An all-star lineup

There were some players who never took the field in this summer’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Truist Park, but they collectively hit a home run that soared out of the stadium, over The Battery and into Cobb County where it created a memorable experience for out-of-town fans. Cobb business owners and residents know how those visitors felt – it’s something they experience every day.

The players are executive directors at Cobb’s community improvement districts – Kim Menefee, Cumberland CID, where Truist Park and The Battery are the beating heart; Tracy Styf, Town Center CID; and Caroline Whaley, Gateway Marietta CID. The experience fans enjoyed beyond Truist Park, the directors believe, is an example of how Cobb’s CIDs continue to focus on key transportation infrastructure improvements while also creating a sense of place by enhancing the quality of life for visitors and residents alike.

“Without CIDs, some of our region’s most thriving areas would look remarkably different and lack that extra quality that makes them distinctive and memorable,” says Bob Voyles, chair of the Cumberland CID board of directors. “They are quiet behind-the-scenes heroes who bring public and private stakeholders together, shaping regional development in ways traditional planning just can’t.”

Capital Projects: Phase 2 of the New Day Palisades project in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is scheduled to begin next year, contingent on funding, above. One of three concrete walls transformed into a mural that is brightening up Intersate 75 at Cumberland Boulevard, below. Photos credit: contributed.

All-Star Game fans experienced that sense of place through public art, distinctive signage, enhanced landscaped medians, ornamental lighting, a bikeshare program connecting riders to local attractions, public safety infrastructure, parks, green spaces and trails. And, because Cumberland is the country’s only CID with a national park, visitors could enjoy a trail system featuring two park units – Cochran Shoals and Paces Mill – in the scenic Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA). Commercial property owners paid for the trails by voluntarily taxing themselves as CID members. “Everybody benefits from the investments made by commercial property owners,” says Michael Paris, president and CEO of the Council for Quality Growth, a 40-year-old trade association that advocates for balanced and responsible growth and economic development in Metro Atlanta, and a resource for Georgia’s more than 30 CIDs.

These and other improvements live up to the bar Cobb CIDs have set since 1988 when Cumberland became Georgia’s first CID. Town Center, created in 1997, was the second CID in Cobb County. “Cobb set the tone,” says Paris. “CIDs are one of the most important economic drivers in [Metro Atlanta]. If you were to take a map of the CIDs and lay that over a map of job centers, it’s almost an exact fit.” Since their inception, Georgia’s CIDs represent more than $1.8 billion in taxes levied and more than $5.5 billion in infrastructure investments, according to the council, which works within the 11-county footprint of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Cobb’s CIDs “are hubs of employment, innovation and commerce, and their strength drives [the county’s] economic resilience,” County Manager Jackie McMorris wrote in an email. “Over the past 37 years, the county has partnered with our CIDs to leverage more than $130 million in investments to generate more than $600 million worth of critical infrastructure improvement projects. These investments have provided foundational transportation infrastructure, which supports community investments from the Atlanta Braves, TKE, Kennesaw State University, Vanderlande and many other organizations. That’s not just commitment, that’s leadership.”

The Center of Experience

Memorable Experience: The Atlanta Braves hosted the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park, located in The Battery Atlanta. Photo credit: contributed.

What has happened in the Cumberland CID since the Braves announced in November 2013 they were moving to Cobb and the trajectory of growth since they arrived in 2017 “is almost unbelievable,” says Paris. “We like to think of Cumberland as the center of experience in the Atlanta region,” says Menefee. Driving that experience, she says, are ease of access to the district that encompasses 6 1/2 miles, spans Interstate 285 and includes 31,000 residents, 3,700 businesses including Fortune 500 companies and company headquarters; a workforce topping 88,000; numerous Class-A office towers; Cumberland Mall; more than 10 million annual visitors and the 840 acres of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

New Access Point: The Akers Mill access ramp provides access to the Interstate 75 Northwest Corridor express lane system. Photo credit: contributed.

The CID, Metro Atlanta’s fifth largest job center, has invested more than $180 million in transportation projects and quality of life enhancements. “That’s translated into more than $2.5 billion worth of improvements in the district,” says Menefee. The CID doesn’t measure its value in single events, even one as big as the All-Star Game, however. Instead, it conducts an economic impact study every two years “because we feel like this gives us the greatest snapshot of how we’re growing,” says Menefee. The impact of that growth is impressive – a $26.6 billion annual impact on the state and a $20.4 billion annual impact on Cobb, says Menefee.

