Don Haddix
10-10-2011, 05:27 PM
The following contents are from widely distributed email by Todd Strickland, Chairman of the Peachtree City Development Authority.
Please join the DAPC for the PTC Village Centers presentation on 10/18/11
The Peachtree City Development Authority (DAPC) will be hosting a presentation at City Hall on October 18th from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The presentation will focus on strategies for ensuring the future success of the Peachtree City Village Centers. The strategies that will be presented are the culmination of a year long study prepared by Georgia Tech in conjunction with Joel Cowan and Village Center owners as well as members of the City Council, Planning Department, Planning Commission and DAPC.
The study began in 2009 to coincide with Peachtree City’s 50th anniversary. Faced with a severe recession, high vacancies and increased retail competition from the internet and properties outside of the city limits, the DAPC commissioned Georgia Tech to create a plan to help ensure Village Center success for the next 50 years.
Citizens, business owners, elected officials and candidates running for office are invited to attend the presentation and discuss the proposed solutions. It is the DAPC’s hope that this meeting leads to a positive dialog regarding what can be done to foster Peachtree City’s economic success now and in the future.
It is important to note that political debate will not be a part of this presentation. The DAPC deliberately strives to be non-partisan in order work constructively with City Council regardless of election outcomes.
With that said, the issue of economic development has been the source of some recent political consternation and the DAPC members have offered below their thoughts regarding frequently asked questions. This is done with the belief that economic development is vital to the success of any town and candidates and citizens alike should be informed on this topic:
What is economic development?
Simply put economic development is an effort to maintain and expand the City’s tax base. Recruiting new businesses to town is probably the most highly publicized aspect of economic development but there are many other initiatives and factors involved as well. Business retention is also a key initiative as most new jobs come from the expansion of existing companies. A brief list of other items that influence economic development include but are not limited to: workforce training, proximity to rail/interstates/airports, taxes, quality of local schools, crime rates, permit/tap/impact fees, design regulations, special events, land development and redevelopment, etc…
Why is economic development important?
The broader our tax base, the less citizens and businesses are taxed for city services. Also, the city can afford to offer better services to its citizens with a broad tax base. Ideally, successful economic development results in a higher quality of life for citizens wishing to live, work and play in Peachtree City.
What is the Development Authority of Peachtree City?
The DAPC is an unpaid volunteer board comprised of seven members who are appointed to four year terms by the City Council. Current members include: Todd Strickland (chair), David Conner (vice-chair), Jay Herzog (secretary), Mike Murtaugh (treasurer), Mark Hollums, Sherri Smith Brown and Dan Adams. Since 2006, the DAPC has employed a three-pronged approach to spur economic development in Peachtree City which includes: 1) business retention, 2) business recruitment, and 3) land development and redevelopment. Development Authorities must be approved by the State Assembly and they are given unique powers to incentivize economic development. Most of the DAPC members have lived and worked in Peachtree City for many years and all business leaders volunteering their time in order to give back to the community.
What has the DAPC done recently?
DAPC conceived of the idea and funded the Peachtree City Village Centers project which will be presented at the 10/18 meeting.
DAPC has met with dozens of local companies of all sizes to discuss what can be done to help them to be successful and to let them know that their decision to invest in Peachtree City is appreciated. These meetings often led to an understanding of job openings and training needs. Some of the meetings have even resulted in referrals to other companies that were considering re-locating to Peachtree City.
DAPC worked with the City Council and Fayette County Development Authority in recruiting the Atlanta Christian College (now known as Point University). This has resulted in a satellite campus being located in Peachtree City that employs about two dozen staff members with approximately 150 students in various programs that include joint high school/college enrollment, adult degree completion, and traditional liberal arts college programs.
DAPC organized merchant associations in the Braelinn, Kedron, Glenloch and West Park Walk Village Centers. This initiative was undertaken in an effort to reduce retail vacancy by coordinating marketing efforts and organizing special events to be held in the Village Centers. One marketing example includes publishing the 2009 Guide Magazine insert that highlighted all the merchants in each of the Village Centers. This insert reached over 44,000 recipients in both Fayette and Coweta counties. The 2009 Guide Magazine format was created by the DAPC and many of the businesses initially highlighted continue to advertise in the publication today.
