air quality. LCI is a grant program that, since 2000, has distributed more than $300 million from federal transportation dollars to some 120 communities across the Atlanta region. Everything from planning studies to parks construction has been covered by the program. An additional $600 million is expected to be disbursed by 2050.
The 17 projects selected this year are scattered across nine counties, including more than $500,000 for pedestrian development in Holly Springs in Cherokee County, and more than $1 million for a Highway 278 Trail in Covington in Newton County. The Highway 278 Trail is among the bigger projects on the list, focusing on improving the safety of pedestrians. It will add wider paths, roundabouts to slow down traffic, as well as medians and trees for buffer.
In the City of Atlanta, LCI funding will bring back to life the Peachtree Shared Space project. A pedestrian and cyclist-friendly test run had been in place for much of the last year but the city recently announced this would be ending, much to the dismay of downtown enthusiasts with a penchant for non-car travel on Atlanta’s signature street. The LCI funding will make the share space project more permanent, with similar features to the aforementioned Covington project.
As for the economic development strategy planning, the ARC is looking for public input from anyone interested. An update is done every five years and this year’s update will lay the planning groundwork for the still rapidly-growing region. The update will look to enhance not only economic prosperity for the region as a whole, but to have a particular emphasis on equity and resiliency.
“Our region is at an important economic crossroads. The pandemic served to underscore the challenges facing many people of color and those at the lower end of the economic ladder,” said Mike Alexander, Senior Director of ARC’s Center for Livable Communities. “We need robust public input to help drive this planning effort in a way that addresses key issues such as rising housing costs, a shortage of skilled labor, and a lack of good, middle wage jobs. An inclusive, equitable economy is foundational to our region’s future success.”
To provide input or learn more about ARC’s economic development strategy, visit https://www.atlantaregionalceds2022.org/
