Blue Ridge to Move Forward With DDA

It was an exciting day on Tuesday, May 7th, as Blue Ridge city council members approved a motion to begin the process of starting a new Downtown Development Authority for the city of Blue Ridge.In the meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Donna Whitener, told council that since the city had previously had a DDA ordinance, she recommended to the council that they motion to move forward with new paperwork to reinstate a new DDA. “We actually have an ordinance to have a DDA,” Whitener said, “but we may need to do some paperwork to reestablish it.”

Whitener told the public on Tuesday that the reason for the request was because they were not sure if the last ordinance had been dissolved since it had been a long time since the previous DDA had been active.

The establishment of a DDA would create many possibilities for the city of Blue Ridge and could be vital to the development of the community. With the help of a DDA, businesses in Blue Ridge would have the opportunity to receive grants or loans such as the state’s Downtown Development Revolving Loan Fund or (DD RF).

DD RFs are revolving loan funds that require authority participation from either city authorities or county authorities and are used to create new businesses or remodel existing businesses. Whitener told the public on Tuesday that two Georgia Cities Foundation revolving loan funds are already in use for two of Blue Ridge’s new businesses.

As required by law, a DDA must consist of seven members; one must be a city official i.e. a council member, and the other six must either be property owners or business owners or someone with an economic interest in the city. A DDA must also have determined geographical boundaries of a central business district that they feel is the area of the city that receives the most business and will require the most attention. After selecting DDA board members and a central business district, a city council is then required to send a resolution to the state that officially authorizes a DDA.

According to the Constitution of the state of Georgia, the main purpose of a DDA is to “revitalize and redevelop the central business district” which means that the city might create new business in the area or renovate already existing businesses. City council has yet to determine a central business district or select any DDA board members, but FYN will bring you more as the story develops.