She points to two capital projects highlighted at the district’s annual Cumberland Community Meeting in February that emphasize that impact. One is the Cumberland Sweep, a $150 million major mobility project featuring a 3-mile-plus walking and biking path connecting people to Cumberland’s jobs and major destinations. The project also features an autonomous shuttle system. The Hopper, a pilot project created to learn about AV technology, ended last December. The first segment of the Sweep is in design, and construction will begin in 2027.

Dynamic Community: Kim Menefee, executive director of the Cumberland CID. Photo credit: Daemon Baizan.

Dynamic Community: Kim Menefee, executive director of the Cumberland CID. Photo credit: Daemon Baizan.

The other capital project is New Day Palisades, a $15.8 million two-phase rehabilitation of the trail and amenities in the Chattahoochee recreation area’s Palisades Unit, the most urban and among the most popular of the 48-mile park’s 15 units. Phase 1 was completed this spring and had a ribbon cutting in July. Phase 2 is scheduled to begin in fall 2026, with completion anticipated in spring 2027, pending funding. It will have generational impact because, Menefee says, Paces Mill, a 22-acre green space in the Palisades Unit, is a critical natural resource for Metro Atlanta and beyond that offers an opportunity to escape and connect with nature, green space and outdoor recreation. The CID created a nonprofit, One Cumberland, to work as a conduit for community activation, programming and events while also raising funds for Phase 2 of New Day Palisades.

Another major project is the Akers Mill access ramp, which provides access to the Interstate 75 Northwest Corridor express lane system. It is also the newest of the 12 access points to the express lane system, a $44 million project of the Cumberland CID, which paid $6.3 million of it, and numerous other partners, including Cobb County and the Atlanta Regional Commission, which together funded more than half of the project. Cumberland and other CIDs routinely work with federal, state and local agencies and organizations; Cobb County government is Cumberland’s primary partner, says Menefee. The CID she leads, though, is what she calls the tip of the spear as we “work to build a dynamic, vibrant community.”

Showcasing Strengths

Hubs of Activity: Cobb County International Airport-McCollum Field is working with the Town Center CID to prepare for increased traffic during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, below. Aviation Park, a 3-acre STEM-themed park at the end of the airport’s runway, hosts one of six bikeshare stations in the CID, above. Photos credit: contributed.

After engaging with partners to welcome All-Star Game visitors, the Town Center CID has turned its focus to an event that will put it in the spotlight on the world stage, says Styf, Cobb’s longest tenured CID executive director who celebrated her 10th anniversary in the position in January.

That event is next summer’s FIFA World Cup, which will showcase the ability of the CID and two of its most significant regional assets, Cobb County International Airport-McCollum Field and Kennesaw State University, to support a high-profile global event.

The CID is working closely with both entities – as well as county government, public safety and tourism partners – to ensure the area is safe, welcoming and ready to showcase its strengths.

McCollum and KSU, Styf emphasizes, are experienced in positioning the district as a gateway for domestic and international visitors. She is anticipating that World Cup private jet numbers at McCollum, Georgia’s third busiest airport based on flight operations, will be similar to those for Super Bowl 2019 when it was able to facilitate three different charter companies while not impeding the airport’s operations. “We are available to support the World Cup and have begun initial planning,” Steven Spencer, McCollum airport manager, wrote in an email. “At this time, we have not [had] specific requests but anticipate this to begin after World Cup team groups are announced.” KSU, which has been designated as an official training site for the World Cup, is also experienced as an international soccer host. The Argentina team used KSU’s stadium as its main practice facility for last summer’s Copa América 2024, and this summer the stadium served in the same capacity for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, an international club soccer competition.

Regional Asset: Kennesaw State University, which hosted Argentina’s national soccer team at its stadium as a practice facility at the 2024 Copa América, will be an official training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Photo credit: contributed.

Aviation Park, a 3-acre STEM-themed park at the end of the runway and a hub for local events, illustrates how CIDs’ original infrastructure-focused mission has evolved, with executive directors now leading broader efforts to create a lasting sense-of-place and enhancements that improve quality of life. The park, for example, is on the Noonday Creek Trail running through the district’s heart and hosts one of six bikeshare stations. Bikeshare, an app-based, pay-to-ride, pick-up-drop-off mobility option, is celebrating its 10th anniversary and will hit 100,000 rides this year. “Bikeshare provides an amenity, but more importantly it provides a transportation modality and last mile connectivity,” says Styf. She attributes its popularity to an extensive county trail system and KSU’s 48,000 students. “We’re one of the few entities that can invest over many decades, not just fixing what’s broken, but building for what’s next,” says Styf.

