By Jim Jaquish | ATLANTA, Ga. — The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded $800,000 in its latest round of Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) grants to two Gwinnett County cities, and six other communities. The LCI grants will help these communities create new plans for quality growth and help develop innovative policies that support more vibrant, connected communities. Once their studies and plans are complete, these communities will be eligible for additional LCI funding for transportation projects needed to implement their plans.
The City of Buford was granted $100,000 for a major plan update with a focus on connectivity to schools. And the City of Norcross gained a $48,000 award for a greenway trail feasibility study for two segments along a Georgia Power easement and Beaver Ruin Road.
Since its inception in 1999, LCI has assisted 112 communities with more than $194 million in planning and implementation grants to devise strategies that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality by better connecting homes, shops and offices. LCI communities cover less than four percent of the region’s land area, but contain seven percent of its residential development, 29 percent of its commercial development and 69 percent of its office development.
Kerry Armstrong, a Gwinnett resident and ARC chairman, says: “LCI has helped many communities across metro Atlanta reinvent and improve themselves since our board established the program in 1999. Our local government partners have used these grants to create more places that attract residents and businesses, improving their communities and the entire region.”
The LCI program is funded with federal transportation dollars. The grants fund 80 percent of the study, with the recipient making a 20 percent match.
Two key 2015 LCI grant recipients are:
- Turner Field Stadium Neighborhoods Regional Center Award for $212,000. This study will help the communities adjacent to Turner Field envision the future of the stadium and surrounding parking lots, develop a concept plan and rethink transportation infrastructure needs, all while enhancing and protecting existing neighborhoods. The City of Atlanta will partner with the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority, Annie E. Casey Foundation (which is contributing financial resources for the study), the Atlanta BeltLine Inc. and various neighborhood organizations.
- Locust Grove Town Center Award for $$92,000. This plan will help the City of Locust Grove manage commercial and residential development pressure and guide growth for the town center and areas adjacent to the Tanger Outlet Mall and I-75 interchange.
The remaining grants are for supplemental studies to help LCI communities implement their existing plans or complete updates to older plans. Communities receiving supplemental study funds are:
- City of Canton, $104,000 for a major plan update including expansion of the study area into the historic downtown.
- City of Powder Springs, $80,000 for a major plan update with a focus on concept plans for vacant land downtown and connection to the Silver Comet Trail.
- McPherson Redevelopment Authority, $60,000 for a major plan update to the Oakland City/Lakewood LCI, including expansion to include the entire Fort McPherson site.
- City of Chamblee and MARTA, $104,000 for a trail concept and feasibility study on MARTA property and extending to destinations throughout Chamblee.
Follow Us