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a MOSAIC. Fusing diverse elements...
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What is a CID?
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The Town Center Area Community Improvement District is a MOSAIC...fusing diverse elements...it is a self-taxing district ...it is a catalyst for planning, investing and accelerating infrastructure improvements... It provides the stimulus for a vibrant community, attractive to both existing and prospective businesses.
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From Lanie Shipp, Executive Director
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2013 has been a successful year! Thanks to our CID stakeholders and funding partners (GDOT, CCDOT), the Town Center area has: an improved southbound I-575 exit ramp with turn lanes into the mall; improvements at Home Center Drive; held a groundbreaking for the Skip Spann Connector; progressed on the final leg of the Noonday Creek Trail; additional landscaping and weekly maintenance of the major right-of ways; and more.
Plans for 2014 will include: more signage, pedestrian and bike improvement projects, new landscaping around I-575 and Barrett, and the advancement of the South Barrett Reliever.
With Kennesaw State University's enrollment of 25,000 and some 8,000 students living on and adjacent to the campus, the Town Center area has become a 24-hour community with a great deal of "Mojo"!
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Spann Connector breaks ground
A Groundbreaking for the Skip Spann Connector was held October 9th on the actual turf where the connector will be built.
 | | Spann Ground Breaking Video |
This $17.8 million project serves as another TCACID model for public-private partnerships.
The Skip Spann Connector honors the accomplishment and memory of T.E. "Skip" Spann, Founder of the TCACID, first manager of the Town Center at Cobb Mall, and KSU's Director of Development of Athletics until his retirement.
"The connector will provide direct access from Kennesaw State University, bridging I-75 to the Town Center economic-activity center, meeting a substantial community need," said TCACID Chairman Mason Zimmerman.
Completing the environmental work in June 2012, having the concept report approved in February 2013, the right-of-way completed in August and the breaking of ground in October of the same year, was a demonstration of a record-breaking, fast track commitment of the partners involved in this project. As Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee said, "This has been accomplished at a pace never done here before because all of the partners wanted to get it done and get it done now!"
Next up? A Ribbon Cutting for the Connector in 2015.
________________________ Appearance counts
By the end of this calendar year, the TCACID will have spent $234K on landscape maintenance and another $12K in Landscape Design for I-575 at Barrett. Additional landscaping of over $54K has been approved for the medians on Barrett, Chastain and George Busbee, with plantings anticipated this month and in December.  Implementation of the I-575 design will begin this month and continue into early 2014. Finally, an exciting concept is taking shape for a yet-unnamed park along Noonday Creek just north of Town Center at Cobb Mall.
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TAP Grant awarded
In September it was announced that the TCACID has been awarded is $250,000 by the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), an ARC program focusing on providing safe Bike and Pedestrian travel. Projects were evaluated on their ability to improve non-motorized transportation within the Atlanta metropolitan region, and on their degree of regional significance.  Our project, the Town Center Noonday Creek Trail/KSU Bicycle-Pedestrian Connector includes a local match of 20% of the total, $50,000. The funds will be used for Concept/Design and PE.
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Livable Centers Initiative
The TCACID has submitted an application for grant funds for a Supplemental Study of the current Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) area. Since the 2009 five-year update, the area has experienced more growth than anticipated in the previous study. Kennesaw State University (KSU) boomed during the recession. Their enrollment at 25,000 makes them the 3rd largest university behind UGA and GSU. With this growth comes a 24-hour residential population that did not exist in 2008. There is a greater demand for: bike and pedestrian facilities; housing and access to campus; office parks; retail and commercial centers; and, recreational areas. The 10-year update will provide a pivotal point in integrating KSU's growth with the existing office, retail and entertainment community, and will also ensure continued advancement of the LCI Implementation Plan.
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South Barrett Reliever
A new project in planning and design stages is the South Barrett Reliever and an application has been submitted to the State Road and Tollway Authority for a Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) Grant.
An east-west reliever roadway has been discussed since 2004 as another alternative to the heavily utilized Barrett Parkway. This reliever will contain a portion of the transit-way infrastructure for the Connect Cobb Bus Rapid Transit project planned from KSU and Town Center through Cumberland and into the MARTA Arts Center Station. The project has been broken into multiple phases, eventually extending over I-75, swinging north to tie into Barrett Parkway.
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