That investment since Town Center’s inception has reached more than $62 million, unlocking more than $210 million in leveraged funding for major infrastructure projects. The CID’s largest such project, the $43.5 million South Barrett Reliever, is scheduled for completion by year’s end and will take 22% of traffic off heavily traveled Barrett Parkway. In 2015, Town Center formed a 501c3 non-profit, the Town Center Community Alliance, to create a sense of community through projects such as free events and programming, public art and pocket parks.

Welcome Changes: Caroline Whaley, executive director of the Gateway Marietta CID. Photo credit: contributed.

The Town Center Area has an annual economic impact of $12.6 billion on the county and $16.2 billion on the state. These numbers are particularly impressive, says Styf, when you consider that the region represents just 2% of Cobb’s land but drives 10% of its jobs and generates more than $238 million in public revenue each year to the county tax base, schools and state. “We are the subject matter experts of our community, and we make catalytic things happen that are likely to not get done otherwise that create a sense of identity and belonging and that will keep the district thriving long after the roads are paved,” says Styf.

Beautification and Safety

There’s a case to be made that the road to international soccer matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium starts at the Atlanta United Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in the Gateway Marietta CID, a 1.2-square-mile area in the city of Marietta. Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United facility served as a host for this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz and will be a host again for next summer’s World Cup.

Caught on Camera: The Gateway Marietta CID was an early adopter of the Marietta Police Department’s efforts to install Flock Safety Cameras, which can send alerts to police when they detect a missing person or a a stolen vehicle. Photo contributed.

Visitors traveling that road to Atlanta United – I-75, Delk Road and the Franklin Gateway, in this case – will be welcomed with highway infrastructure improvements and enhanced roadside landscaping and protected by a network of state-of-the-art public safety cameras, says the CID’s Whaley. The most recent landscaping improvements are at the I-75 exits at Delk Road, the main I-75 exit to Atlanta United, the Franklin Gateway corridor, the primary entrance into the district, and South Marietta Parkway. In addition, a beautification project is transforming Delk Road from an industrial to a boulevard feel.

“As Atlanta continues to ascend as the epicenter of soccer in North America, we have a tremendous opportunity at Atlanta United to leverage key international moments coming to our city and region,” says Dimitrios Efstathiou, Atlanta United senior vice president of strategy. “Part of our strategy included a $23 million expansion to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, cementing its status as one of the top training facilities in the world.” That expansion was expected to be completed this summer.

The CID also provides improvements that affect the quality of life in communities in a fundamental way. It was an early adopter of an effort the Marietta Police Department began in 2016 to install Flock Safety Cameras, which can read automobile license plates and capture vehicle makes and models. These cameras send alerts to police when they detect a missing person, a wanted person’s car or stolen vehicle or plate. The mobile cameras can be moved from place to place based on need.

The CID has 13 Flock cameras, and this year installed four Condor cameras, which police can access remotely to provide real-time information to better respond to traffic accidents and crimes in progress. There are more than 200 privately owned and law enforcement sponsored Flock Safety Cameras around Marietta.

“The implementation of the Flock system has had a significant impact on criminal investigation and apprehension,” says Marietta Police Uniform Patrol Major Brian Marshall. “Locating stolen cars or wanted people used to be a rare occurrence. Now, it happens daily, aiding in fast recovery of property and arrest of wanted fugitives.”

World-Class Facility: The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, home of Atlanta United, is expected to complete its $23 million expansion this month. Photo credit: contributed.

The CID, which is embarking on its second decade after completing its original mission of cleaning up a dilapidated corridor along Franklin Road (now Franklin Gateway), is working on its first master plan, says Whaley. That plan will provide the CID with the first look at its economic impact since a 2019 market study. She anticipates the plan’s priorities for the CID’s 76 parcels will include mobility and walkability.

The 2019 study showed there were 5,917 direct jobs in the CID, and those jobs indirectly stimulated another 4,475 jobs in Cobb County, resulting in a direct and indirect approximate economic impact of $703 million. “The things a CID can focus on are infrastructure, beautification, landscape improvements and public safety,” says Whaley, adding “we’re working very hard to impact the quality of the area.” That work, she emphasizes, takes place behind the scenes by bringing together decision makers who can make projects and improvements happen. “You don’t hear a lot about CIDs in the news, but when you drive around your community you see them everywhere.”

In baseball, that would be called a winning streak.