As I’m on the streets of Midtown Atlanta daily, and especially when I’m on a balcony of a high-rise building, I can certainly look back and remember when __________(fill in the blank) was a vacant lot. But when you talk with a prospective buyer who has never been in Midtown before, they may not realize just how much it’s changed.
Midtown Alliance and the Midtown Improvement District
Just like train or a car that need an engine to power them, so does economic development. One of the ways this can happen is through a community improvement district (CID). Midtown happens to call theirs the Midtown Improvement District. What’s so important about this?
A CID is a mechanism whereby the property owners agree to self-tax themselves in order to fund infrastructure improvements to a certain area. They establish the boundary and then work to improve that area. (This is a very simplistic explanation of what a CID is. (The Midtown Alliance has more information on their website)
What Has The Midtown Alliance Done in Midtown?
Hmmm…
- 1000+ new street trees
- 15+ miles of sidewalk improvements
- Keeping Midtown Clean and Green
- $9M of public improvement projects
- New public art
- 3,500 light poles
The list goes on, and on.
And there are social events to engage the residents. Active social media presence on Facebook and Instagram to keep tabs on what’s going on!
In just a 1.2 square mile where the Improvement District functions, look at all that has happened…
Thanks Midtown Alliance!
