MidTown, Inc. cites several significant accomplishments in its first full year of operations:
- Helping to facilitate the land swap between the Columbus City Council and the Muscogee County School Board, paving the way for the completion of the Library Project and the placement of a competition natatorium in the heart of MidTown.
- Working with City of officials, private contributors and the Georgia Department of Transportation to secure $1 million in grant monies and matching funds to implement Phase I of the Wynnton Road Corridor Revitalization Plan.
- Negotiating with the state DOT and the city a compromised design to the road improvement project at Peacock/Brown Avenues and Wynnton Road, where the utilities will be placed underground, the crosswalks will be brick-stamped, the sidewalks with be 5’ wide with 4’ planting strips.
- Facilitating a future use of the Armory property on Macon Road (now recommended to be owned by Columbus State University) that will stabilize and sustain the surrounding neighborhoods and accentuate the future use of the abutting Sears/Library property.
- Assisting in an education process to bring redevelopment bond financing to Columbus in order to encourage qualifying redevelopment projects.
- Working with large property owners near the intersection of Macon Road and I-185 to engage in a joint planning process for redevelopment.
- Acquiring grants for the redesign of the Wynnton/Macon Road retail corridor and locating professional consultants to collaborate in the redesign process.
- Acquiring grants for, and obtaining professionals to, design a marketing campaign for MidTown, Inc. and the MidTown Merchants Association.
- Establishing a perpetual, sustainable organization in MidTown, Inc. to carry out the revitalization plan of the MidTown Project.
- Establishing a Merchants Association governed by its own officers and Executive Committee to bolster existing businesses and encourage the location of future businesses in MidTown.
- Assisting in the organization of several new neighborhood associations.
MidTown, Inc.’s immediate and long term goals are to implement and oversee the sustainable, smart-growth redevelopment plan produced by the four year grassroots, public visioning process known as The MidTown Project.
Those priorities include, but are not limited to:
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Advocate a sustainable redevelopment plan for the large land holdings at I-185 and Macon Road
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Spearhead the Wynnton Retail Corridor Revitalization effort
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Collaborate with local and state governments to create significant monetary infusion into MidTown Columbus through redevelopment bonds, government funds, grants or financing strategies
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Identify redevelopment opportunities, and identify the stakeholders and potential investors to make the opportunity a reality
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Work with administrative and elected officials to address legislative or policy impediments to business retention, stable neighborhoods and sound growth in MidTown
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Continue to establish Neighborhood Associations within the MidTown area for community improvement
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Grow the existing MidTown Merchants Association
