July 8, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2010
Contact: Sonya Moste, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Phone: 404.614.8281
ADA Awards $3.3 million in Grants to Revitalization Projects in the Vine City and English Avenue Communities
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) has awarded $3.3 million in capital improvement grants to projects located in the Vine City and English Avenue communities this summer.
Twelve projects competed for the dollars, and six have been selected for an award. The average award amount is $550,000. The 2010 winning projects include:
Hagar Civilization Training Missionary Phase III
International Brotherhood of Police Officers Headquarters
Quest Resource and Workforce Development Center
Vine City Plaza Phase II
Westside TAD Demolition, Clean and Close
Westside Village Public Improvement Project
The grants will be used for a variety of capital improvements, including: construction of a job training center; rehabilitation of the old Bronner Brothers building; MARTA façade improvements; tenant improvements of the former Publix space; and new office space for police officers, district attorneys and other law enforcement-related employees.
“We are excited to see TAD dollars generated by Downtown development at work in the neighboring communities just a stone’s throw away,” says Ernestine Garey, interim president for the Atlanta Development Authority.
While the ADA board of directors ultimately approves the projects that receive funding, these decisions are not without significant public input. An advisory board composed of representatives from the local community meets monthly with ADA staff. This Westside TAD Neighborhood Advisory Board evaluates each submission and provides input and recommendations on which projects should be awarded funds. In addition, ADA staff members provide quarterly updates to the community at meetings of Neighborhood Planning Unit L.
Support for this neighborhood revitalization program comes from the Westside Tax Allocation District Neighborhood Fund. This initiative received approximately 20 percent of the share of bond proceeds from downtown projects generating new property tax that were funded by the $63.8 million Westside TAD bond issuance of 2008.
Since the inception of this program, the Neighborhood Fund has distributed more than $15 million in grants to 17 projects. These funds leveraged an additional $12.6 million in private investment for the English Avenue and Vine City communities.
The Villas at the Dome, a 30-unit townhome rental project, received $1.3 million from the 2007 awards. “This property had been a major blight on the community for years,” says Jeff Riddle, managing member of Vine City Holdings and owner of Villas at the Dome. “Today it stands as a model for transit-oriented, community-scale redevelopment. It is 100 percent occupied with mostly residents from the community and it wouldn’t have been possible without the grant from the TAD.”
“For the first time in years, we have completed projects that have accompanied City of Atlanta-funded grants,” says Councilmember Ivory Lee Young, Jr. “Projects ranging from affordable housing, historic restoration and commercial redevelopment to the restoration of our infrastructure serve as a catalyst to complete the larger vision of our revitalization. Real congratulations should go not only to the community-based developers but also to the Atlanta Development Authority; both largely contributed to the success of this initiative.”
ABOUT ATLANTA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
The Atlanta Development Authority is the official economic development agency for the city of Atlanta. ADA represents intown Atlanta, which has a population of 530,000 and growing. ADA is a research-based economic development organization, focused on residential, business and investment growth in the city. ADA manages the city’s ten tax allocation districts. Visit www.atlantada.com.
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