DAPC worked closely with the Braelinn Village Center renovation project by hosting regular meetings with the shopping center managers, affected merchants, representatives of the City Planning Staff, and kept City Council updated on the project's progress. Recently, the management of Braelinn Center was quoted in a regional trade publication stating the excellent communication between all parties played a large role in the success of the project. Also, several design ideas from the Georgia Tech collaboration were eventually incorporated into the center's renovation plan.
DAPC worked with the owner of the Glenloch Village Center on several initiatives to fill the vacant Kroger. While DAPC was not directly responsible for the Fresh Market choosing to locate in Peachtree City, its efforts did provide the shopping center's owner with customer information unique to Peachtree City, which was one of many factors involved in Fresh Market’s decision. Here again, several design ideas from the Georgia Tech collaboration were incorporated into the center's renovation as well.
DAPC worked with land owners, City Council and the Planning Department in creating a revitalization plan for the undeveloped portions of Lexington Park in an effort to accelerate the completion of build out and create more cohesive design standards.
DAPC worked with City Council in resolving an impact fee impasse with SANY which was the last matter to address prior to ground breaking.
DAPC worked with City Council and the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce in creating the “43% Solution/Shop Peachtree City” public information campaign to support our local merchants and keep sales tax dollars in Fayette County.
DAPC worked with the Planning Department on a proposed signage, lighting and banner program to highlight the village centers.
DAPC has also worked diligently in the past to support a greater collaboration between Peachtree City's various Authorities (Airport, CVB, and WASA) and Commissions (Planning and Recreation) as well as County entities (Fayette County Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce) that affect economic development. It is often said that economic development is a team sport.
DAPC worked with City Council and City Staff in resolving a myriad of lawsuits and disputed invoices that were a result of past tennis center and amphitheater matters. Fortunately, all these matters are now settled.
What caused all the lawsuits and invoices issues associated with the tennis center and amphitheater?
Most of these issues came to light in 2002 and 2003. None of the current DAPC members were a part of the board back then so they feel it is not their place to say. With that said, the challenge of spending multiple years and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees resolving these matters has made a lasting impression on the current DAPC members. Today the current board members have adopted a philosophy of extreme frugality in all financial matters and one of transparency in all communication.
How much does it cost for Peachtree City to have a Development Authority?
From 2004 to 2009 the DAPC operated with an annual budget of $32,000. About $10,000 per year is required to meet state and city requirements for insurance, audits, training, legal counsel and minutes. Thus, the minimum to simply keep the DAPC in existence would be approximately $10,000 per year. In 2009 the DAPC was encouraged to present an increased budget for a comprehensive economic strategy. The total budget presented to the City Council was $150,000 which included funds for a full time staff member dedicated to working with the DAPC, City Council and Planning Department on economic development matters. This budget proposal was the source of much debate and consternation on the City Council. Ultimately, the $150,000 budget request was denied and the DAPC was subsequently defunded completely by a 3 to 2 vote. In 2010 the City Council approved a budget of $150,000 for the newly created Economic Development Coordinator. Unfortunately, this position is now vacant, but it seems that the DAPC's original proposal of approximately $150,000 has been established as a practical baseline for a comprehensive economic development budget, which includes one full time staff member.
Is the DAPC redundant with the newly created Economic Development Coordinator (EDC) position?
The City Council created the EDC position with the full support of the DAPC. Many duties that had previously been addressed solely by the DAPC were now assigned to the new ECD as well. The DAPC acknowledged that a full time staff member can serve Peachtree City better than a group of volunteers. However, additional political consternation erupted regarding whether or not the EDC should report directly to the City or DAPC. The DAPC members see this is a non-issue and are happy to work with the EDC either way. As DAPC sees it, the City Council will have ultimate control in both scenarios since the DAPC members base their actions upon City Council direction who represent the wishes of the citizens. However, the DAPC members strongly believe that having the EDC and DAPC work together will result in more successes than if either were to work alone. It is important to note that the DAPC can provide low interest bond financing and purchase/sell land while the EDC cannot.
