Oversight commission begins review of Mayor Dickens’ neighborhood plan

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has been pushing a $5.5 billion plan to revitalize historically underserved neighborhoods across the city — a proposal he’s dubbed the “defining work” of his second term.

Financing centers on extending Atlanta’s eight tax allocation districts, known as TADs, beyond 2050 for major projects on the south and west sides of the city, such as a new hospital and major transportation upgrades.

But the plan faces huge political hurdles.

The Atlanta City Council, Fulton County and Atlanta Public Schools all need to sign off on the extensions for the full amount to be realized. The Atlanta City Council is expected to give the OK, but a path to approval from the county and school system remains unclear.

The TAD extensions would generate only about $1.4 billion without the county and schools on board.

An oversight commission tasked with reviewing the initiative met for the first time last week, highlighting both the decades’ worth of work the plan would spur and complicated questions around how to fund it and who would benefit.

Officials from the county and school system voiced concerns about redirecting dollars away from their budget needs.

“We are fully committed to the TADs as currently drafted and to the closing dates that exist right now,” Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett said. “But beyond that, we’re at ground zero in terms of discussions.”

School board Vice Chair Ken Zeff warned about taking tax revenue away from the school system.

“If we’re concerned about public education, we need to make sure that there is alignment to public education,” he said. “I broadly agree with all the goals … but it is a dollar here versus a dollar for preschool, a dollar for teachers’ salaries.”

Administration officials have said recently that investment in targeted neighborhoods will happen with or without the extensions. But it is unclear from where the additional funding would come.

“The mayor is committed to ensuring that every single neighborhood city is healthy and whole — whether we extend the TADs or not,” said Courtney English, Dickens’ chief of staff.

There are eight active TADs, including Westside, Perry-Bolton, Eastside, Atlanta Beltline, Campbellton Road, Hollowell–Martin Luther King Jr., Metropolitan Parkway and Stadium Area.

In October, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a nonbinding project list earmarked $2.3 billion for transit, $1.4 billion for parks and trails, $1.2 billion for housing, $265 million for health initiatives, $219 million for public space and infrastructure, $77 million for commercial projects and $20 million for education.

Commission members were asked repeatedly not to “conflate” the revitalization plan with a TAD extension throughout the meeting.

“We’ve made significant investments in housing, made investments in homelessness, in crime reduction,” English said. “We will do this work with the tools that we have available, regardless of TAD or no TAD.”

The commission will explore that and other big challenges, like how to balance growth without displacing legacy residents across the next two months before presenting their final report to the City Council by March 31.

---

A soccer field at the world’s busiest airport?

Travelers going through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for the FIFA World Cup this summer will not only see (and not see) enhanced security, but may also see a soccer field in between terminals. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will be the first impression of the city for hundreds of thousands of visitors traveling from all around the world for the FIFA World Cup games this summer.

City officials estimate around 300,000 people will flock to Atlanta for eight matches, including a semifinal game, from June 15 to July 15.

Ricky Smith, general manager at the airport, said the opportunity is unlike any other to showcase the massive travel hub hailed as the “crown jewel” of Atlanta.

“This is our opportunity to show to the world that Atlanta is a special place,” he said. “And it’s a place that you should consider coming to, even after FIFA. And the airport plays a major role in that.”

His comments came last week at the Buckhead Coalition’s luncheon, an annual gathering of region’s top politicians and business leaders held as the state legislative session kicked off.

Smith hinted at major marketing projects, including a soccer field nestled in between terminals. He also promised fully staffed Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints and enhanced security measures.

“Security will be unlike it’s ever been before — a lot of it you will see, most of it, some of it you will not see,” he said. “But trust me: Security will be at another level.”

The stakes are high for the airport that’s also expected high-profile passengers and VIPs descending on the city in private jets. During the Super Bowl in 2019, nearly 1,600 private jets landed at Atlanta area airports.