Invest Atlanta: How Atlanta’s Development Authority Helps Residents, Businesses, and Neighborhoods

If you live in Atlanta or are thinking about investing, building, or expanding here, you’ll probably run into Invest Atlanta at some point. It’s one of the city’s most important tools for economic development, housing, and community investment.

This guide walks through what Invest Atlanta is, what it actually does in the city, and how Atlanta residents, business owners, and developers can use its programs.

What Is Invest Atlanta?

Invest Atlanta is the official economic development authority for the City of Atlanta. It works under the umbrella of the Mayor and Atlanta City Council to:

• Attract and retain businesses
• Support affordable and workforce housing
• Finance major development projects
• Help small businesses and entrepreneurs
• Revitalize neighborhoods and corridors

It manages and deploys public and quasi-public tools like bonds, tax incentives, grants, and loans to shape growth across Atlanta.

Main office (as of recent public information):
Invest Atlanta
133 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2900
Atlanta, GA 30303
Main phone: typically available via the City of Atlanta or Invest Atlanta directory

If you plan to visit or call, it’s wise to confirm hours and contact details beforehand, since they can change.

Key Areas Where Invest Atlanta Plays a Role

1. Business Attraction and Expansion

If a company is thinking about locating or growing in Atlanta—especially in Downtown, Midtown, the Westside, Southside, or along MARTA lines—Invest Atlanta is often involved.

Common tools include:

• Tax allocation districts (TADs): Used to finance public infrastructure and encourage development in targeted areas like the BeltLine TAD or the Westside TAD.
• Tax abatements and incentives: For companies that create or retain jobs in the city, especially in priority sectors or neighborhoods.
• Bond financing: Tax-exempt or taxable bonds to help finance large projects that have a public benefit.

Businesses working with Invest Atlanta are often looking at issues like:

• Where to locate offices, warehouses, or production space in Atlanta
• How to finance construction, renovation, or expansion
• What local incentives are available if they create jobs for Atlanta residents

2. Small Business and Entrepreneurship Support

For small businesses in Atlanta, Invest Atlanta can be a practical resource, especially in historically underserved neighborhoods.

Programs typically emphasize:

• Loans or grants for small businesses and startups
• Support for minority-owned, women-owned, and locally owned businesses
• Help with build-out, equipment, or working capital
• Corridor-focused support (for example, along Metropolitan Parkway, Campbellton Road, Auburn Avenue, or Buford Highway within the city limits)

If you’re running or starting a small business in Atlanta, you might encounter:

• Small business loan programs geared toward city-based companies
• Technical assistance (business planning, financial coaching, etc.) provided in partnership with local organizations
• Targeted programs tied to certain areas or redevelopment efforts (near the Stadium area, the BeltLine, West End, or South Downtown)

These programs don’t replace private financing, but they can fill gaps and make projects feasible that might otherwise stall.

3. Affordable and Workforce Housing

Invest Atlanta plays a major role in affordable housing inside city limits. It often works alongside the Atlanta Housing Authority, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office, and other housing partners.

Common activities:

• Down payment assistance for qualified homebuyers purchasing within the City of Atlanta
• Workforce housing support (for moderate-income households who earn too much for traditional subsidies but still struggle with high rents and home prices)
• Financing for multifamily developments that include affordable units
• Preservation of existing affordable housing through rehabilitation and strategic financing

If you are an Atlanta renter looking to become a homeowner, you may see programs such as:

• Assistance with down payments and closing costs if you meet income and location requirements
• Requirements to complete homebuyer education through approved agencies
• Limits on purchase price and household income

If you are a developer, Invest Atlanta may be involved in:

• Multifamily projects that rely on tax credits, bonds, or gap financing
• Requirements for affordable units, especially near transit or in redevelopment areas
• Long-term affordability commitments in exchange for public support

4. Neighborhood Revitalization and Community Development

Invest Atlanta directs resources to revitalize neighborhoods across the city, particularly in areas that have faced disinvestment or inequitable development.

