Atlanta Shopping Village Gets Second Chance To Revitalize Neighborhood

Westside Village, a failed pet project of former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell, has been given a new lease on life through public incentives and private investment. Officials hope the revitalization of its downtrodden neighborhood will follow.

1 minute read

April 29, 2006, 7:00 AM PDT

By Alex Pearlstein

Despite being named "Mixed Use Deal of 1999" by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Westside Village eventually "fell victim to the usual combination of Campbell-related woes -- cronyism, bureaucratic incompetence and a flagrant disregard for federal lending guidelines."

However, a new Mayor (Shirley Franklin) and a reprioritized Atlanta Development Authority have successfully jump-started the $130 million project with nearly $4 million in public financing and the rest in private money. The first 17 acres of land between an already constructed supermarket and a MARTA transit station are being cleared for the development of 60 new townhouses, to be completed before the end of the year.

City officials are betting that a completed Westside Village, coupled with $14 million in revitalization grants for private projects in and around its Vine City neighborhood, will finally bring a turn-around to one of Atlanta's most disinvested communities.

FULL STORY: Westside do-over

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 in Creative Loafing Atlanta

Community / Economic Development Urban Development Georgia

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