South Metro Atlanta: The Next Chapter

For decades, South Metro Atlanta has been defined by proximity – close to the world’s busiest airport, threaded by major interstates and anchored by logistics and distribution. Today, that geography still matters, but it no longer tells the whole story.

Across Clayton, Fayette, Fulton, Henry and Spalding counties, local leaders are shifting away from growth-for-growth’s-sake toward a more intentional model of economic development – one that pairs industrial strength with workforce readiness, transportation access, sustainability and quality-of-life investments designed to retain both employers and residents.

From eco-industrial parks with onsite childcare to automated transit pilots and regionwide workforce pipelines, South Metro is quietly repositioning itself as one of Georgia’s most adaptive – and forward-looking – economic corridors.

Industrial Park Sold Out

In Spalding County, sustainability has moved from aspiration to proven market demand.

Fielding Calls: David Luckie, executive director of the Griffin-Spalding Development Authority. Photo credit: Eric Sun

According to David Luckie, executive director of the Griffin-Spalding Development Authority, The Lakes at Green Valley, the county’s eco-industrial park – one of the only such parks in the Southeast – has officially sold out of available land.

Designed with sustainability standards for site development and building construction, the park has drawn steady interest from companies seeking what Luckie calls “the green park.” Even after land sales concluded, the phone calls have continued.

“Companies still ask if we have room,” Luckie says. “They know the park by reputation.”

But Spalding County’s approach goes beyond how much land is available for development. From the outset, leaders envisioned an industrial park that functioned as more than a cluster of buildings.

Among the most distinctive features is a daycare center located directly within the industrial park, an early and, at the time, unconventional move, according to Luckie. The Bright Star @ Green Valley daycare center operates extended hours to accommodate shift workers, allowing parents to drop off children before work and pick them up afterward without leaving the industrial park.

“What better place to put a daycare than where the parents work?” Luckie says. “It’s become very popular, and now other communities are looking at doing the same thing.”

That philosophy extends to the park’s next phase. Plans include a retail and commercial center offering employee services such as restaurants, banking and dry cleaning, as well as a 40-acre workforce housing site designed to help address one of the region’s most persistent challenges: proximity between jobs and attainable housing.

Interest has already come from international companies seeking nearby housing for employees working on temporary visas – an example of how workforce considerations are shaping site-planning decisions.

Even recreation has been woven into the industrial landscape. The Griffin-Spalding County Development Authority donated 40 acres within the park to build an aquatic center, which opened in 2024. It’s intended not only for local families but also as a competitive swimming venue that draws visitors on weekends.

Swimming Venue: The Spalding County Aquatic Center is located at The Lakes at Green Valley industrial park. Photo credit: Contributed

The park sits roughly three miles from downtown Griffin, creating a natural bridge between industrial growth and downtown activity – another hallmark of the county’s mixed-use approach.

With public industrial land now fully absorbed, Luckie says the authority has shifted its focus toward partnerships with private developers, particularly in eastern Spalding County.

Several projects are already in memorandum-of-understanding stages, with formal announcements anticipated in 2026.

Meanwhile, the county is in the process of developing a new regional airport, a multiyear project expected to accommodate its first aircraft around 2029. With a planned 5,000-foot runway, expandable to 6,000 feet, it will replace the county’s existing airport, which has outgrown its capacity and cannot be extended.

For manufacturers and corporate users, the airport represents a significant infrastructure upgrade, positioning Spalding County to compete for higher-value aviation-dependent operations while relieving pressure on metro facilities.

Transportation Initiatives

Nowhere is the link between mobility and economic development clearer than in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport area.

Microtransit Option: Gerald McDowell, executive director of the ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts, says in 2025 the CIDs launched Shift on Demand, which offers free rides to employees within the CIDs as part of a two-year pilot. Photo credit: Eric Sun

The ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts (AACIDs), which span portions of Fulton and Clayton counties, are piloting two nationally significant transportation initiatives designed to close gaps between jobs and workers – particularly for those working nontraditional shifts.

The first is a microtransit service launched in August 2025 as a two-year pilot. Funded through a $2.6 million investment – 70% from the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority and 30% from the CIDs – Shift On Demand operates via a mobile app, much like rideshare platforms, according to Gerald McDowell, executive director of the ATL Airport CIDs.

He says five vehicles currently serve the district in two daily shifts: overnight from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m., and midday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week. The overnight service, in particular, fills a critical void when MARTA rail and bus service is limited or offline.

