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Last month, the Cumberland CID released the latest version of its Cumberland CID Economic Impact Analysis.

Ultimately, the analysis shows the Cumberland CID has achieved a stunning $15.3 billion annual economic impact on Cobb County representing a significant share of Cobb County’s economy and a $20 billion annual economic impact on the state of Georgia.

Conducted by Bleakly Advisory Group, the analysis concluded that there was $9.2 billion of direct economic impact annually from the goods and services produced and sold in the Cumberland CID. Because of this impact, the Cumberland CID has unlocked a wealth of economic opportunity not only in the region itself, but in the state as a whole.

Ultimately, if we had to sum up all of the good news in one word, it would likely be growth. In the past decade, an additional 14,450 primary jobs were added to the Cumberland CID, representing a 27% increase from one decade ago. The Cumberland CID has nearly 3,400 businesses with about 69,000 employees, which represents almost 19% of the jobs in Cobb County. Approximately 33% of the available jobs are in high-wage professional sectors like information, finance and insurance, management of companies and professional scientific and technical services.   

The growth isn’t just related to the output of businesses in the Cumberland CID. The actual population within the district has grown two percent year over year, which is 1.6 times the rate of Cobb County and faster than the Atlanta region as a whole. Now, the Cumberland CID is the home to nearly 29,000 residents. Furthermore, 68% of those residents are millennials and Generation X.

While more job opportunities could be a large reason for this impressive population growth in the Cumberland CID, it also may be due to the increased amount of services spending for the district’s residents. According to the analysis, the Cumberland CID produces annual revenues to Cobb County of $61 million and estimated annual costs of $34 million, representing a net fiscal benefit of $27 million. Properties and economic activity within the Cumberland CID also generate about $70 million for Cobb County schools.

Essentially, the Cumberland CID creates a win-win-win for businesses, residents and the county. Businesses are able to tap into a massive inventory of commercial real estate and hire a talented workforce. Residents can work with great companies and receive the benefits of increased public spending.

Whether you live or work in the Cumberland CID or are simply interested in the topic, it is worth your time to further study why the Cumberland CID has been successful.

by John Shern, Chairman – Cumberland CID; Vice President of Construction – The Home Depot, Inc (Retired)

Thirty-one years ago, when renowned Atlanta developer John Williams invited me to become involved in the Cumberland Community Improvement District’s formation, I had no idea that the Cumberland district would become the booming economic hub that it is today. We were the first CID in Georgia, and though there was a clear need for one, there was no model for us to follow, so honestly, we made it up as we went along.

Initially the CID had no money. We were in the planning phase and I was one of the planners. We knew who had the money and who was in the position to spend the money, so our job at the beginning was to do all the preliminary work to put ourselves in a position to receive those state and federal funds. Our focus at the time was on infrastructure improvements. We started as road builders, and though that is still true today, we’ve expanded our focus beyond building roads to creating trails, parks and building community.

Developments like The Battery – a forward-thinking, forward-looking and groundbreaking development – have had a wonderful impact on the district. It’s essentially a self-contained community centered around entertainment with retail, restaurants, and residents all within walking distance. We’re seeing this model pop up in other areas of metro Atlanta and it’s encouraging. I believe walkable communities are the developments of the future. The “live where you work” or “live where you play” idea is not a new concept. However, this idea is being executed much better today than ever before. We have to respond to the constituents’ demands. If they want to walk more, we will expand sidewalks – and that’s what we’re doing.

The CID will continue to study transportation and mobility and prioritize the findings to execute the solutions and accomplish its goals. Transportation needs to be connected to the things that are important. We’re seeking the best answer to the first/last mile concept because commuters need to easily get to work and turn around and get home. Trains might never make it up to Cumberland, so what’s the alternative? Bus transit? That failed in Los Angeles and there’s a bias to overcome. Autonomous vehicles may also be a game-changer – but there’s a liability issue. These are all things that we need to overcome, and that will happen when the best answer is found through transit studies.

Along those lines, we are currently working on a paved pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly loop connecting the four quadrants within Cumberland Boulevard and Akers Mill Road. Another one of our upcoming projects connects the I-75 Express Lanes to Akers Mill Road. We are still very much planners, as we were 31 years ago, but now we have the means to execute, therefore we have to be smart about it. Cumberland CID’s goal is to continue facilitating projects that bring value to our existing constituents and surrounding community throughout 2020 and the years ahead.

By Carolyn Baar – Georgia Commute Options

Eleven months of the year, Georgia Commute Options (GCO) focuses on reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles on the road in the Atlanta region. In October, we focus on biking.

Georgia Commute Options’ sixth annual bike challenge, Biketober, exceeded all expectations. This year’s challenge saw the highest rates of participation in its history with 4,477 registrants, a 79% increase from last year’s 2,500. Of those registered, 2,811, including 500 new riders, logged trips during the month of October – compared to 1,900 in 2018.

