Atlanta City Council OKs West End CID

May 16,2017

Source: Dave Williams, Atlanta Business Chronicle

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously Monday to create a community improvement district to serve the West End neighborhood.

The West End CID joins the CID in Little Five Points in departing from the traditional concept of CIDs, which tend to be located in areas dominated by office activity or manufacturing and warehousing.

CIDs are self-taxing business districts where commercial property owners agree to pay a tax to fund a variety of improvements, primarily transportation upgrades such as wider sidewalks, intersection and parking upgrades, and pedestrian and bicycle paths.

"We're looking to have better control over our commercial areas and improved public safety," said Councilwoman Cleta Winslow, the CID resolution's chief sponsor.

Winslow cited the support of the West End Merchants Coalition and the Atlanta University Center schools as instrumental in bringing the proposed CID to fruition. She said Central Atlanta Progress, a downtown business group, also helped develop the project.