The Atlanta Regional Commission announced on May 11th that it awarded a Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) grant to Woodstock and nine other metro Atlanta communities. The grant amount awarded to Woodstock is $200,000 for the Woodstock Downtown Noonday Creek and Rubes Creek Trail plan.
2022 LCI Study grant recipients include: City of Senoia, Clayton County with the cities of Jonesboro and Lovejoy, City of Norcross, City of Riverdale, Town Center CID, City of Clarkston, West End CID, Dekalb County, and Gwinnett County. The grants are designed to help communities become more vibrant, walkable places that offer increased mobility options, encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide improved access to jobs and services for all of the region’s residents. Upon completion of the studies, communities will be eligible to apply for federal transportation funding for projects such as sidewalks, multi-use trails, and smart corridor improvements that help implement their plans.
The Woodstock Downtown Noonday Creek and Rubes Creek Trail plan will evaluate options for developing a trail loop linking the Noonday Creek and Rubes Creek trails, providing east-west connections between the existing trails that will promote pedestrian connectivity throughout downtown Woodstock.
"Our city's vibrant atmosphere is a result of years of intentional planning,” said Mayor Michael Caldwell. “This most recent LCI grant from the ARC will allow us to convert the dream of a trail loop running our city's waterways and around our city center into an actionable plan. I am grateful for the hard work of our staff, and the support from the ARC, and I look forward to seeing this dream become reality here in Woodstock in the near future!"
The LCI program was created in 1999 to allocate federal transportation dollars for planning in local town centers and employment centers. Recipients were selected by ARC along with a diverse committee of partner organizations and planning professionals from around the region.
“For over twenty years, the LCI program has helped communities throughout the metro area establish vibrant cores that improve the region’s air quality by reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles,” said Sam Shenbaga, Managing Director of the Community Development group at ARC. “We are excited to continue this important work in 2022 by helping the ten recipients this year realize their community-driven vision”
To learn more about the LCI program and the impact it has had on the Atlanta region, visit atlantaregional.com/community-development/livable-centers-initiative