Atlanta Regional Commission
40 Courtland Street, NE 
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
www.atlantaregional.com

Livable Centers Initiative

Program Summary
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Board adopted policies in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) proposal in May 1999 to provide funding for investment studies and transportation projects located in activity and town centers in the region. This program of studies and projects has become known as the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI). The focus of the program is to encourage increased residential development, mixed-uses and connectivity in activity and town centers. The studies also define detailed plans that support the adopted policy of the Regional Development Plan (RDP) to encourage activity and town center development. 

Livable Centers Initiative Studies
The ARC Board approved an allocation of $5 million over 5 years to fund the Livable Centers Initiative program. The study projects are awarded on a competitive basis to local governments and non-profit sponsors, such as Transportation Management Associations (TMAs), for producing plans to define future center development strategies and supporting public and private investments. The first 12 LCI projects were funded in March 2000.   

A local match of 20% of the total study budget is required and must be provided by the sponsoring local government or non-profit organization. ARC may grant a maximum award amount that is less than requested to ensure a large group of studies proceed at numerous regional locations. The funds may be used in conjunction with other local funds to leverage larger study scopes. An ARC staff committee will select those projects that best meet the program goals.

Activity Center/Town Center Project Investments
The ARC Board also approved an allocation of $350 million for priority funding of projects resulting from Livable Centers Initiative studies. The first $20 million allocation of these funds is included in the FY 2001 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), with availability in FY 2003. The funds will be awarded based on separate evaluation criteria and processes to be determined. Local implementation of LCI study recommendations, including innovative land use strategies, will be a primary factor in determining investment awards.
Eligibility and Priority Projects
The Livable Centers Initiative program is open for funding to government jurisdictions in the Atlanta region and activity center/town center oriented non-profit organizations. The LCI program utilizes federal transportation program funds administered through ARC.

In order for a jurisdiction to be considered for an LCI award, it must:

•	Complete and submit the RDP Coordination Report, as outlined in the ARC/GRTA Joint Land Use strategy, to ARC by the stated timeframe or, for minor jurisdictions, show progress toward completing the Coordination Report.
•	Maintain Qualified Local Government (QLG) status, or show progress toward reinstating QLG status through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA).

Study areas that will be given priority consideration include:

•	Existing or planned transit station areas
•	Commuter rail locations (proposed)
•	Town Centers
•	Existing Activity Centers 
•	Infill/redevelopment projects
•	Study areas that can utilize the products of the ARC Community Choices program

Study proposals that will not be considered include:

•	Projects in greenfield areas (for purposes of this program, greenfield is defined as areas with 50% or more of non-improved land)
•	Single-purpose studies or incomplete study scopes (e.g. housing study, transportation study, etc.)
•	Inappropriately defined activity centers
•	Applicants that demonstrate no local coordination with major stakeholders

Livable Centers Initiative Program Goals 
The Livable Centers Initiative program provides a source of funds for planning studies of activity and town centers in the Atlanta region. The program is intended to provide an implementation tool for policies of the Regional Development Plan (RDP). In support of the RDP policies, the goals of the LCI program are listed below. The LCI application should define how the proposed study addresses each of the goals below.

1.	Encourage a diversity of medium to high-density, mixed income neighborhoods, employment, shopping and recreation choices at the activity and town center level.
2.	Provide access to a range of travel modes including transit, roadways, walking and biking to enable access to all uses within the study area.
3.	Encourage integration of uses with transportation investments to maximize the use of alternate modes.  
4.	Through transportation investments increase the desirability of redevelopment of land served by existing infrastructure at activity and town centers.
5.	Preserve the historical characteristics of activity and town centers and create a community identity.        
6.	Develop a community-based transportation investment program at the activity and town center level that will identify capital projects, which can be funded in the annual TIP.
7.	Provide transportation infrastructure incentives for jurisdictions to take local actions to implement the resulting activity or town center study goals.
8.	Provide for the implementation of the RDP policies, quality growth initiatives and Best Development Practices in the study area, local governments and at the regional level.
9.	Develop a local planning outreach process that promotes the involvement of all stakeholders particularly low income, minority and traditionally underserved populations 
10.	Provide planning funds for development of activity and town centers that showcase the integration of land use policy and regulation and transportation investments with urban design tools.
    
Deliverables
The LCI study should result in a plan that specifically addresses the following areas:

1.	Efficiency/feasibility of land uses and mix appropriate for future growth including new and/or revised land use regulations needed to complete the development program.
2.	Transportation demand reduction measures.
3.	Internal mobility requirements – traffic calming, pedestrian circulation, transit circulation, bicycle circulation including safety and security of pedestrians.
4.	Mixed-income housing, job/housing match and social issues.
5.	Continuity of local streets in study area and development of a network of minor roads.
6.	Need/identification of future transit circulation systems and line haul routes.
7.	Connectivity of transportation system to other centers.
8.	Center development organization and management, promotion and economic restructuring.
9.	Stakeholder participation/support.
10.	Public and private investment policy.

A summary document must be prepared at the end of the planning study and contain at a minimum the following: 

•	A description of the study process and methodology, data gathering techniques and findings, and general study outcomes.
•	A description of the public participation process used to achieve a community-supported program of activity center improvements.
•	A description demonstrating how the study addressed each of the required 10 study deliverables enumerated above.
•	A 5-year schedule of actions that are planned in the study area to implement the study goals, programs and projects. Schedules should include start date, completion date, cost estimate and responsible party. This schedule should include specific actions that implement the findings from each of the 10 study components, including but not limited to:
-	A 5-year prioritized description of transportation improvement projects (local, state and federal) that will support the study area goals;
-	Housing should be given specific and clear emphasis by developing a description of housing strategies, particularly for affordable and mixed income housing developments, that support a job-housing match, aging in place, and efficient utilization of transportation facilities in the study area; and,
-	A description of the changes necessary within the comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, development regulations or other locally adopted plans to support study actions.

In addition, a population and employment data section shall be included as part of the LCI study summary. This section shall contain a comparison of development under current conditions and development under the proposed LCI plan. The data in this section shall contain, at a minimum, current and 25-yr projection figures (in five-year increments) for the following areas:

Housing Data
- Number of existing housing units and population
- Number of anticipated housing units and population
- Distribution of proposed housing units by type

Employment Data
- Number of existing jobs
- Number of anticipated jobs
- Square feet of future non-residential development