Is the DAPC redundant with the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA)?
The FCDA is a significant asset to PTC in that they have a successful track record of coordinating with State officials and industrial park land owners in recruiting industrial companies like Cooper Lighting and SANY. With that said, the FCDA’s primary focus through the years has been recruiting large industrial companies. The DAPC has focused on retaining existing businesses, recruiting smaller businesses and retail, and spurring development and redevelopment. Both Authorities can offer low interest bond financing, but here again the FCDA has focused on industrial bonds in the past. The DAPC has had limited bond projects come to fruition but within the past year the City Council has worked with the DAPC to explore both land development and a building redevelopment projects. In both instances the DAPC asked if the FCDA would like to participate in the potential projects and in both instances they declined. So the short answer is that yes, the DAPC and FCDA serve similar roles but they focus on different areas of economic development. Perhaps the most objective answer to this question can come from analyzing those cities and counties surrounding Peachtree City. Most have very active development authorities which include: Fayetteville, Newnan, Senoia and Fairburn. In fact an argument could be made that those cities experiencing the most economic success around the nation are those which have multiple Authorities working together.
What does the DAPC hope to do in the future?
The DAPC believes that Peachtree City is at a crossroads in regards to economic development. For many years Pathways Communities invested heavily in marketing Peachtree City and recruiting businesses and homebuyers to town. Today they have sold most of their properties and essentially wound down their operations in Peachtree City. Thus, now is the time for all of Peachtree City’s economic stakeholders to come together and create a vision for success for our town, our county and the southern crescent region. A recent article in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution (10/2/11 Metro Section) stated that much of the economic activity experienced on the north side of Atlanta came at the expense of the south side who simply “didn’t have their act together”.
With that in mind, the DAPC would like to host an annual workshop that invites businesses, citizens and elected officials alike to focus on creating a comprehensive economic development plan for PTC. The objective would be to define goals and responsibilities that ensure synergistic cooperation amongst all economic development stakeholders. It is time to show businesses and state leaders alike that Peachtree City has its act together and is open for business.
Please join the DAPC for the PTC Village Centers presentation on 10/18/11
The Peachtree City Development Authority (DAPC) will be hosting a presentation at City Hall on October 18th from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The presentation will focus on strategies for ensuring the future success of the Peachtree City Village Centers. The strategies that will be presented are the culmination of a year long study prepared by Georgia Tech in conjunction with Joel Cowan and Village Center owners as well as members of the City Council, Planning Department, Planning Commission and DAPC.
The study began in 2009 to coincide with Peachtree City’s 50th anniversary. Faced with a severe recession, high vacancies and increased retail competition from the internet and properties outside of the city limits, the DAPC commissioned Georgia Tech to create a plan to help ensure Village Center success for the next 50 years.
Citizens, business owners, elected officials and candidates running for office are invited to attend the presentation and discuss the proposed solutions. It is the DAPC’s hope that this meeting leads to a positive dialog regarding what can be done to foster Peachtree City’s economic success now and in the future.
It is important to note that political debate will not be a part of this presentation. The DAPC deliberately strives to be non-partisan in order work constructively with City Council regardless of election outcomes.
With that said, the issue of economic development has been the source of some recent political consternation and the DAPC members have offered below their thoughts regarding frequently asked questions. This is done with the belief that economic development is vital to the success of any town and candidates and citizens alike should be informed on this topic:
What is economic development?
Simply put economic development is an effort to maintain and expand the City’s tax base. Recruiting new businesses to town is probably the most highly publicized aspect of economic development but there are many other initiatives and factors involved as well. Business retention is also a key initiative as most new jobs come from the expansion of existing companies. A brief list of other items that influence economic development include but are not limited to: workforce training, proximity to rail/interstates/airports, taxes, quality of local schools, crime rates, permit/tap/impact fees, design regulations, special events, land development and redevelopment, etc…
Why is economic development important?
The broader our tax base, the less citizens and businesses are taxed for city services. Also, the city can afford to offer better services to its citizens with a broad tax base. Ideally, successful economic development results in a higher quality of life for citizens wishing to live, work and play in Peachtree City.