McDowell says within four months of launch, the service reached capacity.

“That tells you everything you need to know about the need,” he says. “Workers were waiting for an option like this.”

The success has already triggered conversations about expanding capacity – adding vehicles and securing additional funding to meet demand.

But the microtransit pilot is only the beginning.

The second initiative places South Metro at the forefront of U.S. transportation innovation: a personal rapid transit demonstration project, also known as the Automated Transit Network Demonstration Pilot.

Set to be constructed at the Georgia International Convention Center campus in College Park, the project will feature pod-style vehicles called Glydcars carrying four to six passengers on a dedicated guideway. Riders will board at the SkyTrain at the Georgia International Convention Center and then continue to a second station at the Gateway Center Arena roughly half a mile away.

Unlike traditional rail systems, personal rapid transit operates on demand, bypassing intermediate stations and offering point-to-point service. The technology can be deployed at grade, elevated or underground, depending on site conditions.

McDowell says the total project cost is expected to reach approximately $21.5 million, up from the original $18 million estimate due to labor and supply chain increases. Funding includes $10 million from MARTA, $3 million from the Atlanta Region Transit Link Authority and roughly $8 million in private investment from Glydways, the company that makes the Glydcars. The first year of operation is fully funded, according to McDowell.

If all approvals proceed as planned, the demonstration system will be operational in the fourth quarter of the year – making it one of the first live personal rapid transit deployments in the United States.

In parallel, MARTA is conducting a feasibility study evaluating whether automated transit networks could be deployed more broadly across Clayton County, South Fulton and the airport area. The study is examining routes, capital costs, operating expenses, fare structures and long-term scalability, with results expected this summer.

For communities facing the high cost of traditional rail expansion – often $800 million to $1 billion per mile – personal rapid transit offers a potential alternative at roughly one-tenth the cost, says McDowell.

“These are solutions that communities can afford,” he says. “And they can be implemented in years, not decades.”

Growth with Impact

South Metro’s recent momentum is translating into visible, high-impact projects across Fayette County.

“It’s all coming to fruition,” says Niki Vanderslice, president & CEO of the Fayette County Development Authority, pointing to the long-anticipated opening of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center this spring, a more than $200 million investment expected to create more than 400 jobs.

Anticipated Opening: Niki Vanderslice, president and CEO of the Fayette County Development Authority, right, and Brian Stack, director for Brasfield & Gorrie, the company building the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center. Photo credit: Daemon Baizan

She also cites continued expansion at the new QTS Data Center, which has brought two new buildings online with tenants already occupying the space. There will be nine buildings total, when the center is complete in 2027. A new 3,000-foot path segment runs along the southern edge of the data center’s property and is designed to connect directly to existing local trails. The project is intended to be part of a countywide cart path network linking Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone, and unincorporated areas.

Vanderslice also touts steady growth in retail, including the 2025 opening of the first Trader Joe’s on Atlanta’s south side in Peachtree City.

On the healthcare front, Piedmont Fayette Hospital broke ground in February on a $275 million expansion. It will add a new patient tower and renovate surgical rooms, a kitchen, a pharmacy and more. Vanderslice says the two-year project underscores broader investments in construction and transportation infrastructure.

About 13 miles north, in Union City, growth has been rapid – and intentional.

Mayor Vince Williams describes the city’s momentum as the result of stable leadership, infrastructure readiness and a clear understanding of Union City’s role within South Metro.

Massive Investment: Rendering of the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, which is set to open next month, in time to accommodate players who will be in Georgia for the FIFA World Cup this summer. Photo credit: Contributed

“We know who we are,” Williams says. “We are a logistics and transportation city, minutes from the airport, with the operational capacity to support Georgia’s economy.”

Union City is home to major distribution and fulfillment centers for Walmart e-commerce and Costco, as well as Atlanta Metro Studios, which anchors the city’s role in Georgia’s film industry. As production activity starts to rebound following recent industry slowdowns, Williams says the studio remains an economic driver.

But Union City’s strategy extends beyond industrial recruitment. Recent investments focus on healthcare access, hospitality, food access and public amenities – elements Williams views as essential to sustaining growth.

A milestone came in April 2025 with the groundbreaking of a Grady Health System emergency facility, addressing long-standing healthcare gaps south of Interstate 20. The 16-bay, 24/7 emergency room is expected to open in the fall with plans for a full hospital campus to follow within two to five years, according to Williams.

