| Title | Example | More Information | Tools |
| Acworth Impact Fees | The City of Acworth charges impact fees on new developments. The impact fees are used to pay for the provision of additional parks and recreational services that the new developments will need. | Brian Binzer 770-974-3112 |
Impact Fees |
| City of Marietta - Greenspace Preservation | The City of Marietta purchased approximately four acres of greenspace, using the city's greenspace funds. The acquired land is a wooded area that runs alongside a creek. The primary function of the greenspace is for preservation. | Rich Buss Director Marietta City Parks and Recreation 770-794-5601 |
Riparian Buffers |
| Cobb County Drive Reduction Program | After joining the Partnership for a Smog Free Georgia in 1998, Cobb County Government formed a committee to develop and implement a smog reduction program. The plan includes: alternate work schedules, an education and awareness program, a guaranteed ride home program for transit riders and car poolers, and various operations and maintenance strategies such as, encouraging the refueling of vehicles after 6p.m., environmentally friendly paints and solvents, and discontinuing the use of gas powered equipment on smog alert days. Implementation began in May 1999 and as a permissive strategy in which none of the elements are manadatory. The program was so effective that the Board of Commissioners voted to continue the program year-round. Additional projects followed the success of the initial program including installation of bike racks on CCT buses, an initiative to increase tree cover in county parking lots, and implementing special promotions for employees including "Try Transit Week" and "Clean Commute Week." | Laraine Vance 770-528-2125 |
Education/Marketing Campaign for Quality Growth |
| Marietta Licenses Rental Owners | By December 31, 2004, all of the City of Marietta's rental units must be inspected and landlords must have obtained licenses to rent their properties. Marietta City Council members passed the ordinance establishing the inspection program and licensing of landlords because of the increasing number of unsightly rental houses and apartments around the city. Rental units account for 65 percent of Marietta's housing. All rental properties must be inspected and be in compliance with a set of health, safety and quality of life standards set by the city. Those standards cover such areas as plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation, fire safety and building integrity. Since state law prohibits cities from using city staff inspectors for a rental-licensing program, Marietta's ordinance has been written to utilize independent inspectors. | Judy Garrett Manager City of Marietta Code Enforcement 770-794-5439 jgarrett@mariettaga.gov |
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| Marietta Livable Center Initiative | Through Livable Center Initiatives (LCI), the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) will invest $5 million over the next four years to fund "smart growth" studies around Atlanta. Beginning in 2003, ARC will contribute $350 million to help implement the various study projects. The City of Marietta as the County-seat of Cobb County functions as a major governmental center in addition to a historic town center. The City is located on a proposed future light rail corridor. The LCI study will seek to further existing momentum in the area to encourage mixed-use development and greater residential uses around the town center. Transit service and aesthetic issues in addition to other LCI goals will also be a focus of the study. | Karl Holley Planning and Zoning City of Marietta 770-794-5655 |
Design Charrette Traditional Neighborhood Development - Site Specific Requirements Transportation Enhancement Program |
| Marietta Sign Ordinance | The City Council passed an ordinance that will force almost every business in Marietta to replace its sign within the next nine years. The ordinance mandates that all signs mounted on a pole be replaced with a monument-based sign, which sits on the ground. The ordinance also deems that the maximum height and square footage of each sign be reduced. Depending on the value of each sign, business owners will have anywhere from five to nine years to make the necessary changes to comply with the new ordinance. The new ordinance prohibits neon signs, electronic message boards and abandoned and dilapidated signs. The ordinance also demands that the maximum height of most free-standing signs be cut in half. The purpose of the ordinance is to reduce the amount of "visual clutter" in the city while promoting architectural style and historic character. The monument-based signs also improve the ambiance by creating a more pedestrian-scaled environment. | [more information] |
Sign Regulations |
| Ridenour in Kennesaw | Ridenour is a mixed use development that was developed in partnership with an environmental group. The goal was to create a mixed use community that would adhere to the principles of Georgia Conservancy's Blue Prints for Successful Communities. Ridenour's town center, designed around a three block main street and town square, has the intensity of an urban core. Buildings around the central square are four and five stories high. They include 499,000 sq. ft. of office, 111,000 sq. ft. of retail, a civic building, a hotel, 50 apartments above retail, and condominiums. Outside of the town center will consist of parks with walking and bicycle trails as well as single homes and stand alone apartments. | Steve Macauley 770-951-8141 |
Traditional Neighborhood Development - Site Specific Requirements |
| Smyrna Market Village | The City of Smyrna has had a recent history of quality growth development with the development of the civic downtown buildings and the adjoining Market Village development. The City also received LCI assistance from the ARC to expand on the progress in the town center and surrounding area. | Christopher Miller Community Development Director 770-319-5387 |
Mixed-Use Zoning Strategic Location of Public Facilities Traditional Neighborhood Development - Site Specific Requirements |