Blueprints team gears up to help Atlanta's NPU-G

Goal: to create a master plan for the northwest Atlanta community that includes a focus on economic development.

Located in northwest Atlanta, Neighborhood Planning Unit G includes modest, single-family homes, an aging industrial park and evena section of I-285.

It was once home to one of the city's largest public housing complexes, Perry Homes, which has been demolished by the Atlanta Housing Authority to make way for a new, mixed-income community.

NPU-G has experienced a decline in population and business activity in recent years and suffers a lack of some basic services, such as full-service grocery stores.

A generous grant from the Rich Foundation has helped the NPU-G Blueprints project get off the ground. The effort kicks off in August and is expected to wrap up in February 2011.

One of the main goals of the program is to create a master plan that supports greater economic development opportunities, includi

ng the concept of a walkable job center. Work sessions will be held during the study to gather input from community leaders and residents from neighborhoods across NPU-G.

NPU G includes the neighborhoods of Rockdale, West Highlands, Carver Hills, Scotts Crossing, Almond Park, Carey Park, Brookview Heights, Monroe Heights, Lincoln Homes, English Park and Chattahoochee.

One of the biggest challenges - and opportunities - will be revitalizing the old Atlanta Industrial Park in a way that fits into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Map of Georgia Conservancy Blueprint Projects Across the State - click on the blue markers for links to the full reports

The community of Pinpoint is located on Skidaway Narrows on land which was once part of Beaulieu Plantation. Pinpoint was subsequently settled mostly by former slaves and their descendents from Ossabaw Island and nearby plantations. The maritime industry provided a living for most of the residents of Pinpoint from the beginning of its history. Crab, oysters, and shrimp were all harvested, prepared and shipped to local markets. At least three oyster factories were established at varying points in history in Pinpoint, the most successful of which was the Varn Oyster Factory established in 1926 and operated until 1985. While only the foundations of the two earlier factories remain, Varn Oyster Factory remains largely physically intact. Pinpoint remains a thriving community with an active neighborhood association. Many current residents can trace their heritage back to Ossabaw Island and other plantations. The Pinpoint Community was recently listed to the Chatham County Register of Historic Places.

For our work with the historic Pinpoint Community, there were several goals:

• Establish community history
• Identify key community concerns
• Develop a community vision
• Develop effective growth and preservation strategies

Check out the pictures from our Pinpoint meeting on November 6, 2009, made possible by a generous grant from The Home Depot Foundation.

Download the final Pin Point - Blueprints for Successful Communities report.

Blueprints for Successful Communities is the education and technical assistance program of the Georgia Conservancy designed to facilitate community-based planning efforts across the state. These planning initiatives can occur at a variety of scales and locations including the neighborhood, city, and county level, as well as along transportation and watershed corridors and in urban and rural areas throughout the state.