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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION and APPLICATION for FUNDING Stadium Neighborhoods Tax Allocation District

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION and APPLICATION for FUNDING Stadium Neighborhoods Tax Allocation District PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION FOR FUNDING Stadium Neighborhoods Tax Allocation District 133 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 2900 Atlanta, GA 30303 404.880.4100 Phone 404.880.9333 Fax www.investatlanta.com Invest Atlanta 1 Program Description & Application Stadium Neighborhoods Tax Allocation District INTRODUCTION Invest Atlanta invites qualified developers to submit an application for Stadium Neighborhoods Tax Allocation District (“TAD”) funding. Also known as Tax Increment Financing (“TIF”), TADs are a redevelopment and financing tool by which governments can provide financial assistance to eligible public and private redevelopment efforts within an officially designated area or TAD. Increases in property tax revenues, which are generated primarily from new investment in the district, are allocated to pay for infrastructure costs or certain private development costs within the TAD. In the Stadium Neighborhoods TAD this is primarily structured as “pay as you go” financing. Once a project reaches completion, funds are granted to the developer on an annual basis as the property tax revenues generated by the project increase. Annual TAD payments are limited to the increment generated by the project itself and conclude upon the expiration of the TAD (December 31, 2031). To estimate the amount of revenue a project may generate on an annual basis, applicants should utilize the tax increment calculator provided by Invest Atlanta upon request. Invest Atlanta accepts applications for funding in the Stadium Neighborhoods TAD on an open, rolling basis. Invest Atlanta has been created and is existing under and by virtue of the Development Authorities Law, activated by a resolution of the Council of the City and currently operates as a public body corporate and politic and instrumentality of the State of Georgia. Invest Atlanta was established to promote the revitalization and growth of the City and serves as the City’s redevelopment agency pursuant to the Redevelopment Powers Law for the purpose of implementing redevelopment initiatives within the City’s ten tax allocation districts. OVERVIEW OF ATLANTA Established in 1843, the City of Atlanta is the seat of government of the State of Georgia and Fulton County. Presently, the City has a land area of approximately 131.4 square miles, approximately 91% of which is located in Fulton County and 9% of which is located in DeKalb County. With a population of 420,0031 the City is the center of the 9th largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the country, including approximately 5.3 million people2. The City is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area (“metro Atlanta”), which presently encompasses 28 counties3 containing a land area of approximately 8,376 square miles and the 10-county4 statistical area utilized by the Atlanta Regional Commission. Three major highways (I-75, I-85, I-20) converge near Atlanta’s central business district. The perimeter highway (I-285) circles the city in a 62.7-mile loop. Georgia 400 is a six lane highway providing yet another route to the city via north metro Atlanta. Atlanta is served by Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), with bus and rail services that cover over 1,000 miles, which is the ninth-largest transit system in the U.S. The world’s most-traveled airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), has five runways that serve more than 92 million passengers a year. Recognized as an international gateway and the economic engine of the southeast, metro Atlanta is home to nearly 150,000 businesses. Atlanta’s economy is diverse but dominated by logistics, professional 1 Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division Release Dates: For the United States, regions, divisions, states, and Puerto Rico Commonwealth, December 2011. 2 U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey. 3 The Atlanta MSA includes the following 28 counties: Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding and Walton. 4 The 10 county statistical area includes the following counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale. 2013 www.investatlanta.com Invest Atlanta 2 Program Description & Application Stadium Neighborhoods Tax Allocation District and business services, media operations, and information technology. Metro Atlanta is home to the headquarters of 26 FORTUNE 1000 companies including United Parcel Service, The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, The Southern Company, NCR and First Data. Research facilities at Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine, University of Georgia and Georgia Health Sciences University are abundant and continue to grow. Metro Atlanta is also home to the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Cancer Society and the Arthritis Foundation. OBJECTIVES In 2005, Invest Atlanta commissioned a study entitled Analysis of Incentives to Encourage Investment in Underserved Areas. The study identified opportunities appropriate for alternative economic development tools to spur redevelopment in areas of the city that have historically suffered from disinvestment. The study ranked the Stadium Neighborhoods among the top areas in terms of redevelopment potential. The Stadium Neighborhoods TAD was established in 2006 with the intent to provide a financial incentive to facilitate effective public-private partnerships and support substantial new development and revitalization in the area closest to I-75 and Turner Field, immediately south of the central business district (“Downtown”). This area is served by three interstate highways and is characterized by acres of surface parking lots which serve Turner Field game-day attendees. The TAD area consists of approximately 391 acres with 671 individual parcels located in the areas around Turner Field. The TAD is roughly bounded by I-20 to the north, Windsor Street to the west, Ormond Street to the south and Connally Street to the east, with some exceptions to exclude new home development. A map of the Stadium Neighborhoods TAD boundaries is shown in Exhibit A. The Stadium Neighborhoods TAD Redevelopment Plan (“Redevelopment Plan”) establishes the framework for new redevelopment opportunities and investment in the community, including portions of the Summerhill, Mechanicsville and Peoplestown neighborhoods and provides an important economic incentive to enhance the market competitiveness of the greater Stadium Neighborhoods The Stadium Neighborhoods TAD has been the subject of several studies exploring the redevelopment of the area. The market potential for this site is driven by its adjacency to Downtown, a major employment node, and accessibly provided by three interstate highway systems and a potential future connection to the Atlanta Streetcar. National best practice models for sports venue anchored redevelopment projects were included in the Stadium Neighborhoods Study, and Buxton completed a Retail Site Assessment which analyzed the area for possible retail development based on the profile of area residents and Atlanta Braves season ticket holders. As a result of significant public ownership and limited development activity, the Stadium Neighborhoods TAD has not generated any new increment since its establishment in 2006. Despite this fact, the immediate proximity to Downtown and Turner Field, the renaissance of neighboring communities such as Cabbagetown, Grant Park, and Glenwood Park, and the magnitude of assembled land in the area (100 acres owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA)) continues to present a significant redevelopment opportunity for the Stadium Neighborhoods TAD. In an effort to better understand the development opportunities from the private sector, as well as to spark interest with future development partners, Invest Atlanta issued a Request for Ideas (RFI) in September of 2012 for the 55 acres immediately surrounding Turner Field. Responses were received in October of 2012 and included entertainment-driven mixed-use development concepts, most featuring structured parking and significant green space surrounded by multi-family development. Conversations continue regarding a potential transit connection from Downtown. Proposed options include light rail or streetcar extending along Capitol Avenue/Hank Aaron Drive and traveling east on Georgia Avenue, as well as a mag-lev train directly connecting the Georgia State MARTA station with Turner Field. AFCRA remains an interested party in an effort to revitalize the area as the Braves’ lease with Turner Field currently ends in 2016. 2013 www.investatlanta.com Invest Atlanta 3 Program Description & Application Stadium Neighborhoods Tax Allocation District OPPORTUNITIES The primary goal of the TAD is to provide a financing source for the construction of public parking decks on the land owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA). The provision of this additional structured parking is intended to help eliminate the proliferation of surface parking lots and allow for this land to be redeveloped into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood. A secondary goal of the TAD is to revitalize the commercial core of the TAD
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