Development Initiatives

The Office of Economic Development's staff play a leading role in initiatives that support the economic vitality and cultural vibrancy of our community. Active and ongoing initiatives include but are not limited to the City's Comprehensive Plan, Delk/Franklin TOD Livable Centers Initiative (LCI), the 2013 General Obligation Bond (GO Bond) and targeted area Redevelopment. With the exception of the Comprehensive Plan, these initiatives focus on land use planning, blight removal, infrastructure development, and other strategies to attract new companies and development to the Franklin Gateway Corridor and adjacent areas.

Comprehensive Plan

Beginning with the Georgia Planning Act of 1989, every local government in Georgia is required to develop and adopt a long-range comprehensive plan in order to maintain Qualified Local Government (QLG) status. This plan is a 20-year policy guide that assesses current conditions, projects future trends, develops strategies and goals, and creates a work program to achieve these goals. According to the Georgia Planning Act, these plans must be updated every five years. The City of Marietta's most recent plan was adopted on October 12, 2022.

Livable Centers Initiatives

Economic development and redevelopment efforts in several areas of the city have been supported by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) through the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program. The LCI program has provided funding for planning studies and infrastructure enhancements for commercial corridors and neighborhoods near the city's major activity centers, with the goals of encouraging a diversity of mixed-income residential neighborhoods, employment, shopping and recreation choices at the activity center, town center, and corridor level; providing access to a range of travel modes including transit, roadways, walking, and biking to enable access to all uses within the study area; and developing an outreach process that promotes the involvement of all stakeholders.

Redevelopment & Adaptive Reuse

The Office of Economic Development is committed to supporting redevelopment in less attractive areas of the City. The Office of Economic Development is also responsible for assisting with private, public and non-profit sector redevelopment initiatives by working directly with property owners, developers and builders on project approval and implementation. In addition, the Office of Economic Development is a point of contact for citizens and business owners seeking information on redevelopment projects and long range plans that potentially impact their property.