Whither TADs?

I'm all for the reuse of empty big box spaces, which is why Flagpole's mention of transforming some of those areas into artist studios is intriguing to me.

Revitalizing those underutilized spaces is critical to transforming what I call 'The Forgotten Corridor' in Athens-Clarke County. Atlanta Highway ushers in a high volume of traffic from visitors from Oconee County and Barrow County, as well as guests from Atlanta and the northern part of the state. Other corridors in the community that see lower flows of traffic have received much attention - rightfully so - in an attempt to beautify and enhance those areas.

Unfortunately, I've had too many conversations with local folks involving Atlanta Highway that typically ends with 'well, there's not much we can do out there' ... which, in turn, means nothing really happens.

With that in mind, I ask ... what happened to Tax Allocation Districts?

Athens-Clarke County voters authorized TADS more than two years ago, but there has been no concerted effort to utilize that policy as an effective redevelopment tool. Part of the problem has been connected to a Georgia Supreme Court ruling that muddied the dual uses of local property taxes and their roles with any TAD program, but the Georgia General Assembly just passing clarifying legislation.

The success of TAD programs are proven, and, taking advantage of the clarification, Gwinnett County just approved five new TADs aimed at renovating blighted areas of the community, encouraging economic development and boosting the long-term revenue of the local government.