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UDA credits land acquisition, infrastructure and housing gains for Mill Hill East revitalization
Summary
Urban Development Authority leaders said long-term land acquisition, a new traffic signal and housing investments helped anchor Mill Hill East’s revitalization; UDA reported 11 homeowners and roughly $1.1 million returned to the tax rolls as part of the project’s outcomes.
Alex Morrison, representing the Urban Development Authority, outlined the agency’s role in acquiring land and coordinating infrastructure and housing work that helped make Bicentennial Park possible and spurred neighborhood revitalization in the Mill Hill East area.
Morrison said the UDA began focused efforts around 2013 to revitalize East Maple, working with partners to secure property and address immediate neighborhood needs. He told the gathering the first requests from residents were practical—“the traffic light right there at Clinton Street”—and that the UDA worked with the Georgia Department of Transportation to install a signal and crosswalk to improve connectivity to downtown.
On measurable outcomes, Morrison reported that the Mill Hill East housing block moved from under 10% occupancy to full occupancy, with 11 homeowner units established and roughly $1,100,000 returned to the city’s tax rolls as a result of those property sales and conversions. He framed the park as a catalytic public space tied to broader efforts to reconnect neighborhoods to civic places and to encourage future investment.
Morrison credited prior UDA leaders and local partners for property acquisition and project vision; he said the park and adjacent housing illustrate a longer-term strategy linking public-space investment with neighborhood stability. No formal financing details or a full project budget were disclosed at the opening.
