Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens today presented the proposed Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative legislative package before Atlanta City Council — a sweeping proposal focused on neighborhood investment, affordability, anti-displacement efforts, and long-term community stability.
Mayor Dickens said the proposal is designed to address longstanding gaps in opportunity and investment across Atlanta neighborhoods while creating stronger accountability around how public dollars are spent.
“Families need stable and affordable housing now,” Mayor Dickens said. “Young people need safe spaces, quality after-school programming, mentorship, and pathways to success right now. Neighborhoods need infrastructure that they can rely on right now.”
The legislation is intended to connect investment with measurable outcomes — including reducing displacement, increasing homeownership opportunities, supporting small businesses, and improving neighborhood stability.
The package also creates a new framework for measuring public investment not simply by what gets built, but by whether residents’ lives measurably improve as a result.
In simple terms, the proposal aims to help more neighborhoods benefit from Atlanta’s growth while also protecting the residents and culture already there.
What Is Being Proposed?
The package includes five major parts:
- A new framework for measuring neighborhood investment
- Extensions of several Atlanta Tax Allocation Districts (TADs)
- A new neighborhood trust fund
- Anti-displacement measures
- Reforms to neighborhood advisory committees
The proposal also creates new standards for measuring whether investments are improving outcomes for residents, including:
- Preventing displacement
- Stabilizing neighborhoods
- Creating wealth and economic opportunity
What Are TADs — And Why Are They Part of This?
One major piece of the proposal would extend six existing Atlanta Tax Allocation Districts, commonly known as TADs, which allow future increases in property tax revenue from development growth to be reinvested back into designated areas.
- Campbellton
- Metropolitan
- Stadium
- Hollowell/MLK
- Westside
- Eastside
The proposal says extending the districts could help support:
- Affordable housing
- Infrastructure improvements
- Parks and trails
- Transit improvements
- Economic development projects
- Community improvements
“For the first time we are not simply directing money into neighborhoods,” the Mayor said. “We are fundamentally changing the standard by which those investments are being measured.”
What Is the NRI Trust Fund?
The proposal would establish a new NRI Trust Fund focused on expanding investment into underserved neighborhoods, with funding potentially supporting:
- Affordable housing
- Small business support
- Workforce development
- Greenspace improvements
- Food access initiatives
- Public safety programs
- Youth and family resources
Community advisory groups and City Council would both help shape how funding decisions are made.
What Does “Anti-Displacement” Mean in This Proposal?
A large portion of the package focuses on helping residents stay in their neighborhoods as investment increases through measures including:
- Tenant assistance programs
- Emergency rental support
- Home repair assistance
- Heirs property legal support
- Tax foreclosure prevention efforts
- Support for legacy businesses
- Small business assistance programs
The legislation also proposes a public dashboard to track neighborhood displacement risks and investment activity over time.
“Preventing involuntary displacement cannot simply be discussed,” the Mayor said. “It must be funded, it must be operationalized.”
More Community Input
The proposal would also change how neighborhood advisory committees tied to TAD investments operate, with a focus on:
- More transparency
- More resident involvement
- More regular planning
- Better tracking of neighborhood outcomes
The proposal was shaped through months of conversations with residents, community leaders, neighborhood organizations, Invest Atlanta, and members of City Council.
Mayor Dickens said more than 30 community meetings were held across Atlanta.
What Happens Next?
The legislation will now move through the committee and public hearing process before any final decisions are made.
Mayor Dickens described the proposal as one of the most comprehensive neighborhood investment strategies in Atlanta’s history.
“This legislation is our best effort to answer that urgency with action instead of rhetoric,” the Mayor said.
