By Patrick Stafford
Executive director of the Fulton Industrial Business Association

On Nov. 5, Cobb County voters will have an opportunity to decide whether to adopt the "Redevelopment Powers Act" through the use of tax allocation districts in various parts of the county. One of those targeted areas is Veterans Memorial Highway (Bankhead Highway to most folks), where it crosses the river...and just over the border of Fulton County.

This is a good idea and certainly should be passed by the Cobb citizens that want to address areas long forgotten. It is not new, but it is proactive. These selected areas would get a tax-assisted clean up, improve existing buildings, and possibly help develop vacant/blighted pieces of property.

Well, enough about Cobb County. My purpose in writing is to urge ... no, strongly urge ... Fulton County government officials to look at this methodology in addressing the Fulton Industrial Business District. Specifically, I am advocating the establishment of a tax allocation district within the Fulton Industrial Business District.

It is a fact that this business district is the largest single tax base in Fulton County. It is a fact that it is the home of in excess of 1,000 businesses. It is a fact that it is the largest contiguous industrial area east of the Mississippi River. It is a fact that it has long been neglected. Enough of the past. Let us look forward.

I do not favor within the Fulton Industrial Business District creating an overlay district that grandfathers in existing businesses that are out of code or non-compliant with current county policy and procedures. Nor, do I favor creating a community improvement district that seeks to further tax the businesses that are currently paying plenty of tax dollars to the county, with the future hopes of attracting additional federal dollars to further goals. Nor am I in favor of long term studies that purport to tell this district what we should stand for to make it "liveable" in the future. These methodologies may be fine for other places in the metro Atlanta area, but not in an area contributing as much of the tax base as this district curently provides.

Since I became the first executive director of this business district in 1999, believe me, I am quite familiar with nearly all the problems as well as the jewels. I just believe that it is time to grow up and take greater responsibility of our own destiny.

After considerable thought, I have come to the conclusion that the area could best be served, for the beterment of the entire Fulton County and metro Atlanta region, by the use of the "redevelopment powers act" in the establishment of a tax allocation from I-285/Bankhead Highway west toward the Chattahoochee River and south from Bankhead Highway along Fulton Industrial Boulevard (past Fulton County Airport, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and the I-20 interchange) to Commerce Drive. The western border would be the River and the eastern border would be I-285.

This "targeted" tax allocation district would serve as a spark plug to future development in the district around the Fulton County Airport expansion plans, the proposed MARTA rail line expansion, and serve as a source of hope for the 30,000 employees working daily on this 8-mile road in unincorporated Fulton County.

This TAD also would enable increases in property tax revenue that normally is returned to the Fulton County general fund or special services district fund for usage by the county (since the Fulton Industrial Business District's creation) in places other than the Fulton Indsutrial area to be used "solely within the Fulton Industrial Business District." This would enable these business and property owners to directly work with the county to allocate their tax dollars and make this district even more productive and essential to the county's bottom line.

In essence, it is time for the county's largest tax base to quick sharing it's wealth (reassessed property value increases) with other areas and instead, clean up its own yard and play a proactive role in how the substantial tax dollars collected from this area are spent. The TAD would work by returning any increase in property taxes in the area to the area.

Imagine the possibilities within this targeted area: a tool to address blighted property; increase public safety official's visibility in the area; improve lighting; widen roads; add sidewalks; clean up right-of-way and the median; make the exit off Bankhead/I-285 as inviting as the exits off of Paces Ferry or Cascade; improve or redevelop existing buildings; and a host of other things that are necessary for improving this area. Nothing grand just concentrating on smaller projects one area at a time.

This is not an area being selfish...it is merely getting it's own house in order for the benefit of the entire metro Atlanta region. thinking regionally, not selfishly. We are not a TAD late; we are raring to get started.

[Patrick Stafford is executive director of the Fulton Industrial Business Association.]

Back to thø Opinion Home Page| Back to the top of the page