Addressing Healthcare Gaps: Grady Health System is building an emergency facility in Union City. Photo credit: Contributed

The city is also investing in quality-of-life infrastructure, including an amphitheater, splash pad, expanded parks and a new community center – projects that Williams says are designed to serve both residents and visitors drawn by major regional events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“Union City is no longer preparing for growth,” Williams says. “We are delivering it.”

Historic Groundbreaking: Union City Mayor Vince Williams, second from right, celebrates the construction of Grady’s freestanding emergency facility, which is scheduled to open later this year. Photo credit: Contributed

Clayton’s Concierge Model

In Clayton County, economic development has been restructured to move faster – and smarter.

Under the leadership of Patrick Ejike, Clayton County Board of Commissioners director of community and economic development, the county is creating a holistic, concierge-style model that integrates attraction, retention, expansion, zoning, planning and business licensing. The intended result is a streamlined process that reduces delays and provides developers with a single point of entry.

“Economic development doesn’t stop at attraction,” Ejike says. “It’s start to finish.”

The county is reinforcing that structure with data and policy. A newly updated comprehensive plan, a zoning code rewrite and a $200,000 grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission for a housing study are laying the groundwork for long-term growth.

Streamlined Process: Patrick Ejike, Clayton County Board of Commissioners director of community and economic development, at the Story Mt. Zion apartment complex in Morrow. Photo credit: Eric Sun

Recent results include a $224 million manufacturing facility by TOTO USA, a $38 million cold-storage warehouse development for BP Chill Storage, and more than $5 million over the course of three years in grants distributed to 300 small businesses, nonprofits and commercial property owners in 2025 alone. There are also new data center projects, including a $269 million data center by TA Realty in Ellenwood approved prior to the county’s moratorium. In December, the Clayton County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to extend an existing data center moratorium until June 29.

Clayton County has also invested in projects with an eye to the future, including a small business incubator and the creation of the county’s first sports and entertainment council.

Regional Collaboration at Scale

Many of South Metro’s most transformative initiatives are regional by design, coordinated across jurisdictions rather than confined to city or county lines.

At the center of that collaboration is the Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, a public-private partnership founded in 2014 to advance economic, workforce and community development across 15 jurisdictions surrounding the airport.

Serving a population of roughly 600,000, Aerotropolis operates as a convener–bringing together cities, counties, employers and planners around shared priorities.

Its Blueprint 2.0 initiative, an update to the alliance’s original strategic framework, is generating economic development throughout the region, including efforts in East Point, College Park and Clayton County.

Linking Cities: Rendering of the Flint River Gateway Gateway Trails Network, which will weave through College Park, East Point and Hapeville. Photo credit: Contributed

Aerotropolis also played a central role in securing a $64.9 million federal grant to further develop the Flint River Gateway Trails, a 31-mile trail network connecting the Beltline in Southwest Atlanta to Clayton County, passing through College Park, East Point and Hapeville. Although that funding was rescinded following federal policy changes, the momentum generated by the effort has already produced new planning grants and expanded regional participation.

Economic Mobility: Aerotropolis President and CEO Shannon James. Photo credit: Ben Rollins

In October, ARC gave Clayton County a 2025 Regional Visionary of Excellence award for the Tara Boulevard Livable Centers Initiative Study developed by the county, Aerotropolis Atlanta, the cities of Lovejoy and Jonesboro and ARC.

The purpose of the study was to identify and recommend improvements focused on reducing congestion, improving operations and enhancing connectivity along the corridor.

Meanwhile, MARTA is identifying potential transit improvements along Roosevelt Highway. This corridor was identified in the Fulton County Transit Master Plan. The project includes transit service enhancements to improve travel time and reliability for people who ride MARTA.

Workforce as the Foundation

For all the cranes and capital investment, South Metro’s leaders agree that workforce development is the linchpin.

Expanded Footprint: TOTO USA opened a $224 million facility in Morrow in 2025. Photo credit: TOTO USA

Across the region, partnerships with K-12 systems, technical colleges and employers are reshaping how students and residents connect to opportunity.

The Ready Initiative is a weeklong workforce development program in the Griffin-Spalding County School System that aims to help high school graduates transition into the workforce. All students who participated in 2025 either received job offers or secured second interviews with the potential for employment.

