>>> Georgia General Assembly Priorities
Economic Development and Job Creation
- Support legislative initiatives that create, recruit, and expand Georgia’s workforce to promote economic mobility and prosperity.
- Continue to support digital innovation through proven state tax incentives and reliable regulatory landscapes around data center infrastructure.
- Support any legislation that continues or enhances the current structure and functions of Community Improvement Districts and Development Authorities.
- Promote policies that would positively impact our business climate and are not discriminatory in nature.
- Oppose legislation that imposes additional restrictions on the development, banking, and business communities
Transportation
- Support measures to expand and streamline the operation of metro Atlanta’s transit systems and across the state.
- Support policies that seek to enhance Georgia’s freight & logistics infrastructure.
- Support increased funding to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB), with additional investment specifically directed to projects sponsored by Community Improvement Districts and/or local governments.
- Support the continued investment in electric vehicle infrastructure and innovations in transportation technology to keep moving the state forward.
- Maintaining stable transportation funding established under House Bill 170, the “Transportation Funding Act of 2015”, and encouraging continued state and regional transit planning.
Water, Land Use, and Environmental Regulation
- Promote effective water management policy to ensure adequate sources of clean water to meet the needs of Georgia’s growing population and businesses.
- Support legislation that allows for greater flexibility in use of land that has water bodies on it and encourage efficiency in the permitting process.
- Continue funding support of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.
- Continue support of the existing brownfield programs, including additional funding.
- Support policies to improve the state’s stormwater management practices to enhance water quality, mitigate flooding, and ensure our continued quality of life.
- Oppose legislation that infringes on Georgia citizens’ property rights.
Housing Regulation
- Support legislation that focuses on economic development tools and incentives, impact fee waivers, funding mechanisms, new planning models and zoning codes, and new housing types, to enable the development and redevelopment of more workforce and affordable housing, including through Workforce and Residential Infrastructure Districts.
- Support safe and affordable options for alternative building materials and methods, and flexible building codes that do not over-restrict industry options.
- Oppose legislation that limits the rights of housing investors and support free-market housing principles.
>>> Local Government Priorities
Economic Development and Job Creation
- Support policies that bolster economic development tools and incentives, such as local tax credits, opportunity funds, tax allocation districts, special service districts, and other mechanisms to incentivize growth and development.
- Continue to support digital innovation through reliable regulatory landscapes around data center infrastructure.
- Encourage policies that maintain a competitive business climate in metro Atlanta by ensuring local taxes and fees remain fair and predictable, permitting and regulation is efficient, and oppose discriminatory or unnecessary mandates that could deter business investment.
- Support and preserve Community Improvement Districts and development authorities as key public–private partnership vehicles for funding infrastructure and catalyzing growth and development.
Land Use
- Support the updating and modernization comprehensive plans and zoning codes to guide growth –implementing unified development or form-based codes to streamline approvals and accommodate new development types.
- Discourage arbitrary or excessive land use restrictions including open-ended development moratoria or overly prescriptive design requirements that would inflate housing and development costs and deter investment.
- Encourage the streamlining of local development review processes and reduce unnecessary regulations and duplicative bureaucracy, lowering costs and delays for projects.
- Encourage infill redevelopment and adaptive reuse of blighted properties to make efficient use of existing infrastructure and limit sprawl.
- Foster regional coordination of land use and infrastructure planning across jurisdictions to ensure consistent growth patterns, shared resources, and connected transportation networks.
- Support policies that prioritize transit-oriented, mixed-use development in designated regional centers and corridors. Encourage zoning and subarea plans that allow higher density and walkable infill where transit and jobs are concentrated.
Housing Regulation
- Support policies that provide local incentives to expand housing supply and affordability including impact-fee waivers, density bonuses, expedited permitting, and public financing that enable more workforce, market-rate, and affordable housing to be built.
- Encourage ordinances that enable a diversity of housing types in local zoning by allowing accessory dwelling units, duplexes, townhomes, and other “missing middle” housing by right in appropriate areas to meet different income levels and lifestyles.
- Support policies that offer development bonuses or fast-track approval for developments that include a significant portion of affordable or workforce housing.
Transportation
- Support measures to expand and streamline metro Atlanta’s transit systems and improve the region’s freight/logistics corridors.
- Encourage dedicated local funding (e.g. SPLOST, bonds, and toll revenues) for road and transit improvements, maintenance and safety upgrades.
- Promote public-private partnerships and other innovative financing approaches to accelerate critical highway, transit and multi-modal projects.
- Oppose any actions that would undermine dedicated transportation funding or impose arbitrary restrictions that could delay key infrastructure projects.
Water and Environmental Regulation
- Promote effective regional water management and planning and investment in water supply to ensure adequate sources of clean water for metro Atlanta’s growing population and economy.
- Encourage proactive funding and upgrading of water and wastewater infrastructure across jurisdictions to meet current and future demand.
- Enhance stormwater management by encouraging local governments implement local funding mechanisms to support needed improvements.