Buford Highway now has its own business association representing the street’s corridor through the cities of Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville.
The Business BuHi Coalition intends to “promote the area’s international character and business community,” according to a press release. It has been meeting since May, but formally launched Sept. 15. The group has more than 30 members, including Plaza Fiesta, the Latino mall on the Brookhaven-Chamblee border.
“I am pleased to work with the Business BuHi Coalition in order to promote growth and increase businesses’ interaction with local government,” said Plaza Fiesta General Manager Julio Penaranda in a press release. “This coalition is the perfect gateway for local business owners to learn how local government works and become an advocate on policy decisions that affect their operations.”
Buford Highway is renowned for its highly diverse immigrant culture. Development pressures have increased talk of preserving, promoting and better representing the corridor’s communities. A previous effort is the group We Love BuHi, whose founder, Marian Liou, issued the business coalition press release.
“We Love BuHi is providing organizational support to the Coalition,” Liou said.
The idea for the coalition came from discussions about Doraville’s Comprehensive Plan update and an upcoming Livable Centers Initiative study, conducted by the Atlanta Regional Commission, of Buford Highway in Chamblee and Doraville.
The group’s official mission statement, according to the press release, is “to encourage economic growth and vitality in the Buford Highway area by providing its members with advocacy and marketing that promotes the area’s multicultural character.”
The coalition’s next meeting will take place immediately before the first LCI study public forum, which is yet to be scheduled, but likely will be in early October, Liou said.
For more information about coalition membership, contact Liou at marianliou@gmail.com.