The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has announced an estimated $1.6 million in planning grants to 10 local government bodies and organizations.
The grants are awarded annually through the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program. The ARC says the focus is on planning for mixed-use, mixed-income communities that reduce private vehicle use.
The grants cover 80 percent of a study’s cost, with the rest matched by the recipient. When an LCI study is completed, the government body is eligible to apply for federal transportation funding for projects described in it.
The ARC is a regional planning organization for 11 metro counties and the City of Atlanta.
The 2023 LCI grant recipients are as follows, with the ARC’s descriptions. The specific grant amount may change based on adjustments by the recipients, according to ARC. Some recipients are city and county governments, while others are community improvement districts, which are groups of commercial property owners who tax themselves to fund improvements.
Atlanta Airport Community Improvement Districts
Grant Amount: $160,000
An update to the 2011 Northwest Clayton County LCI. The study will include affordable housing, employment, recreational spaces and transit-oriented development around planned MARTA bus rapid transit stations.
City of Fairburn
Grant Amount: $200,000
The ARC says the Education Campus Expansion & Community Connectivity Study will leverage the Fairburn LCI Downtown Master Plan to transform the city’s Education Campus, which consists of Georgia Military College and Brenau University’s South Atlanta Campus.
City of Lawrenceville
Grant Amount: $80,000
The Honest Alley Activation Project aims to determine the feasibility and benefits of improving the alley to be pedestrian friendly and include placemaking features.
City of Stone Mountain
Grant Amount: $200,000
The Connecting Parks, PATHs and Public Spaces Project will evaluate Stone Mountain Village’s downtown since the last LCI plan adoption in 2013. It will include a bicycle and pedestrian loop between the city and Stone Mountain Park.
City of Woodstock
Grant Amount: $176,000
The Highway 92 Development Standards Study will include such aspects as affordable and diverse housing and improved walkability. It also will include a Housing Rehabilitation Program Strategy to retain legacy residents and preserve affordable housing.
Town of Tyrone
Grant Amount: $160,000
The Town Center Streetscape & Mobility Schematic Project intends to create a livable and sustainable town center in Tyrone along Senoia Road.
Upper Westside Community Improvement District, City of Atlanta
Grant Amount: $200,000
The Huff Road Multimodal Study will reimagine this industrial freight corridor as an accessible, safe, and multimodal network. The study will also include the recommendations from the Upper Westside Creative Placemaking study for bus stops along Huff Road.
Cumberland Community Improvement District
Grant Amount: $100,000
The Cumberland CID Creative Placemaking Plan seeks to create a strategic plan that identifies opportunities for placemaking initiatives while promoting pedestrian safety and local art.
City of Sandy Springs
Grant Amount: $200,000
The Peachtree Dunwoody Road Corridor Study seeks to identify spaces for placemaking improvements that will facilitate future multimodal mobility and align with the Perimeter Center LCI and Perimeter Small Area Plan’s vision. This vision includes connecting two transit stations and the Perimeter employment district. The study will also incorporate a transit-oriented development plan for 13 acres of undeveloped land at the North Springs MARTA Station.
Douglas County
Grant Amount: $120,000
The Highway 92 LCI Update seeks to reevaluate Highway 92 from I-20 to Lee Road to reflect the study area’s growth and development since the last LCI plan adoption in 2009 and the Lee Road Small Area Plan adopted in 2019. The update will target mobility, livability, placemaking, smart technology, and housing goals informed by community outreach.
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