City to Apply for Livable Centers Initiative Grant

At its Tuesday meeting, the Peachtree Corners City Council passed a resolution to allow the city to apply for a grant for a Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) study.

The LCI study would focus on a particular area of the city and provide city leaders with information on ways to enhance those areas for pedestrian use as well as traffic improvements.

Initially the city had planned on applying for a grant to study ways to improve the Holcomb Bridge corridor. "After speaking with the ARC (Atlanta Regional Commission) it looks like the available grants favor town center studies so we'll focus on a grant for a town center study this year," said Diana Wheeler, community development director.

"We need to look at ways we can enhance the downtown concept and tie in the areas around it," explained Wheeler. "An LCI study is a mini comprehensive plan for a specific area."

Wheeler said the study would identify projects and the plan would also take into consideration traffic patterns and ways to make the area pedestrian friendly.

According to the ARC website a number of grants have been approved for neighboring cities including Norcross which will use its $40,000 grant for a study of railroad intersection improvements in the downtown area.

Wheeler said that the city of Peachtree Corners will apply for a $120,000 grant from the ARC. If approved the city would contribute 20 percent of that amount ($24,000) for the study which would take approximately four to six months to complete.

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About the ARC and its LCI program:

ARC's Land Use Division develops regional plans and policies that address key land use issues and needs of the Atlanta region. The LCI program falls under the umbrella of the land use division.

The program encourages local jurisdictions to plan and apply strategies that link transportation improvements with land use development strategies that are consistent with regional development policies.