What is the Development Authority of Peachtree City?
The DAPC is an unpaid volunteer board comprised of seven members who are appointed to four year terms by the City Council. Current members include: Todd Strickland (chair), David Conner (vice-chair), Jay Herzog (secretary), Mike Murtaugh (treasurer), Mark Hollums, Sherri Smith Brown and Dan Adams. Since 2006, the DAPC has employed a three-pronged approach to spur economic development in Peachtree City which includes: 1) business retention, 2) business recruitment, and 3) land development and redevelopment. Development Authorities must be approved by the State Assembly and they are given unique powers to incentivize economic development. Most of the DAPC members have lived and worked in Peachtree City for many years and all business leaders volunteering their time in order to give back to the community.
What has the DAPC done recently?
DAPC conceived of the idea and funded the Peachtree City Village Centers project which will be presented at the 10/18 meeting.
DAPC has met with dozens of local companies of all sizes to discuss what can be done to help them to be successful and to let them know that their decision to invest in Peachtree City is appreciated. These meetings often led to an understanding of job openings and training needs. Some of the meetings have even resulted in referrals to other companies that were considering re-locating to Peachtree City.
DAPC worked with the City Council and Fayette County Development Authority in recruiting the Atlanta Christian College (now known as Point University). This has resulted in a satellite campus being located in Peachtree City that employs about two dozen staff members with approximately 150 students in various programs that include joint high school/college enrollment, adult degree completion, and traditional liberal arts college programs.
DAPC organized merchant associations in the Braelinn, Kedron, Glenloch and West Park Walk Village Centers. This initiative was undertaken in an effort to reduce retail vacancy by coordinating marketing efforts and organizing special events to be held in the Village Centers. One marketing example includes publishing the 2009 Guide Magazine insert that highlighted all the merchants in each of the Village Centers. This insert reached over 44,000 recipients in both Fayette and Coweta counties. The 2009 Guide Magazine format was created by the DAPC and many of the businesses initially highlighted continue to advertise in the publication today.
DAPC worked closely with the Braelinn Village Center renovation project by hosting regular meetings with the shopping center managers, affected merchants, representatives of the City Planning Staff, and kept City Council updated on the project's progress. Recently, the management of Braelinn Center was quoted in a regional trade publication stating the excellent communication between all parties played a large role in the success of the project. Also, several design ideas from the Georgia Tech collaboration were eventually incorporated into the center's renovation plan.
DAPC worked with the owner of the Glenloch Village Center on several initiatives to fill the vacant Kroger. While DAPC was not directly responsible for the Fresh Market choosing to locate in Peachtree City, its efforts did provide the shopping center's owner with customer information unique to Peachtree City, which was one of many factors involved in Fresh Market’s decision. Here again, several design ideas from the Georgia Tech collaboration were incorporated into the center's renovation as well.
DAPC worked with land owners, City Council and the Planning Department in creating a revitalization plan for the undeveloped portions of Lexington Park in an effort to accelerate the completion of build out and create more cohesive design standards.
DAPC worked with City Council in resolving an impact fee impasse with SANY which was the last matter to address prior to ground breaking.
DAPC worked with City Council and the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce in creating the “43% Solution/Shop Peachtree City” public information campaign to support our local merchants and keep sales tax dollars in Fayette County.
DAPC worked with the Planning Department on a proposed signage, lighting and banner program to highlight the village centers.
DAPC has also worked diligently in the past to support a greater collaboration between Peachtree City's various Authorities (Airport, CVB, and WASA) and Commissions (Planning and Recreation) as well as County entities (Fayette County Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce) that affect economic development. It is often said that economic development is a team sport.
DAPC worked with City Council and City Staff in resolving a myriad of lawsuits and disputed invoices that were a result of past tennis center and amphitheater matters. Fortunately, all these matters are now settled.
What caused all the lawsuits and invoices issues associated with the tennis center and amphitheater?
