The City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Committee for Progress launched the Atlanta Neighborhood Collective on Oct. 8 to advance Mayor Andre Dickens’ Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI).
According to a press release, The Collective will facilitate coordinated strategies across seven neighborhoods and implement a strategic plan developed by a group of nonprofit partner organizations and the city to enhance residents’ quality of life.
Donovan Lee-Sin will serve as director of the Collective. He comes from his former position as Senior Director of Community Impact at Augusta National Golf Club.
“I am honored to join this effort and humbled by the opportunity to serve,” Lee-Sin said in a statement. “My commitment is to listen first, build on the strengths and leadership already present in every neighborhood, and help turn shared priorities into coordinated action and measurable outcomes.”
The seven neighborhoods where the Collective will operate are: Thomasville Heights, English Avenue/Vine City, Grove Park/Bankhead, West Hollowell, East Campbellton, West Campbellton, and Mechanicsville.
The NRI has been controversial since it was announced by Dickens last year as a plan to invest over $5 billion in the neglected neighborhoods. The funding would come from the city’s tax allocation districts (TAD) and philanthropic investments.
The Atlanta City Council voted in June to extend six of the eight TADs for 30 years.
Dickens told SaportaReport that Delta, UPS, and Coca-Cola had already made or were planning to make donations to the NRI. Blue Meridian Partners and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will invest $50 million only if the city matches the funding.