In Henry County, Sharon Hill, the executive director of the development authority, says the county had more than $900 million in capital investment in 2025, bringing more than 900 jobs. She says the office of economic development is building workforce pipelines around hands-on exposure. In November, more than 400 high school students from Henry County Schools attended the second annual Tech Trek Career Fair at Southern Crescent Technical College where they explored high-demand careers and interacted with local employers. Students were able to visit Southern Crescent’s Mechatronics and Welding Mobile Labs and the Be Pro Be Proud trailer, which highlights construction, manufacturing, transportation and utility careers. There was also a robotics demonstration, showcasing innovation and technology careers.

Hands-On Demonstrations: Participants in the Tech Trek Career Fair learn about high-demand careers like those in the medical field. Photo credit: Southern Crescent Technical College

And throughout the airport area, Aerotropolis trained more than 700 residents through place-based programs in logistics, construction, hospitality and healthcare in 2025, achieving placement rates approaching 90%, according to Aerotropolis President and CEO Shannon James.

“Our goal is economic mobility,” says James. “Not just job creation, but jobs that allow people to stay, grow and build wealth in their communities.”

Connecting to Opportunity: Sharon Hill, executive director of the Henry County development authority Photo credit: Contributed

Investment Meets Workforce Readiness

The scale of recent capital investment in Henry County underscores how quickly South Metro’s growth dynamics are shifting.

County leaders point to business retention and expansion as a critical driver, with existing employers choosing to reinvest rather than relocate. At the same time, the Henry County Development Authority has undertaken a rebranding effort, introducing a new logo, an updated website and a unifying tagline: “The future moves through Henry County.”

That future is increasingly defined by workforce alignment and introducing students to advanced manufacturing, robotics, mechatronics, healthcare and logistics careers – many of which are already located within the county.

In November, Southern Crescent Technical College hosted a four-day event series, Future Work: Robotics and Beyond, designed to introduce eighth-grade students to careers in manufacturing, robotics and technology.

The Robotics, Automation and Advanced Manufacturing Education Center, a facility under construction at Southern Crescent Technical College’s Griffin campus, is opening in fall 2027.

Job Exploration: Students from Henry County Schools attend the Tech Trek Career Fair at Southern Crescent Technical College. Photo credit: Southern Crescent Technical College

Rather than funneling graduates out of the region, the goal is to create a clear local pipeline from classroom to career.

“The skills these companies need have changed,” Hill notes. “These are not sleepy warehouses. These are automated, technology-driven facilities that require a trained workforce.”

Quality-of-life investments are also part of the strategy. From improving parks and adding recreation facilities to plans for a 6,000-home master-planned community, Henry County is working to ensure that growth supports both employers and residents.

A Maturing Market

In South Fulton, the conversation around economic development has evolved.

According to Samir Abdullahi, director of Select Fulton, the economic and workforce development arm of Fulton County, much of South Fulton’s earlier growth was driven by logistics and industrial development, enabled by lower land costs and proximity to the airport.

Revenue Generation: Samir Abdullahi, director of Select Fulton, at Microsoft’s data center in East Point. Photo credit: Eric Sun

As cities mature, however, leaders are becoming more intentional about land use, sustainability and long-term impacts.

“We’re seeing a shift away from traditional industrial speculation,” Abdullahi says, “and toward uses that support both revenue generation and quality of life.” He says South Fulton is trying to ride the data center wave to bring in fresh revenue for the area.

In recent years, South Fulton has attracted multiple large-scale data center investments, including a Microsoft facility in Palmetto and projects by Vantage, T5 and DataBank. Proponents say these developments offer high taxable value with significantly reduced truck traffic compared to logistics operations. But opponents have expressed concerns that data centers will spike water and energy use in a region already grappling with aging infrastructure.

South Metro Atlanta is still defined by movement – planes, trucks, rail and people – but the narrative has shifted. Economic development here is no longer just about what passes through. It’s about who stays, who benefits and how growth is sustained.

AI Computing: T5 Data Centers is developing a massive 91-acre campus in South Fulton. Photo credit: Contributed

From eco-industrial parks with onsite childcare to automated transit pilots and regionwide workforce pipelines, South Metro is building an economy designed not just for speed, but for durability.

And while many of the next major announcements are still on the horizon, the strategy is already clear: The future of Georgia’s economy isn’t just landing here – it’s taking shape with intention.