Community Improvement Districts

Community Improvement Districts are a productive and pro-active approach to accomplishing major feats that pool common interests benefitting the entire region. Land and property owners willing to invest in themselves and the communities around them have seen a tremendous return on investment.

As a member of the Council for Quality Growth, we ask your help in identifying and nominating individuals for the John Williams CID Leadership Award & CID Professional Excellence Award.

The John Williams CID Award acknowledges and celebrates volunteers who have played an instrumental role in championing CIDs around the metro Atlanta region through their vision, leadership, and dedication. The inaugural awards were given to Governor Roy Barnes and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson in 2016 for their leadership in creating the legislation that enabled CIDs to serve as the vital economic and development engines they have become today. In subsequent years, the John Williams CID Award has been given to Tad Leithead, Kerry Armstrong, Bob Voyles, Mason Zimmerman, and David Allman.

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The CID Professional Excellence Award honors a CID Industry Professional’s leadership in successfully investing in critical transportation infrastructure and quality of life improvement projects to enhance a district’s economic vitality. Recognized by peers as a leader in the CID community, this person demonstrates excellence in leadership and management in building a vibrant destination to live, work, and play. Gerald McDowell, Executive Director of the ATL Airport CIDs, was the inaugural recipient of the CID Professional Excellence Award in 2020. The 2021 recipient was Ann Hanlon, Executive Director of the Perimeter CIDs.

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During the past 30 years, Community Improvement Districts have emerged as significant centers of influence in the metro Atlanta region. By utilizing self-imposed tax revenues from commercial businesses within their districts, they are dramatically changing their communities in many ways. The Council is proud to count most of the metro Atlanta region’s CIDs as part of our membership.

The advent of Community Improvement Districts more than 30 years ago unfurled an engine of growth and development that has come to represent more than $1.5 billion in taxes levied, producing more than $5 billion in infrastructure investments, new parks and greenspace, public safety, traffic mitigation projects, and landscape improvements.

Not only are CIDs powerful drivers of economic development, but they are also valuable in strengthening the unique character of each metro Atlanta area. By allowing a CID to invest in the projects that the community and local government prioritizes, the developments reflect the values and personality of each area, serving as a counterpoint to “one size fits all” development and growth strategies; they maintain a sense of place.

This self-investment has positioned Atlanta’s 27-and-counting CIDs to receive locally-raised tax dollars, but also grants and matching funds from state and federal agencies that see community support as a beacon of opportunity for investment in smart growth. Through successful leveraging, CIDs procure significantly larger pools of funding to support development initiatives.

View CID map with legend

CID Recognition Event

The Council for Quality Growth hosts an annual CID Recognition event to celebrate the Community Improvement Districts’ work to connect the metro region. CID leaders, stakeholders, elected officials, Council members and more attend this annual event. It is at this event that we recognize outstanding leaders in our community with the John Williams CID Leadership Award and the CID Professional Excellence Award.

Watch the 2020 CID Recognition Highlights

2021 CID Recognition

Congratulations to David Allman & Ann Hanlon, our 2021 CID Award Recipients.