Municipalities & Governmental Entities
Recent Examples of Our Work with Governmental Clients
The City of Auburn, Alabama wanted a strategy to reverse the decline along Opelika Road, a major corridor extending from downtown to the city limits. We were part of a planning team led by Design Workshop. Our role was to evaluate local real estate trends and identify realistic development opportunities that would help reverse the corridor’s current stagnation. As part of the implementation phase, we also evaluated the merits of various public and private financing mechanisms that could be employed in the study area. The Renew Opelika Road corridor plan received an award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association.
The City of Fayetteville, Georgia retained our firm to assist with the implementation of a downtown revitalization strategy. The main goals were to identify sites for a new City Hall and public greenspace and to determine ways to enliven the town square with additional retail and restaurants. The first step involved a thorough analysis of existing conditions, as well as case studies of other downtowns in metro Atlanta where successful revitalization had occurred. Our firm also reviewed the recent master plan the City had prepared and offered input on why certain elements of the plan were not feasible from a market standpoint.
The second phase involved working with TSW, a design firm, to formulate a realistic master plan that responded to market conditions. Our firm worked with the City to implement the plan, which included serving as a sounding board when proposed developments were introduced to the downtown area. We assisted the City in negotiating the acquisition of a 10-acre property from the Fayette County School System. This property ultimately became the home of the new City Hall, City park, and two adaptive reuse commercial buildings. The two commercial buildings include a brewery, two restaurants, and two event spaces. The new City Hall and City Center Park were the winner of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 2021 Regional Excellence Award for Livable Center.
The City of Powder Springs, Georgia retained our firm to assist with the implementation of a downtown revitalization strategy. The main goals were to determine the highest and best use of a five-acre site the City owned next to its new park and amphitheater and to identify potential properties for the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to acquire in order to revitalize idle buildings and to add retail, office, and restaurants to the downtown. The first step involved a thorough analysis of existing conditions and properties currently owned by the City/DDA.
The second phase involved preparing requests for proposals (RFPs) for two DDA-owned properties and assisting the DDA in acquiring key properties that are vital to the downtown revitalization. We successfully negotiated the sale of the five-acre property to Novare Group, which is under construction on a 226-unit apartment community. Our firm is currently working with the City/DDA to further implement the plan, which includes representing the City/DDA in negotiations with developers and investors for DDA-owned property and identifying certain properties that are acquisition targets.
A real estate developer approached The City of Loganville, Georgia with a redevelopment plan for the downtown area. The plan included a new City Hall, retail, office, conventional and age-targeted apartments, and for-sale townhomes. Our firm was hired by the City to help assess the merits of the proposal so that local officials could make an informed decision. Our work included: 1) conducting a thorough analysis of the existing economic conditions; 2) analyzing the apartment, retail, senior housing, and townhome markets within the area; and 3) profiling other downtowns in metro Atlanta that have recently undergone significant city-led revitalization projects.
City of Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson created a special task force to prepare a revitalization plan for a 23-block area of downtown, known as Fairlie-Poplar. We were hired and launched a three phase study consisting of: 1) area familiarization; 2) conceptualization and testing; and 3) plan and implementation. The goal was to formulate a strategy to reverse Fairlie-Poplar’s downward spiral and to create a foundation for positive change. Subsequently, we were retained by the Fairlie-Poplar Task Force to coordinate the implementation program.
The City of Alpharetta, in concert with a developer, was planning an ambitious mixed-use project in its downtown that featured office and retail space, as well as a new city hall. City officials decided that an objective assessment of the office and retail markets was needed in light of deteriorating economic conditions. An independent assessment of the development program was also requested.
