Six metro Atlanta communities soon will get planning and technical help from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
The agency taps different communities each year and offers them help with sorting through cumbersome government regulations and codes,prioritizing growth plans and developing strategies. It's all a part of ARC's Community Choices program. Communities selected this year are Alpharetta, Cobb County, Fairburn, Hampton, Norcross and Union City.
"The Community Choices program affords us the chance to play a small role in improving local communities, " said Kellie Brownlow, chief of ARC's Governmental Services Division. "Collectively, over time, these local improvements make for a better regional community." The Community Choices program provides tools, resources and technical help to aid local governments in their efforts to design communities that work for them.
The agency will help Alpharetta inventory its vacant commercial properties and develop a strategy for filling them. In Cobb County, ARC officials will aid officials in planning and development by identifying conflicting codes and obstacles to redevelopment. ARC will pitch in to help Fairburn update its zoning laws along Roosevelt Highway, including the city's historic downtown. Hampton will update its long-range development plans to include its recently completed Livable Centers Initiative Study, which involves making better use of land and transportation options. Norcross needs help creating economic development tools, and Union City will take a good look at its planning documents to see how the city's code and ordinances can create better transit options.
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