By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | May 20, 2026

Mayor Andre Dickens has introduced what his administration calls the most comprehensive neighborhood investment and anti-displacement legislative package in Atlanta history, a sweeping proposal aimed at reshaping how the city measures redevelopment success in historically underserved communities.

The proposal, titled “Opportunity for All: The Neighborhood Reinvestment Act,” seeks to shift Atlanta’s redevelopment model away from simply measuring construction activity and rising property values and instead focus on whether residents’ quality of life measurably improves.

The legislative package includes six interconnected components: a new Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI) Impact Framework, extensions of six existing Tax Allocation Districts (TADs), creation of a City Council-controlled NRI Trust Fund, reforms to TAD Advisory Committees, reauthorization of the Invest Atlanta intergovernmental agreement, and a broad Anti-Displacement Playbook containing more than 20 ordinances and resolutions.

The administration said the legislation is designed to address long-standing disparities across South and West Atlanta neighborhoods, where housing instability, lower educational attainment, food insecurity, public safety concerns, health inequities, and economic barriers have persisted for decades.

“This is about whether the people who stayed through decades of disinvestment get to stay long enough to benefit from the prosperity that is finally arriving,” Dickens said in announcing the legislation. “The first generation of TADs helped transform Atlanta physically, but this legislation recognizes that growth alone is not enough.”

Under the proposal, all future public investments in NRI communities would be evaluated through three primary goals: displacement prevention, neighborhood stabilization, and wealth creation. City officials say future TAD investments, redevelopment projects, and Trust Fund awards would be required to demonstrate measurable alignment with those outcomes.

The legislation also comes amid increased public scrutiny of Atlanta’s redevelopment financing structures and incorporates reforms tied to the City Auditor’s forthcoming review of Atlanta’s Tax Allocation Districts. Proposed reforms include third-party performance reviews, public accountability dashboards, strengthened redevelopment planning requirements, and expanded transparency measures.

“This legislation fundamentally changes how Atlanta measures success,” said Courtney English. “For too long, cities across America have measured progress by cranes, ribbon cuttings and rising property values while failing to ask whether residents themselves were better off.”

Among the most significant financial provisions is the proposed 30-year extension of six existing TADs: Campbellton, Metropolitan, Stadium, Hollowell/MLK, Westside, and Eastside. City officials say those extensions could unlock major long-term bonding capacity for affordable housing, infrastructure improvements, economic development, transit projects, and neighborhood stabilization efforts.

The legislation also proposes creation of a new NRI Trust Fund targeted toward Atlanta’s most economically distressed neighborhoods using Invest Atlanta’s Economic Mobility Index. Projects funded through the Trust Fund would be subject to independent review and public reporting requirements.

Faith and civil rights leader Bernice A. King praised the proposal’s emphasis on intentional investment and accountability.

“Talking isn’t enough if we don’t have policies, practices and infrastructure,” King said. “NRI becomes that first step to putting something in place that reflects intentionality and manifest the beloved community.”

Several Atlanta City Council members also voiced support for the package, emphasizing both the need for investment and protections against displacement.

Marci Collier Overstreet said the package recognizes that investment must include accountability and protections for longtime residents.

Michael Julian Bond described the proposal as a mechanism to ensure investment produces measurable improvements in housing stability, educational opportunity, economic mobility, and community wealth creation.

Andrea L. Boone pointed specifically to neighborhoods like Adamsville, which she said have experienced decades of watching resources bypass their communities.

Antonio Lewis said the legislation is deeply personal as a lifelong South Atlanta resident and Atlanta Public Schools graduate.

“This legislation is about making sure young people growing up in communities like the ones that raised me have access to safe neighborhoods, stable housing, quality schools, and real economic opportunity without being pushed out of the city they call home,” Lewis said.

The package’s Anti-Displacement Playbook includes proposals addressing tenant protections, affordable housing preservation, heirs property assistance, home repair funding, commercial stabilization efforts, community ownership opportunities, and support for legacy businesses and institutions.

Byron Amos said communities on Atlanta’s Westside deserve a comprehensive strategy rather than fragmented investment efforts.

Meanwhile, Wayne Martin said the legislation represents an opportunity to finally align sustained investment with the long-term resilience residents along the Campbellton Road corridor have demonstrated for generations.

The legislative package was formally introduced before the Atlanta City Council on May 18 and is expected to move through committee hearings and public engagement sessions before final consideration later this year.

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