Newton Trails

Buckhead Community Improvement District CEO Jim Durrett announced Tuesday night his group will co-sponsor the planned Georgia 400 Trail through Buckhead.  (Read about it here.)

This is huge news.  But, to explain the significance, I need to make sure readers know what a Community Improvement District (CID) is.  As allowed by the Georgia Constitution, when enabled by  counties and/or cities, a CID is a geographically defined district where commercial and industrial property owners vote to impose an additional property tax on themselves.   The proceeds are collected and used to fund construction and maintenance of  infrastructure within the district, as directed by an elected board of directors.  Those investments can include water, streets, transit, parks & recreation, storm water, etc.  In effect, CIDs are governmental entities in the eyes of Georgia law and they have the ability to tax, as well as to incur bonded debt against their future revenues.

The Buckhead CID is but one example of the many CIDs operating throughout metro Atlanta.  Gwinnett County has four CIDs, DeKalb County has several, as do Fulton and Cobb.  In Buckhead, businesses pay an additional 3 mils on their property tax.  In Gwinnett, each CID collects another 5 mil.  The following video gives a good overview of the role of CIDs in driving Georgia's economic prosperity.

The first important point is:  CIDs prove businesses value infrastructure that benefits the community at large, and they are willing to invest in it.  Contrary to some lines of thinking, low taxes are not always the answer.  These districts voted to increase their taxes to meet glaring needs and achieve a better overall outcome for the region.

The second important point is:  The Buckhead CID recognizes greenspace and bike/pedestrian accessibility as important elements of a thriving business district.  They see the trail not as something for use "by a few" but as a central element of what makes the region attractive to business.  This supports our assertion that greenway trails are very much an economic development investment and a driver of community vitality.

When I visit the Oxford Trail, it's usually on a bicycle, passing through from one end to the other, keeping my eyes on the twists and turns so as to not veer off the trail.  (There's a self-filmed video floating around cyberspace of me doing self-inflicted harm veering off the trail.)  Today was different.

For the Walk About, we did as much standing and listening as we did walking.  But, standing was more exciting than you can imagine.  Dr. Eloise Carter has a way of getting you to see the intricate details of a tree, a limb, a branch, a leaf, or a flower that reveals just how much we miss as we pass distracted through our world.  She has a simplicity in her teaching, but a passion and enthusiasm in her voice.  It was a great morning!

Standing still in those woods, and not hurrying through, I became aware of so many sounds, sights, and smells that too often go unnoticed -- at least in my busy life.  The singing of the birds was everywhere (which bodes well for the May 7th Walk About Our Feathered Friends.  I also noticed for the first time the sounds of a hidden waterfall coming from somewhere within a thicket.  In the tiny stream, I spotted even tinier minnows darting about, playing some sort of game with the bullfrog tadpoles lying in the mud.  Swamp Irises stood tall in broad masses, lifting their brilliant yellow blooms high above the wetlands.  Were they always there?

If you missed the Walk About, don't miss the trail in springtime.  It's a wonderful place filled with plenty to see and nothing you have to do.  Slow down.  Take your time.  I'm sure glad I did.