The Stone Mountain Community Improvement District (CID) and its partners have identified necessary changes that will encourage job growth. On Thursday, the CID conducted the last of three public meetings to formulate new economic development strategies for the Mountain Industrial Boulevard corridor. The final plan includes aggressive efforts to strengthen the CID's employment base.
Key improvements identified during the planning process include:
- Upgrading the county's multi-modal transportation network to better serve existing and future employers
- Improving the county regulatory environment to be more easily understood and inviting to businesses
- Expanding economic development planning to aggressively retain, expand, and attract companies
As CID President Emory Morsberger explained, these substantial and achievable changes are needed to improve prospects for the Mountain Industrial area and DeKalb County.
"Our CID is pressing to see 2,000 new jobs created here before the end of 2013, and we have serious challenges in reaching that goal because of our current economic development climate," Morsberger said. "We need to shake up and shape up how we approach job growth in DeKalb."
"The CID and its stakeholders are working to invigorate leaders throughout the county to help us turn this area around," Morsberger said. "For us to return as the economic powerhouse of metro Atlanta, we can no longer sit back as neighboring communities celebrate all the ribbon cuttings, ground breakings and business openings."
The CID's Board of Directors is expected to adopt the new economic development plan this year before sending it to County Commissioners in early 2013. DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis stated his desire to see the results of the CID's planning efforts.
"I am excited about the partnership between DeKalb County and the Stone Mountain CID and the opportunities it presents for job creation and economic growth," Ellis said.
The plan calls for strong public-private partnerships with agencies at all levels of government, especially DeKalb County. The CID has worked with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and DeKalb Development Authority (DDA) with support from the ARC's PLAN2040 Livable Centers Initiative Innovation grant.
Details about the plan are available here.