College Park, Georgia
Economic Development Direction, 2013-2022
The Challenge
College Park, a city of roughly 15,000 residents spanning 11.1 square miles across Fulton and Clayton Counties, needed a redevelopment strategy that could turn its proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson into lasting local investment, not just pass-through traffic. That meant building the public financing tools, corridor strategy, and deal-making capacity to compete for major private investment.
Our Role
Artie Jones III served as Executive Director of the College Park Business and Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) for nearly a decade, supervising a 26-person department, managing an $11 million departmental budget, and overseeing a portfolio of more than 440 acres of development authority-owned property.
What We Delivered
- Established College Park's first Tax Allocation District, targeting redevelopment nodes along Main Street and Old National Highway and projected to attract over $1.5 billion in private investment
- Facilitated the city's first downtown mixed-use development, a $93 million project
- Public-private partnership with Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club resulting in the $60 million Gateway Arena, which after development attracted the WNBA Atlanta Dream and the G League College Park Skyhawks
- Recruited BMW's $15 million technical training facility to the city
- Freeport tax exemption initiative implementation, delivering significant savings for existing industry
- Assisted in refinancing $120 million in municipal bonds, saving the city $5.4 million
The Result
A first-of-its-kind financing district, a nine-figure anchor development, and a professional sports partnership, all built on the same public-private structuring approach King City Advisors now brings to cities and development authorities across the region.
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