Mission Statement: Organizing Businesses in the Lindbergh LaVista Corridor Coalition (LLCC)

The Lindbergh-LaVista Corridor has experienced tremendous growth, growth that will continue and increase as more people are attracted to the area to take advantage of a more in-town location, convenient access to employment centers, affordable housing, and a strong sense of community in an established neighborhood. Harnessing this growth in a positive way for the community will require organizing residents and businesses and forming partnerships between the two, with the aim of achieving mutually beneficial goals. One overarching goal of this process is to protect and build upon the established character of the Lindbergh LaVista Corridor Coalition’s neighborhoods, while allowing for growth that holds the potential to benefit businesses and residents alike.

Growing existing commercial nodes into vibrant, walkable retail corridors that compliment established residential neighborhoods will take careful planning by residents and business owners. The LLCC community has begun to identify its long-term goals through the Georgia Conservancy’s Blueprints process. It is now time for residents and businesses to work together to begin transforming these goals into reality.  Organizing community minded businesses into a single merchants association, or into small associations that work in concert, is an important step in beginning to implement community goals. If this important organizational challenge can be met, it may lead to the formation of a community improvement district (CID) for the LLCC area. Forming a CID holds the potential for businesses to encourage and fund improvements to the community, including increasing connectivity through better sidewalks, streetscaping, and transportation enhancements; investing in feasibility studies that will encourage outside funding for infrastructure improvements; and enhancing the quality of services traditionally provided by government agencies. CIDs have proven to be a successful tool for development in several Metro Atlanta neighborhoods, including Downtown Atlanta, Midtown, Perimeter, Buckhead, and Gwinnett Village. Organizing a CID in the LLCC community can be a powerful tool to meet the strategic goals of the LLCC by building upon the success of these Metro Atlanta examples.

The Lindbergh LaVista Corridor Coalition is made up of concerned residents and businesses of Lindridge-Martin Manor, LaVista Park, and Woodland Hills.  It is our aim to plan for and study the issues that face the corridor. We are embarking on an effort to bring in outside expertise to help us develop a Master Plan for the corridor to have an influence on the changes that are facing us. We want to have a positive influence on any development that will enhance the quality of life in the participating neighborhoods. We see our role as being the conduit for consensus.