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…
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