Backed by Logistics, Warehousing Businesses and Property Owners, the CID Has Its Eyes Set on Growing the Competitive Edge of Fulton County’s Southside

More than two decades of transportation advancement and innovation have transformed the southside of Fulton County, Ga., into a logistical nerve center for the state and region. Now, the group of commercial property owners known as the South Fulton Community Improvement District (CID) is pursuing an expansion to include more properties in its next wave of progress.   

“South Fulton did not earn by chance its reputation as the Atlanta region’s logistics link to the world,” says Joddie Gray, the South Fulton CID Administrator. “It’s due in large part to our property owners’ commitment through the CID to fund the critical infrastructure needed to keep pace with the  development activity happening in and around our district.” 

Ever since it was first formed, commercial property owners and businesses in the CID area have relied on the CID as a key economic development tool and funding strategy. Without the CID, it would be much harder to source the match funds needed to attract transportation grant funding at the local, state, and federal levels. Even more could be accomplished in the southside through an expansion of the district.   

Related: View our CID Expansion FAQ 

Coordinated Transportation Investments Earn South Fulton Communities a Competitive Edge 

Twenty-plus years of coordinated transportation investments completed, and the South Fulton CID and its community partners are seeing great dividends. Today the CID has: 

• A high Commercial Real Estate (CRE) occupancy rate of 96.2%; and 
• 1,968 acres of land primed for development.

“Fulton County’s southside too often gets overlooked or deprioritized for critical transportation projects, big and small; the CID raises the area’s visibility as an investment priority within the Atlanta region,” Gray explained. “The CID expansion will help us direct additional investment where our area’s commercial property owners and businesses need it the most.”

With a list of key district projects in hand, the CID is underway with efforts to advance and partner on major infrastructure projects, like I-85 interstate access improvements at SR-74 and separately at Gullatt Road; take care of smaller, quick response projects like sidewalk enhancements and repaving roads; and even innovative enhancements like a Freight Intelligent Transportation System. An expansion will spread the benefits of these projects to even more businesses throughout the area.  

Be Part of the Movement: Include Your Property in the South Fulton CID’s Expansion

For property owners who are interested in including their property in the CID’s proposed expansion, contact us.

The South Fulton Community Improvement District (CID) is proposing an expansion of its boundaries to include more commercial properties. Expanding the CID will bring new properties into the fold to bolster the district’s economic potential and logistics. 

What new areas will be included in the CID’s expansion? 

Today, the district comprises portions of Fairburn, Union City, Palmetto, and South Fulton, all located in Fulton County along I-85. The map below shows the general proposed expansion areas within these cities.  

How is the CID expanded?  

Boundaries of a district may be increased pursuant to the following:  

1. Written consent from a majority of the owners of non-residential property within the area sought to be annexed and which will be subject to taxes, fees, and assessments levied by the board of the district is first obtained;
2. Written consent of owners of non-residential property, which constitutes at least 75 percent by value of the property. For this purpose, value shall be determined by the most recent approved county ad valorem tax digest;
3. The adoption of a resolution consenting to the annexation by the board; and
4. The adoption of a resolution consenting to the annexation by the South Fulton CID Board, if any portion of the district is or is to be in the unincorporated area of Fulton County, and such municipalities as may have an area within the district before or after the annexation.

What is the cost to join? 

Non-residential property owners within the CID pay an additional 3 mills (3 dollars for every $1,000 in assessed property value) of property taxes to fund the CID’s operations. This millage is voted on annually by the CID Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is made up of elected members representing property owners and appointed representatives from Fulton County and the City of South Fulton, City of Palmetto, Union City, and the City of Fairburn. The board is responsible for managing the CID and determining how the funding is used in accordance with State allowable projects. 

How can I Include my property in the expansion? 

The first and most important step that we need is your commitment. Contact us. The CID’s staff will then walk you through the next steps. 

NOTICE OF SOUTH FULTON COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT ELECTION

NOTICE IS GIVEN as provided in the FULTON COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS ACT, approved April 3, 1987 (Ga. L. 1987, p. 5460) as amended, that a Caucus of Electors of the South Fulton Community Improvement District (“CID”) shall be held on May 26, 2023, at Strack Inc., 107 Laser Industrial Court, Fairburn, GA 30213.  One purpose of the Caucus is to elect Board members to Posts 7, 8, and 9 on the CID Board.  An additional purpose of the Caucus is to vote on the question, “Shall the South Fulton Community Improvement District be dissolved?”.  Registration for the election shall be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.  Voting will occur immediately thereafter.  A map of said District is on file with the Clerk of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.  All Electors as designated under the Act are invited to attend and cast their votes.

In 1999, the commercial property owners in Fairburn, Palmetto, Union City, and South Fulton pursued the formation of a Community Improvement District (CIDs). This move jumpstarted more than 20 years of direct investments in transportation projects in the southernmost part of Fulton County. The creation of the CID was made possible through a Georgia law that allows the private sector to generate necessary match funds toward public services that can accelerate economic and community development in an area. Today, the South Fulton CID is one of more than 25 CIDs in the state. Read this FAQ to learn more about this powerful economic development tool for Georgia property owners. 

What is a Community Improvement District (CID)? 

A CID is a geographically defined district in which commercial and industrial property owners vote to impose a self-tax to fund community improvements. Residential and agricultural properties are included in the CID boundaries but are not taxed. 

How is a CID established or expanded? 

A CID is created through state-enabling legislation and a vote by the majority of the corporate property owners in the defined district. It takes the agreement of a simple majority of the commercial property owners within the district to create or expand a Community Improvement District. In addition, it is required that this simple majority of owners must represent at least 75 percent of the taxable value of the commercial property located within the proposed CID. 

What is the purpose of CIDs? 

CID funds do not replace public funds. Instead, they provide required match funding for grants or federally funded projects; initiate project development by funding studies or preliminary engineering; and supplement funding from local government partners. The CID provides a forum to work alongside other local stakeholders and public and private sector leaders. 

The Georgia Constitution specifies that funds collected through a CID may be used for seven types of applications: 

• Water 
• Public transportation 
• Street and road construction and maintenance 
• Parks and recreational areas and facilities 
• Storm water and sewage 
• Parking, terminal, and dock facilities 
• Other 

How is money raised to fund a CID? 

CIDs are funded by a self-imposed and self-regulated ad valorem real estate tax on commercial properties within the district. The tax consists of additional mills being paid by commercial property owners. A mill equals 1/10th of 1% of the assessed value of the property.  

What is the South Fulton CID tax millage? 

Non-residential property owners within the CID pay an additional 3 mills (3 dollars for every $1,000 in assessed property value) of property taxes to fund the CID’s operations. This is voted on annually.  

Who runs the CID? 

The participating property owners define the purpose of the CID and elect a board of directors to represent their interests. The board is ultimately responsible for determining funding and managing the process and for identifying and retaining staffing resources necessary to conduct day-to-day operations. Learn about the South Fulton CID’s board and staff. 

Watch this video from the Council for Quality Growth to learn more about Georgia’s CIDs.