CHC News
February 2010
Conservancy Elects Four New Board Members
February 2010
Conservancy Assumes Responsibility for Master Plan for Greenway Trails.
February 2010
The Conservancy Sponsored the Arbor Day.
Economic Development Project
The Chattahoochee Hill County Alliance is working on an economic development grant proposal to design, analyze and implement a regional economic model. This program will enhance the ability of the Chattahoochee Hill Country to attract a national developer to South Fulton and will provide the region with a model for demonstrating a regional approach for community development.
With airports, internet access, a mass transit system, and mandated greenspace all playing critical roles in the success of the area, the strength and weakness of the entire region must be articulated and addressed. This program will address the concerns every county has with the regional implications of economic development, the interdependent relationships and the critical nature of infrastructure.
The South Fulton Land Use Plan is an alternative approach that presents unique opportunities due to its basis in conservation and sustainable development elements. Due to that fact, more objective data is needed in order to attract national developers and appropriate industries.
The CHC Economic Development Project includes the following:
1. Financial Feasibility Study for Implementation of Chattahoochee Hill Country Village Model
This study will provide the community and local governments with detailed information on the impact the master planned community could have on them, identify specific costs entailed and determine if these costs would realistically be borne by a developer. We will identify all infrastructure costs, housing mixes and possible long-term transportation solutions. The study will entail identifying the number of units that have been approved under the South Fulton Land Use Plan, the probable mix and number of these units when built under the CHC Overlay District proposal, and what services and infrastructure will be needed over the next ten years.).
2. Target Market Study Focusing on the Chattahoochee Hill Country Overlay District Area
This will include building both the physiographic and demographic databases necessary to attract top quality national developers and industries. The study will include research, surveys and focus groups. We will work in conjunction with the local Chambers of Commerce, Development Authorities, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and the applicable utility companies to collect data from a wide range of sources for compilation and comparative analysis.
3. Community Economic Development Liaison
We plan to hire an economic development specialist to create a marketing campaign, developer outreach, government outreach and other economic development functions. We are also working with the University of Georgia on a project to promote eco-tourism in the area.
4. Developers Workshop (2004)
This workshop will bring together the Presidents, CEOs and other top decision makers from 20-25 quality developers to access the viability of development opportunities in the Chattahoochee Hill Country area, and the wider region. This workshop will build on the findings of the 2003 workshop hosted by CHC, will highlight the enhanced opportunities within the CHC area and the progress made during the past year in addressing developer’s concerns. Detailed economic and demographic models will be provided with performas and a tour of potential development sites will be provided
5. Greenspace Values/TDR Market Study
The value of permanently protected greenspace has been greatly undervalued and its financial impact largely overlooked. Only recently have intensive studies been undertaken evaluating the growth in property values over time of homes on or surrounded by permanently protected green space vs homes on or surrounded by developable land. This research has developed as an adjunct to Transfer of Develop Rights (TDR) ordinances in various parts of the country, as these ordinances severe the develop rights from the underlying property; development rights then trade as a commodity, and the land they were severed from is permanently deed restricted as to future development.
Initially, two properties of the same type and size and locale will have approximately the same property value and potential for development. Once the development rights are severed from one of the properties and those rights are sold, then the remaining property value is decreased initially by the value of the development rights sold, as this land can never be developed. However, long term studies have determined that properties without development rights attached, in areas where there are large amounts of similarly protected greenspace, actually increase in value at significantly higher rates than unprotected land. This is because people enjoy living in green space areas and are willing to pay a premium to live within a green space area that can never be disrupted by future development. Thus, homes that initially lost property value when the homeowner sold the development rights off, ultimately can regain a significant amount of the entire value back if they are located in an area with an active TDR program.
The success of this green space protection program is dependent on the success of the TDR program that creates and maintains the sending and receiving areas for development. The Target Market study will examine the value of land protected nationally to support developer’s decisions and a marketing campaign.
Objectives of the Project:
1. Attract Quality Master Developers
2. The Target Market Study will identify the services and needs that the Hill Country in terms of infrastructure, types of businesses and critical mass for viability and economy of business and support services.
3. An Economic Outreach program will increase our opportunities to leverage all work in the Hill Country by using economy of scale in marketing and production projects.
4. Provide quality objective information for decision making and priority needs.