DeKalb County Strategic Economic Development Plan Town Hall #3 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

DeKalb County Strategic Economic Development Plan

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Town Hall #3 December 12, 2018

Agenda

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Employment Center Strategies International Business Opportunities Next Steps

Why Are We Here?

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• Reminder: Goals of this Effort
• Establish baseline understanding of DeKalb’s economy and market
• Evaluate DeKalb’s employment centers for potential new economic development
• Provide a fresh take on Target Industries for 2019-2024
• Recommend economic development initiatives for 2019-2024 (keep doing / stop doing / start

doing…)

• Next Steps
• Small business opportunities
• Draft recommendations
• Action plan (Town Hall in Jan 2019)

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Employment Center Strategies

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Employment Centers

Kensington Station Perimeter Center PDK Airport Cluster Druid Hills / Briarcliff Emory / CDC Downtown Decatur Bouldercrest Lithonia Cluster I-85 and I-285 Cluster Medline / Scottdale Tucker Summit CID South DeKalb Cluster Stonecrest Center Northlake

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Employment Centers

For each employment center, SEDP staff analyzed data and met with stakeholders to understand:

• Area strengths & weaknesses
• Key parcels & corridors
• Area equity
• infrastructure, demographics, jobs, access, etc.
• Preliminary strategy ideas

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Employment Centers

County-wide strategies

• Improved coordination with

municipalities on marketing & outreach

• Clarification of recruitment and

retention goals with MAC and other regional groups

• City-led, county-supported infill

development

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Strengths

• “Geographic center” of Metro Atlanta
• Direct transit access via MARTA
• Planned projects with emphasis on density
• Infill and redevelopment opportunities

remain

• Perimeter CID + others leading road

infrastructure improvements

• Strong market makes ambitious projects

feasible

Weaknesses

• Strong market precludes some uses
• Suburban-style layout makes for poor

pedestrian connectivity / ground vibrancy

• Vulnerability of mall-focused retail

Perimeter Center

Maksim Sundokov

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Strategies

• Enhanced recruitment/retention collaboration

with Dunwoody ED

• Define city and county roles/responsibilities
• Collateral development for corporate HQ,

professional service businesses

• Engage with GDEcD, MAC, GIC for joint

marketing trips

• Potential infill strategies to improve

connectivity

• Out-parcels of Perimeter Mall
• City-led, County-supported

Perimeter Center

Target Industries

Healthcare & Life Sciences Corporate Operations & Professional Services

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Strengths

• Major highway intersection
• Direct transit access via MARTA
• Proximity to PDK Airport
• Ample infill and redevelopment opportunities
• Nearby development momentum in Chamblee
• One of Metro Atlanta’s most potentially

catalytic development sites at Assembly

• First phase of Assembly Project, incl. Third

Rail Studios, complete

Weaknesses

• Very auto-oriented neighborhood, poor street

life and pedestrian connectivity; few areas to “connect” due to highways

• Strong market precludes some uses

I-85 & I-285 Cluster

Curbed Atlanta

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Strategies

• Enhanced recruitment/retention collaboration with

Doraville and Chamblee ED

• Define city and county roles/responsibilities
• Partner with County Tourism to explore sports, film

tourism potential

• Proactive outreach to industrial land owners
• Short- and long-term ownership vision
• Potential property assemblage/land banking

I-85 & I-285 Cluster

Target Industries

Corporate Operations & Professional Services Advanced Manufacturing

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Strengths

• Massive financial and social commitment of

CHOA’s campus

• Direct highway access
• Planned road and bicycle infrastructure

improvement (portion CHOA-funded)

• Redevelopment opportunities along North

Druid Hills and Buford Highway

• Emerging market for medical facilities

Weaknesses

• No MARTA train access
• Auto-oriented neighborhood; few pedestrian

connections or walkable destinations; low density

North Druid Hills / Briarcliff

CHOA

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Strategies

• Enhanced recruitment/retention collaboration

with Brookhaven/Chamblee EDs

• Define city and county roles/responsibilities
• Coordinate on niche market strategy for

