At a City of Atlanta meeting, the council unanimously approved a resolution to commission a feasibility study aimed at preserving affordable commercial retail space for small, "mom-and-pop" businesses across the city.

The resolution responds to steep increases in lease prices — described in the meeting as rising to about $55 per square foot — that council supporters said are making retail space unattainable for many small businesses, especially near BeltLine tax allocation districts. The study will explore financial incentives and other tools and involve partnerships with Invest Atlanta, Atlanta BeltLine Inc., and the mayor's administration.

"The goals of this, small business commercial affordability, resolution is to make sure that our small businesses, mom and pops, really have an opportunity to be able to afford commercial retail space in the city of Atlanta," the presenter said, describing conversations with small business owners across the city. The presenter added, "We're seeing a rise in lease prices go up tremendously up to $55 a square feet, which is making it very much unattainable for a lot of small businesses in Atlanta."

The sponsor described the next steps as working with Invest Atlanta, Atlanta BeltLine Inc., and the mayor's administration to develop a "robust plan" that could include bonds, grants and other financial incentives to encourage developers to reserve retail space for smaller commercial tenants. "There's so many different opportunities we can look into," the presenter said, noting, "I, myself, I am a board member of Invest Atlanta as well as the Atlanta BeltLine Inc."

Council members indicated unanimous support for the resolution during the meeting; specific motion text, the names of a mover and seconder, and a roll-call vote tally were not specified in the transcript. The resolution authorizes a feasibility study and directs coordination with the named partners, but the transcript did not provide a timeline, budget, or specific implementation steps.

Supporters said the study is intended to identify practical incentives and funding mechanisms so small businesses can access retail space amid ongoing development. How any recommendations would be funded or enacted — including whether they would require city budget allocations, bond measures, or statutory changes — was not specified in the discussion.

Next steps described in the meeting are to begin the collaborative work with Invest Atlanta, Atlanta BeltLine Inc., and the mayor's office to draft and evaluate options; a schedule for that work was not given.