The Regional Business Coalition recognizes that the decisions our region makes about how we develop land have powerful effects on water quality, traffic, housing affordability, air quality, infrastructure costs and the quality of life that is critical to recruiting a highly educated workforce. Atlanta is one of the lowest density regions in the nation and consumes the landscape at an average rate of 50 acres per day. Poorly planned development has been found to cost more to serve with public infrastructure. These additional costs are passed on to businesses in the form or taxes or fees.

RBC supports regional efforts to gather and share information about quality growth policies and to highlight successes in their implementation. To that end, the RBC and the Atlanta Regional Commission this year designated six projects as “Developments of Regional Excellence”. Old Suwanee by Richport Properties won the general award for their traditional neighborhood development in Suwanee. BellSouth was awarded for its business vision in recognition of their “Metro Plan,” which is consolidating 23 scattered offices into three locations accessible to mass transit. The company expects this investment to help with employee recruitment and retention. The region will reap the rewards of less traffic and air pollution not only from BellSouth, but from all six winners.

RBC member chambers worked with their local communities to develop plans that will allow residents to live, work, shop and play within employment centers in the region. Through the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI), a program of the Atlanta Regional Commission, more than 22 communities have crafted plans that would result in less traffic, more affordable housing, efficient use of existing infrastructure and better quality of life. Those communities now are eligible to apply for a special pot of money to implement the transportation-related parts of those plans; the ARC has set aside $350 million in transportation dollars for that purpose. The LCI program is nationally recognized as an innovative approach to fostering quality growth.

The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) proposed a set of sweeping regulations addressing Developments of Regional Impact. In collaboration with the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders and other like-minded organizations, RBC worked with GRTA to fashion a more reasonable approach to ensuring that larger developments are built in a more transportation-efficient manner.

Looking to 2002, RBC will continue to work with the ARC, GRTA, DCA and local governments to promote quality growth. RBC is an active participant in developing the next Regional Development Plan, which will be adopted in 2003. RBC will continue to champion the Livable Centers Initiative program, especially as it relates to ARC’s prioritization of transportation funds.

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