Century Center

• Proactive engagement with CHOA on

market/campus development

• Collaborate on housing development/

redevelopment strategy for aging apartment complexes

North Druid Hills / Briarcliff

Target Industries

Healthcare & Life Sciences Corporate Operations & Professional Services

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Strengths

• Large parcels available at cost attractive to

manufacturers, distribution/trucking firms

• Direct access to I-285, I-675, close to I-20
• Existing logistics cluster, center of DeKalb

trucking industry. Route from ATL to Port of Savannah

• Conley Industrial CID-led improvement

projects

Weaknesses

• Road upgrades needed – some portions not

constructed for modern-sized trucking

• History of lengthy permitting processes
• Truck storage as key industry; land-intensive

use

Bouldercrest Logistics Cluster

Google Earth

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Strategies

• Collateral development for logistics cluster
• Engage with GDEcD, MAC, GIC for joint

recruitment efforts

• Consider logistics expansion north on Moreland

to Moreland Shopping Center property

Bouldercrest Logistics Cluster

Target Industries

Logistics & Distribution

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Strengths

• DeKalb’s largest industrial and land-

intensive commercial cluster

• Active and engaged CID
• All inside one municipality – clarity of

message & permitting

• Catalytic parcels with redevelopment
• pportunities

Weaknesses

• Aged building stock and lack of new

construction

• Few transportation options, limited mixed-

use development opportunities

Tucker Summit CID

Google Earth

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Strategies

• Enhanced recruitment/retention

collaboration with Tucker ED

• Define city and county roles and

responsibilities

• Need a definitive vision for the employment

center

• Engage with GDEcD, MAC, GIC, Tucker

Summit CID for joint marketing trips

• The City’s downtown plan will help inform

future of transition area

• City-led; County-engaged

Tucker Summit CID

Explore Georgia

Target Industries

Advanced Manufacturing Logistics & Distribution

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Strengths

• Highly diverse uses: industrial parcels, dense-

developing transit-oriented residential, large- scale commercial, medical

• Strong market between Decatur and Avondale

Estates; TOD moving forward

• Direct MARTA train access
• Strong access to I-285 and Rte. 78
• Redevelopment opportunities, especially on
• lder retail and industrial properties

Weaknesses

• Highly auto-oriented in most locations; poor

pedestrian environments even near train station

• Spaces in Decatur, Avondale Estates, and

unincorporated DeKalb mean potentially competing jurisdictions and political considerations

Medline / Scottdale

Dwell Design Studio via CoUrbanize

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Strategies

• Create a comprehensive healthcare strategy

tying all healthcare facilities in strategic planning

• Collateral development for healthcare and life

sciences cluster

• What is the long-term strategy for Avondale

Yard?

• How to improve connectivity across tracks
• Long-term density of existing commercial

sites/Avondale cluster

Medline / Scottdale

Google Eart

Target Industries

Healthcare & Life Sciences

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Strengths

• Developable parcels (many publicly-owned)

immediately adjacent to underutilized MARTA station

• Direct access to I-285
• Identified as “Regional Center” in county’s

Comprehensive Plan & Future Land Use Map

Weaknesses

• Close proximity of low-density residential
• Nearby land uses like prison may affect

potential value of some uses

• Some parcel assemblage required for

transit-oriented development along Memorial Drive

Kensington Station

MARTA

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Strategies

• Proactive coordination with external and internal

partners

• MARTA
• County departments
• Define vision of area before making plans
• Engage County entities in area to understand

relocation/reuse potential

• Identify catalytic impacts on surrounding

development

• Kensington-Indian Creek connection

Kensington Station

Curbed Atlanta // Google Earth

Target Industries

Corporate Operations & Professional Services Healthcare & Life Sciences

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Strengths

• World-class life sciences research and

patient care

• Walkable mixed-use environment
• Planned transit access with Clifton Corridor

expansion

• Proximity to Central Atlanta
• Highly-educated local workforce

Weaknesses

• Relatively little developable land
• High land costs
• No direct highway access – traffic difficulties,

