The Athens-Clarke County Commission will hold public hearings tonight and vote Tuesday on plans for six special tax districts to encourage growth in East Athens, on the Eastside, and along Atlanta Highway and Newton Bridge Road.
The plans are for tax allocation districts, which are an economic development tool used to entice developers to blighted areas, such as Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta. Governments typically work with developers to decide on infrastructure or amenities that would make the development possible—anything from sidewalks to sewer lines. The extra taxes generated by the development then go toward paying for the public investment.
The proposed districts are the Georgia Square Mall area, Broad Street west of Hawthorne Avenue, Newton Bridge Road, an area stretching from the eastern edge of downtown to Triangle Plaza, North Avenue near the Loop and Lexington Road around Gaines School Road. Read the full redevelopment plans here.
Comments will be accepted online or in person at City Hall via video. The public hearing at 6 p.m. today is being conducted remotely, and can be viewed on Charter cable channel 180, youtube.com/accgov, facebook.com/accgov or accgov.com/videos.
Tuesday’s special called session starts at 5:30 p.m. and can also be viewed online.
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