Most of these issues came to light in 2002 and 2003. None of the current DAPC members were a part of the board back then so they feel it is not their place to say. With that said, the challenge of spending multiple years and tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees resolving these matters has made a lasting impression on the current DAPC members. Today the current board members have adopted a philosophy of extreme frugality in all financial matters and one of transparency in all communication.
How much does it cost for Peachtree City to have a Development Authority?
From 2004 to 2009 the DAPC operated with an annual budget of $32,000. About $10,000 per year is required to meet state and city requirements for insurance, audits, training, legal counsel and minutes. Thus, the minimum to simply keep the DAPC in existence would be approximately $10,000 per year. In 2009 the DAPC was encouraged to present an increased budget for a comprehensive economic strategy. The total budget presented to the City Council was $150,000 which included funds for a full time staff member dedicated to working with the DAPC, City Council and Planning Department on economic development matters. This budget proposal was the source of much debate and consternation on the City Council. Ultimately, the $150,000 budget request was denied and the DAPC was subsequently defunded completely by a 3 to 2 vote. In 2010 the City Council approved a budget of $150,000 for the newly created Economic Development Coordinator. Unfortunately, this position is now vacant, but it seems that the DAPC's original proposal of approximately $150,000 has been established as a practical baseline for a comprehensive economic development budget, which includes one full time staff member.
Is the DAPC redundant with the newly created Economic Development Coordinator (EDC) position?
The City Council created the EDC position with the full support of the DAPC. Many duties that had previously been addressed solely by the DAPC were now assigned to the new ECD as well. The DAPC acknowledged that a full time staff member can serve Peachtree City better than a group of volunteers. However, additional political consternation erupted regarding whether or not the EDC should report directly to the City or DAPC. The DAPC members see this is a non-issue and are happy to work with the EDC either way. As DAPC sees it, the City Council will have ultimate control in both scenarios since the DAPC members base their actions upon City Council direction who represent the wishes of the citizens. However, the DAPC members strongly believe that having the EDC and DAPC work together will result in more successes than if either were to work alone. It is important to note that the DAPC can provide low interest bond financing and purchase/sell land while the EDC cannot.
Is the DAPC redundant with the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA)?
The FCDA is a significant asset to PTC in that they have a successful track record of coordinating with State officials and industrial park land owners in recruiting industrial companies like Cooper Lighting and SANY. With that said, the FCDA’s primary focus through the years has been recruiting large industrial companies. The DAPC has focused on retaining existing businesses, recruiting smaller businesses and retail, and spurring development and redevelopment. Both Authorities can offer low interest bond financing, but here again the FCDA has focused on industrial bonds in the past. The DAPC has had limited bond projects come to fruition but within the past year the City Council has worked with the DAPC to explore both land development and a building redevelopment projects. In both instances the DAPC asked if the FCDA would like to participate in the potential projects and in both instances they declined. So the short answer is that yes, the DAPC and FCDA serve similar roles but they focus on different areas of economic development. Perhaps the most objective answer to this question can come from analyzing those cities and counties surrounding Peachtree City. Most have very active development authorities which include: Fayetteville, Newnan, Senoia and Fairburn. In fact an argument could be made that those cities experiencing the most economic success around the nation are those which have multiple Authorities working together.
What does the DAPC hope to do in the future?
The DAPC believes that Peachtree City is at a crossroads in regards to economic development. For many years Pathways Communities invested heavily in marketing Peachtree City and recruiting businesses and homebuyers to town. Today they have sold most of their properties and essentially wound down their operations in Peachtree City. Thus, now is the time for all of Peachtree City’s economic stakeholders to come together and create a vision for success for our town, our county and the southern crescent region. A recent article in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution (10/2/11 Metro Section) stated that much of the economic activity experienced on the north side of Atlanta came at the expense of the south side who simply “didn’t have their act together”.
With that in mind, the DAPC would like to host an annual workshop that invites businesses, citizens and elected officials alike to focus on creating a comprehensive economic development plan for PTC. The objective would be to define goals and responsibilities that ensure synergistic cooperation amongst all economic development stakeholders. It is time to show businesses and state leaders alike that Peachtree City has its act together and is open for business.