the altamaha initiative: spring 2001
macon-bibb downtown development
Back row: Justin Shirah, Amber Sharick;
front row: Danny Bivins, Rick Figlio. Missing: Stephanie Hyder.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Twenty years ago, the Georgia legislature established the "downtown
development authority" (DDA) as a primary local agency for facilitating
the revitalization of downtown business districts in the state. The legislature
sought to address the economic well-being of the state. While this legislative
mandate, now codified in the OCGA, appears to be nondiscretionary, a substantial
number of Georgia municipalities have not established DDAs. Our group
believes DDA revitalization represents a significant opportunity to efficiently
address environmental concerns. We hope to contribute via "revitalizing
the revitalization", to breathe some life into Georgia's DDA mandate,
while at the same time, advancing eco-friendly and watershed friendly
ideals. Unfortunately, no substantive "green" guidance exists even for
the proportionately small number of successful, operating DDAs. At least
for 41 Georgia counties, those eligible for state money through the new
Greenspace initiative, the time is right to consider green strategies
for smart growth, urban revitalization and conservation. Our goal is to
create an environmental training module for the Georgia Municipal Association,
which should be based in part on our research in Macon, to be used in
conjunction with their existing training materials. We plan to use the
carrot of Greenspace money to publicize the module (and the DDA itself)
as a method of achieving smart growth/Greenspace goals.
STATEMENT OF NEED
The Georgia Municipal Authority and the BOS recognize that a Downtown
Development Authority is essential in contributing to the redevelopment
of a downtown core. In the hopes of supporting the creation and sustained
existence of DDAs throughout Georgia, the current manual and training
procedures should be evaluated to incorporate an environmental module.
This module will propose innovative approaches to sustainable downtown
development (be it easements, swaps, etc.) This need has been recognized
by P.Cassity (UGA, School of Environmental Design) and Linda Wilkes (GMA).
Macons's Urban Development Authority (the taxing/improvement authority)
is well-established and should serve as an excellent testing ground for
the development of this environmental/education module.
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