Athens-Clarke County commissioners are expected to vote tonight on a list of priority projects developed in part by east Athens residents for a Tax Allocation District in their neighborhood.

A Tax Allocation District, or TAD, is a redevelopment tool for areas in need. In a TAD, increased property tax revenue spurred by new development goes to fund needed improvements in the district itself. In 2020, the county created six TADs, including the Georgia Square Mall area, West Broad Street and Hawthorne Avenue, and one in East Athens.

Last year an advisory committee got public input, and in December 2023, they began crafting their list of priorities for public investment, and finalized the list in February.

Most of the new spending from the TAD will go into two large categories: affordable housing and public infrastructure. Committee members want to see more townhouses and tiny homes, as well as sidewalks, bus stops, and traffic calming on the neighborhood’s street.

Other priorities include improvements to parks and the Miriam Moore Community Center, and encouraging a grocery store to open in the neighborhood.

In the case of the East Athens TAD, 70% of the new income will be directed towards traditionally underfunded east Athens neighborhoods.

The remaining money will be used in the other parts of the district, including downtown Athens. That decision was made by commissioners in February after residents and some lawmakers complained that too much of the new revenue was being directed at the downtown area, including the Classic Center Arena.

The creation and approval of a priority list is meant to guide potential developers of property in the TAD as they put together proposals for new projects. It represents a departure from a TAD already moving through the system, the district covering Georgia Square Mall. In that case, a developer came in with a proposal, which led to intense and sometimes stalemated negotiations over what should go into the area.