This can include:

• Funding for streetscapes, infrastructure, and public spaces
• Grants or financing for mixed-use, mixed-income developments
• Support for community-serving businesses—grocery stores, health providers, childcare centers, and similar uses
• Coordination with other city agencies working in areas like English Avenue, Vine City, Pittsburgh, Mechanicsville, Ashview Heights, South Atlanta, and others

Residents might encounter Invest Atlanta:

• At community meetings to discuss proposed developments or TAD-funded projects
• Through grant announcements for local revitalization or small business corridors
• In materials sent to neighborhoods about housing or business programs

5. Large Projects and Public-Private Partnerships

Many of Atlanta’s most visible redevelopment projects involve some role for Invest Atlanta, especially where public financing or incentives are needed.

While each project is unique, Invest Atlanta may:

• Structure bond deals or property tax arrangements
• Provide gap financing to help deals move forward
• Negotiate community benefits, such as:
  • Affordable housing units
  • Local hiring commitments
  • Public space and infrastructure improvements

Residents often care about:

• How these deals affect property taxes and rent
• What kinds of community benefits come with the development
• Whether new projects will match neighborhood needs (jobs, housing, transit access)

How an Atlanta Resident Might Actually Use Invest Atlanta

If You Want to Buy a Home in Atlanta

You may look to Invest Atlanta for:

• Down payment assistance programs for buying within city limits
• Information on income and purchase price limits
• Required homebuyer education classes and approved counseling agencies

Steps typically include:

1. Confirm the home is within the City of Atlanta (not just “Atlanta” by mailing address).
2. Check income and property price eligibility.
3. Complete a homebuyer education course from an approved provider.
4. Work with a lender that understands Invest Atlanta programs.

🏡 Tip: Many buyers are surprised to learn that neighborhoods like Buckhead, Cascade, East Atlanta, and parts of Southwest Atlanta may qualify for certain programs, depending on income and specific requirements.

If You Run or Want to Start a Business in Atlanta

You might use Invest Atlanta to:

• Explore small business loan or grant programs available in certain neighborhoods
• Get connected to technical assistance partners for business planning or financials
• Learn about corridor-specific programs if you’re opening in a target area (such as sections of Peachtree Street, Auburn Avenue, MLK Jr. Drive, or Campbellton Road)

Common next steps:

1. Make sure your location is within City of Atlanta limits.
2. Prepare basic business information (plan, financials, projections).
3. Contact the appropriate small business or economic development team at Invest Atlanta.
4. Ask specifically about neighborhood or corridor incentives, if relevant.

If You’re a Developer or Real Estate Investor in the City

Invest Atlanta is relevant if you’re working on:

• Multifamily housing with affordable or workforce units
• Mixed-use projects in redevelopment areas or near major transit
• Projects that may qualify for TAD funding, bond financing, or tax abatements

Developers generally:

• Engage early with Invest Atlanta staff to determine eligibility
• Provide detailed pro formas, site plans, and financing structures
• Work through public processes such as board approvals and, in some cases, community review

A key point in Atlanta: projects often must balance financial feasibility with public benefit requirements (affordable housing, local hiring, public improvements, etc.).

What Invest Atlanta Is Not

To avoid confusion, it helps to understand what Invest Atlanta does not do:

• It is not a traditional bank or mortgage lender, even though it offers financing tools.
• It is not the property tax assessor; that’s handled by Fulton County (and partly by DeKalb County for Atlanta addresses in DeKalb).
• It is not the zoning or permitting authority; those functions sit with the City of Atlanta’s planning and building departments.
• It does not serve areas outside of the City of Atlanta, even if those places use “Atlanta” in their postal address (for example, much of unincorporated Fulton or nearby cities like Sandy Springs, College Park, East Point, or Decatur).

Quick Reference: Who Invest Atlanta Helps and How

Below is a simple summary table to clarify common scenarios:

Practical Tips for Working with Invest Atlanta

• Confirm your location
  Many programs are city-only. Look up your address to verify you are inside the City of Atlanta, not just using an Atlanta ZIP code.

• Get organized before reaching out
  Have basic documentation ready—income information for housing programs, a business plan for small business programs, or preliminary project details for development proposals.

• Expect some process and paperwork
  Because Invest Atlanta uses public tools and funding, there are usually formal applications, reviews, and compliance requirements.

• Check for program changes
  Program details, funding availability, and eligibility guidelines can change. It’s important to review current program information directly from official Invest Atlanta or City of Atlanta channels.

For anyone living, working, or building in Atlanta, understanding Invest Atlanta can make a real difference in accessing housing support, business financing, and neighborhood-focused investment tools that shape how the city grows and who benefits from that growth.