Biketober, also known as The Atlanta Bike Challenge, is all about getting people on bikes and sharing in the fun of cycling. We heard stories from all over the region about people who experienced the benefits of incorporating cycling into their daily routine and plan to continue to ride. We strive to help bike advocates find their voices through this challenge and make biking safer and more fun for everyone by increasing the number of bikers on roads and trails in our area.

The Cumberland CID (CCID) and its members played a big role in the challenge’s success this year. The residents, commuters and visitors of CCID took advantage of all the new CID two-wheel amenities by riding the new trails and visiting the new bike share stations.

Georgia Commute Options hosted promotional activities across the district at locations including Randstad, The Galleria Atlanta, America’s Capital Partners and The Battery Atlanta. We distributed information directly to more than 5,000 commuters in the district and had personal conversations with more than 500 individuals. Fifteen companies in the district participated this year including Randstad, who awarded their participating employees wellness points.

A big draw for bikers to participate in Biketober was the chance to win one of the many prizes up for grabs. We gave away two Edison Electric Bicycles, a KHS Flite road bike from Aztec Cycles and weekly gifts including hats, T-shirts and restaurant gift certificates. In addition to promoting these prizes, our outreach activities allowed us to highlight a comprehensive list of “Where to Ride.”  We used this resource to position the Cumberland CID trails as a gateway to the Silver Comet Trail, the trails in the National Parks and the ever-increasing connectivity these trails offer. We helped map trips between transit service, residential and employment centers, restaurants, retail and recreational assets in Cumberland.

With the increasing amenities for cycling, including new Zagster stations and nearly 40 miles of trails, Cumberland is the perfect place to bike. Our neighbors in Downtown and Midtown have great bike trails and amenities too, but imagine if the Cumberland CID members took this event to a new level in 2020. What if members of the CID form teams to mount corporate challenges, sponsor bike-in-movies, participate in bike-to-work days or host a Zagster-to-Lunch event? Our team at GCO stands ready to partner with you to make next years’ event bigger and better. We challenge you to incorporate Biketober into your calendar next year. Let’s raise awareness of the CID’s beautiful, walkable, bikeable district by encouraging our community to get out and ride next October.

Check out all of the results of the challenge at the Atlanta Bike Challenge and get your gears turning for next Fall. Are you in?

by Mason Zimmerman, Senior Development Partner – Pope and Land Real Estate

For most of the past 50 years, Atlanta grew from the inside out then commuted from the outside in. “In” became known as inside the perimeter (ITP) and “Out” as OTP. Over the past 10 years or so, the predominant trend has been the move back “in.” Whether to avoid long commutes, pursue a better job or seek a more walkable, unique or diverse quality of life, the pull ITP has been remarkable.  And what about OTP? Well, to be successful today, suburban communities have had to learn how to adapt, attract and connect to stay competitive and avoid decline.

This “OTP urbanization” is evident from Lawrenceville to Marietta and Alpharetta to Sandy Springs. However, few areas have evolved and adapted better than the Cumberland region.

I have seen many changes in Cobb’s I-75 suburban corridor during my nearly 15 years as a CCID board member and as a founder and former chairman of the neighboring Town Center CID. Both CIDs used to focus mostly on infrastructure improvements but now their initiatives include beautification, sidewalks, transportation, trails and more. The Cumberland area used to be a prime example of a commuter community — mostly office and retail where people drove in to work or shop then drove back to their homes in the suburbs. Those days are gone for good. Cumberland is now a thriving, young and diverse community anchored by an accessible National Park, a variety of housing options, a vibrant office community and a new epicenter, The Battery and SunTrust Park.

The Battery gave Cumberland what it was missing. Now our submarket is synonymous with the vibrancy, boldness and quality of The Battery. The Braves’ branding has given the district a tremendous boost which will allow us to continue to attract, connect and stay competitive.

Currently, our district is very accessible by car and bus. And, the truth is that it’s likely to stay that way for a long time. While rubber tire vehicle accessibility is our strength, we will continue to work to make it even better while we pursue alternatives. The new I-75 Managed Express Lanes and Akers Mill Ramp project are perfect examples of making a good thing even better. Driving on the express lanes is like riding a magic carpet. It has taken 30,000 cars per day off of I-75 and cut commute times by 33 percent. The Akers Mill Ramp will greatly improve the traffic flow in and out of the core of the Cumberland area.  Once parked, the commuter has access to restaurants, entertainment, nature and virtually everything else in the district through an ever-expanding network of sidewalks, trails and bike-sharing.

The Bob Callan Trail, Akers Mill Trail and Stillhouse Trails have been a point of pride for CCID. The Silver Comet Trail already runs through the CID and when these trails eventually connect to it and the Atlanta BeltLine trail, access to and from the district will be even more extraordinary.

The CCID will continue to do what it does best, identify current problems and work hard to solve them while anticipating future needs and collaborating with others to find solutions. We love Cumberland’s position at the intersection of ITP and OTP and we are inspired to do all we can to continue to make it even better.