especially for car-dependent health patients

Emory / CDC

Emory University

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Strategies

• Direct partnership with Emory and CDC for

economic development potential

• Within this employment center
• Other health clusters
• Indirect/spinoff opportunities
• Engage with GDEcD, MAC, GIC as partners in

recruitment and retention strategy

• Potential infill strategies to accommodate both

medical and university needs

• Partnership with Atlanta

Emory / CDC

WABE-Atlanta

Target Industries

Healthcare & Life Sciences

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Strengths

• DeKalb’s most walkable community
• Direct MARTA train access
• Best-in-class schools, safety; ease of

recruitment

• Strong market for mixed-use development

Weaknesses

• Relatively high land costs and

rents/purchase prices

• Limited development-ready parcels
• Lack of direct highway access

Downtown Decatur

Visit Decatur GA

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Strategies

• Engage Decatur ED on short term and long-

term strategy needs

• Define city and county roles/responsibilities
• Assist in implementation as needed
• City-led; County-supported

Downtown Decatur

City of Decatur

Target Industries

Corporate Operations & Professional Services

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Strengths

• Strong existing industrial cluster
• Close proximity to I-20
• Large developable land parcels
• Relatively low cost land options

Weaknesses

• Comparable parcels throughout South

DeKalb (Panola Road, etc.)

• No MARTA train access
• Lingering concerns about schools, safety, etc.

Lithonia Cluster

Google Earth

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Strategies

• Lithonia Cluster northern parcels (1)
• Engage property owners on long-term investment

strategies

• Engage with Stonecrest ED
• Define city and county roles/responsibilities
• Collateral development for advanced

manufacturing cluster

• Consider incentives for small and mid-sized

businesses

• Create locally-maintained available properties

list

• Partner with Georgia Power

Lithonia Cluster

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Target Industries

Advanced Manufacturing Logistics & Distribution

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Strengths

• Nucleus of dense, walkable development at

Chamblee Station

• Developable parcels of varying sizes
• Direct access to airport; may prove attractive

to corporate headquarters/support

• High level of job accessibility

Weaknesses

• Highly auto-oriented in most locations; poor

pedestrian environments outside of Chamblee Station area

• Airport flight paths limit development on

some otherwise desirable parcels

• CDC/PDK facility as a key anchor – but

“unapproachable” for other development activity

PDK Cluster

National Association of Home Builders

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Strategies

• Continue to support airport facilities expansion to

meet corporate needs

• Collateral development to promote PDK as a

recruitment asset

• Initiate regional funding strategy to expand hangar

availability on site

• Encourage long-term assemblage of properties west
• f PDK to Clairmont Road
• Ensure future development does not adversely

impact CDC and immediate economic opportunities

PDK Cluster

Target Industries

Corporate Operations & Professional Services

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Northlake South DeKalb Cluster Stonecrest Mall-focused Redevelopment

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Northlake Strengths

• Significant existing office and retail cluster
• Large-scale redevelopment opportunities

including Northlake Mall

• Active and engaged Northlake CID
• Strong regional market – northern DeKalb +

Gwinnett

• Less-expensive northern DeKalb

alternative to Perimeter, others

Weaknesses

• Ageing office and retail inventory
• Highly auto-oriented environment with

limited pedestrian connectivity

• No MARTA train access

Northlake CID

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Northlake Mall

• Dated structure, surplus surface parking

may mean more new construction than re- use

• Desirable location; direct access to I-285,

high spending power of surrounding neighborhoods

• Opportunities for medical / office

development to increase daytime population and cut down on reliance on cars; motivated owner ATR Corinth Partners

• Likely market for multi-family housing on
• ut-lots

Northlake

RKG Associates

Target Industries

Corporate Operations & Professional Services

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Strengths

• Strong existing employment center
• Access to two major highways
• “Nearest cheapest” – relatively low-cost

land at near proximity to Central Atlanta

• Georgia State University – Perimeter

College

Weaknesses

• Employment base largely comprised of low-

wage retail and hospitality jobs

• Ageing building stock
• Lack of significant local spending power
• Lingering concerns over education, safety,

etc.

