Beyond TADs

Mayor Andre Dickens is relying heavily on tax allocation districts (TADs) to bankroll his $5.5 billion plan to invest in long-neglected Atlanta neighborhoods. Legislation introduced last week drops the Beltline and Perry-Bolton TADs, but would extend the lifetimes of the city’s other six active TADs through 2056.

The mayor’s office says those six TADs could generate between $5 billion and $7 billion over the next 30 years, assuming 5% annual growth in property values. But city officials and public finance experts alike told Atlanta Civic Circle that Atlanta will need public funding sources beyond tax increment revenue to make the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative a reality.

We delved into other public revenue options, from special service districts and other types of property taxes to upzoning charges on developers.

Will Atlanta’s zoning overhaul produce more of the same?

As the Atlanta City Planning Department approaches the finish line on ATL Zoning 2.0 — the long-awaited rewrite of the city’s antiquated zoning code — some local housing advocates fear it will retain much of the same low-density residential framework dictated by the current 44-year-old code. 

Currently, over 60% of the city’s residential land is zoned exclusively for single-family residential use, instead of denser “missing middle” infill, like duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and small apartment buildings. Housing advocates say Atlanta urgently needs these denser housing types, since building more housing on less land is a key way to make it more affordable. 

Right now, the Atlanta City Planning Department is working on its third draft of the new zoning code, which could be the final draft it presents to Atlanta City Council for adoption. But some urban planning wonks worry Version 3 will look just like the first and second drafts, which they say didn’t appreciably reduce the amount of land zoned single-family residential in favor of denser housing.

Check out ACC’s report on urbanists’ critiques of the latest draft of ATL Zoning 2.0.

📷: Photo credit:Britton Edwards

Controversial Kirkwood senior housing complex advances

The Atlanta City Council last week approved a controversial plan to build a 42-unit micro-apartment complex for homeless seniors in Kirkwood. The apartment building will house people ages 62 and older, who have experienced homelessness and earn no more than $40,000 per year, which is roughly half of the area median income. To keep rents low, each unit will measure only about 250 to 275 square feet.

Stryant Investments’ request to upzone a lot at 88 Howard St. SE from single-family to planned development housing for the apartment building had drawn fierce opposition from a vocal contingent of neighbors who feared it would be too dense for the predominantly single-family community.