To address slum and blight conditions in two identified areas of disinvestment, the City of Madison has: 1) defined the boundary, 2) adopted a plan, and 3) selected an agent to facilitate change.
The Downtown Development Authority (DDA), having worked diligently in Downtown Madison since the mid-1980s, is the designated agency to bring opportunity and renewal to downtown fringe and surrounding areas of disinvestment.
The Downtown Urban Redevelopment Plan (URP), the master plan for the DURA, guides property owners, decision-makers, and policy implementation to make change a reality for this area.
The W. Washington Street Gateway, the first focal area for urban renewal efforts, is reaching the tipping point. Acquisition is complete. Blight, nuisance, and hazardous material abatement has taken huge steps. Private owners have had the confidence to restore, rehabilitate, and construct improvements. The subarea's catalyst project - the Central of GA Depot - has had nearly $400,000 in public-private support, resulting in relocation, preservation, reconstruction, and approaching exterior restoration completion. The primary infrastructure project, designed by Georgia Civil of Madison, GA, is underway now, thanks in part to funding by GEFA, City of Madison, and United Bank.
The gateway's Congregate Stormwater Project has already made great strides in improving clean water conditions for Tanyard Branch and will soon serve one-third of Downtown Madison, where current property owners have enjoyed the luxury of not having to install or maintain stormwater facilities in years past. The new infrastructure will address current conditions and also facilitate future development opportunities in the gateway. Congregate stormwater detention can also prove an incentive to investors, as the installation and maintenance of a facility can be more cost effective when shared. Legacy Water Group of Covington, GA, was awarded the low-bid contract and anticipates completion by September 2019.