South DeKalb Cluster

Google Earth

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Gallery at South DeKalb

• Very dated structure, surplus surface

parking, and poor visibility from roads

• Strong access to I-20 and I-285,

geographically close to Hartsfield- Jackson and Downtown Atlanta

• Opportunities for corporate / light

manufacturing combination cluster

• Potential market for accompanying small-

scale retail and some new multi-family housing

• Already performs some “city center”

functions like hosting early voting

South DeKalb Cluster

Gallery at South DeKalb Facebook // Google Earth

Target Industries

Advanced Manufacturing Logistics & Distribution

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Strengths

• Potential regional center for Southeast

DeKalb

• Direct highway access
• Large undeveloped out-lots, with significant
• pportunities for infill development
• Hayden Quarry Road

Weaknesses

• Market-related challenges, reliance on tax

abatements

• No direct MARTA access, despite

conversations about future expansion

Stonecrest

Google Earth

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Mall at Stonecrest

• Newer structure means potential changes

via adaptive reuse + development on ample

• ut-lots
• Density allowances/zoning likely required

to justify strong investment in public transit

• Opportunities for corporate / light

manufacturing combination cluster, possible dense housing

• Investment in building a “Stonecrest

Center” with walkable streets and relocated parking assets

Stonecrest

City of Stonecrest RKG Associates

Target Industries

Advanced Manufacturing Logistics & Distribution

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International Business Opportunities

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International Business

“With more than 95% of the world’s population and 80% of its purchasing power outside the US, future economic growth and jobs for Georgia and America increasingly depend on expanding US trade and investment

• pportunities in the global marketplace.”

2014 Report

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International Business

• Goal: attract international firms and

entrepreneurs

• Buford Hwy as an important

international commercial corridor

• Identified International Program

Strategy and Funding Sources

• Recommended International Economic

Development organizations and marketing

2014 SEDP

Focused on international elements within target industries

• Approach international business as a

market base to develop

• Leverage DeKalb’s international

business and population base

• Trade: exports & imports
• Investors: foreign-owned

enterprises

• Development: entrepreneurship

among immigrant and refugee populations

2019 SEDP

Focus on international business as a market

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International Business

1) 532 (52%) Exporters 149 (55%) FOEs 2) 134 (13%) Exporters 63 (23%) FOEs 3) 86 (8%) Exporters 10 (4%) FOEs 4) 133 (18%) Exporters 18 (7%) FOEs 5) 137 (14%) Exporters 31 (11%) FOEs

Buford Hwy Clarkston

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International Business

• Exports (64)
• FOEs (31)

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International Business DeKalb’s Export Trade 1,022 businesses 84,000+ jobs $700m in sales/yr DeKalb’s Foreign-Owned Enterprises 271 businesses 7,000+ jobs $6b in sales/yr DeKalb represents 16% of Metro Atlanta’s economy but just 3% of its exports

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International Business Key Takeaways

• DeKalb’s international footprint is…
• More than Clarkston and Buford Highway
• Countywide and with global connections
• “Incubate” entrepreneurs among DeKalb’s 70,000+

foreign-born 19- to 64-year-olds

• Increase investment by current FOE countries via

marketing, consulate outreach

• Expand today’s top export relationships: Caribbean,

Latin America, Canada

• Establish trade relationships with origin countries of

DeKalb’s foreign-born residents

• Opportunities for Free Trade Zones

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Next Steps

• Small business opportunities
• Draft recommendations
• Action plan
• Engage county leadership to finalize recommendations

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Thank You!