The Six Flags Livable Centers Initiative study is winding down to a close. The consulting firm hired to conduct the study is preparing its draft of a final report of findings and recommendations so that the area can finally be adopted as an LCI, making it eligible for additional funding.

Stantec, the consulting firm hired by the county, began the study in October and has held three public meetings to gain insight and feedback from community stakeholders.

No more public meetings will be held for general input. Stantec will first send its draft report to staff of the Atlanta Regional Commission, which supports LCI studies and LCI communities.

The firm developed its comprehensive list of recommended projects as a result of citizen input and months of research of the study area to discover needed amenities and improvements which are feasible and can be implemented in both the short and long run.

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Timeline for LCI Report Adoption and Designation

1. After the ARC reviews the report, Stantec will present its findings to the Cobb Planning Board and then to the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

2. Project Lead Marsha Bomar and her staff will revise the plan based on recommendations from both the planning and commissioners’ boards.

3. Community members will have an opportunity to view the final results at an open house, which will be held sometime during the first two weeks in April, Bomar said. The report will be available for viewing at the South Cobb Recreation Center, the South Cobb Regional Library and online.

4. The BOC will vote to adopt the plan officially following the open houses, and the area will be eligible for specific funding from the ARC.

“We’re going to be well-positioned to bring those dollars to the community to get those projects done,” Bomar told a crowd of about 15 on Thursday night.

Land Use Proposals: Town Center, Commercial Facilities

Osmond Erchin of Stantec led the land use planning arm of the study by looking at the area’s current state, reviewing previous studies and developing a future land use concept. This concept includes preserving industrial areas and a proposal for a mixed-use town center between Factory Shoals and private Six Flags Parkway.

The town center would include retail, housing and senior housing. Additionally, several of the older apartment complexes with high vacancy rates would be demolished, but not without ensuring the people living there are not displaced, Erchin explained.

“Throughout the process, we want to stress the principle that we want to develop mixed income communities where folks are not displaced by major developments, but at the same time, we need to set the stage for redevelopment when some of these properties begin to fail economically and become dilapidated,” Erchin said.

The area will also have new commercial facilities, but Erchin said he does not envision the area having commercial facilities larger than 125,000 square feet, about the size of an average Home Depot.

Transportation Options for Six Flags' Large Pedestrian Population

The team proposal for transportation projects includes sidewalk improvement, which would include connecting existing sidewalks and adding new ones, along with installing sufficient lighting for safe pedestrian travel.

Other transportation-related proposals included:

• Crosswalks

• Installation of gateway nodes

• Access management and streetscape

• Installation of Way-Finding Signage

• Six Flags Drive Streetscape Upgrades

• Evaluation of the existing CCT Route 30

Economic Development Tools Abound for Six Flags Area

In the area of economic development, the team proposes designating the study area as a Tax Allocation District. A TAD is a designated area, which is blighted or has severely depressed property values. Usually a study is completed to discover the additional tax funds the area, if redeveloped, would bring. Once established, the tax rate remains flat. However, as property values increase, so does the amount of tax dollars the area receives. Although the property taxes brought in when the TAD is established must go to the county’s general fund, any additional taxes due to increased property values after the TAD is established must be spent in the designated district to continue to improve the area.

For example, if a blighted area is only bringing in $10,000 in property taxes each year and is then designated a TAD area, that $10,000 would still go to the county’s general fund each year. As the area began to improve and property values increased, the property taxes will also increase. Now, the area is bringing in $20,000 in property taxes each year, but $10,000 of it still goes to the general fund and the remaining $10,000 goes back into enhancing that designated district.

A natural funding source would then be created for the area, Bomar explained.

However, the Stantec consultants suggest a change to the county’s ordinance regarding TADs to allow the Six Flags area TAD to cover a larger area.

In addition to a TAD, the team identified several economic development tools available to implement these projects, such as:

• Business Improvement Distict

• Tax Credits (new market tax credits, low income housing tax credits, opportunity zone job tax credits)

• Special loan programs (ARC Revolving Loan) and

• Grant Programs (ARC, CDBG).

Market Analysis/Other Recommendations

• “It’s very clear that there’s a tremendous need for a grocery store” in the area, Bomar said.

• Additionally, they are proposing a police substation or information kiosk that community members could use to address security issues and cultivate a sense of security in the community.

• To help with employment issues, the team recommends creation of workforce training programs.

• As Six Flags moves toward becoming a year-round attraction, a hotel-conference center would be a useful and profitable addition, the team suggested.

• Because residents in the area lack medical facilities, the team suggested helping bring in a CVS-type of pharmacy which includes a Minute Clinic.

“We are trying to identify the nearer term opportunities that can begin to serve the needs of the community but with the longer term vision of the ultimate of what we want to happen here,” Bomar said.