Topic: Food Access

Fresh Food Is Not Optional

68% of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are in or near a TAD. Here is what that means, and what the NRI is doing about it.

The Connection
How NRI and TADs Connect to Food Access

In too many Atlanta neighborhoods, the nearest grocery store is miles away. That is not an accident; it's the result of decades of disinvestment that made these areas less attractive to retailers and developers. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative is designed to change that, and Tax Allocation Districts are one of the key tools for doing it.

TADs can fund the capital costs that make a grocery store or food center viable in a neighborhood where the market alone would not go. That includes land acquisition, infrastructure improvements, and direct project financing - the upfront costs that are often the difference between a project happening and not happening.

68%
of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are in or near a TAD
2
new municipally supported grocery stores with the help of TAD funding in the Mayor's first term
$170M
identified for health centers, recreation, and grocery citywide if TADs are extended

Real projects are already happening. The Atlanta Community Food Bank's Food Center at 3500 MLK Drive was funded in part by TAD dollars. Goodr stores, providing free grocery resources to families each month, have been launched in the Hollowell and Campbellton corridors with City support. New municipally supported grocery stores are planned for the Perry-Bolton, Hollowell/MLK, and Metropolitan TAD areas.

If the TADs are not extended, these planned projects either stall or require alternative funding, which means either they don't happen, or the cost shifts to the broader tax base.

The bottom line: TADs do not raise your taxes. They capture the growth in property values within a specific area and reinvest it right back in. For neighborhoods that have gone without a full-service grocery store for years, that reinvestment is the difference between a project happening now or not happening at all.
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Post 1 — The Data
68% of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are in or near a Tax Allocation District. That's not a coincidence. It's the result of decades of disinvestment that have left families without a full-service grocery store nearby. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative is designed to change that. TADs are one of the key tools, funding the upfront capital costs that make grocery stores and food centers viable in neighborhoods where the market alone won't go. Two new municipally supported grocery stores were funded with the help of TADs over the last four years. More are planned. Extending the TADs will help turn those plans into reality. Because access to food shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code. Learn more: neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #NeighborsForATL #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess #AtlantaReinvestment
Post 2 — The Personal
If you've ever driven past a neighborhood with no grocery store and wondered why, this is why. Decades of disinvestment made those areas less attractive to retailers. The result is that families in some parts of Atlanta travel miles for fresh food that other neighborhoods take for granted. Atlanta's Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, funded in large part through Tax Allocation Districts (TADs), is working to fix that. The Atlanta Community Food Bank's Food Center on MLK Drive. New grocery stores are planned for the Hollowell and Campbellton corridors. These things can't happen without the funding tools to make them viable. TADs are up for extension. What happens next matters. neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess
Post 1 — The Stat
68% of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are in or near a TAD. That's a clear picture of where investment is needed most, and where the NRI is focused. TADs help fund the upfront capital needed to put grocery stores in neighborhoods the market has overlooked. Two new ones were built in the last four years. More are in the pipeline. Extending the TADs helps make those projects possible, turning plans into places, and closing the gap in food access across Atlanta. This is how we invest where it matters most. neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess
Post 2 — The Story
Fresh food shouldn't be a luxury. In too many Atlanta neighborhoods, it is. The NRI is working to change that, and TADs are a funding tool that can make it possible. From the Atlanta Community Food Bank's Food Center on MLK Drive to new grocery stores planned for the Hollowell and Campbellton corridors, real investments are happening. But the TADs are up for extension. What happens next determines what gets built and when. neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess
Post 1 — Neighbor to Neighbor
Neighbors — did you know that 68% of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are in or near a Tax Allocation District? That's not a coincidence. TADs were created in part because these are the areas that need the most investment. And right now, TAD dollars are being used to fund new grocery stores and food centers in neighborhoods that have gone without them for too long. The Atlanta Community Food Bank's Food Center on MLK Drive. New grocery stores planned for the Hollowell and Campbellton corridors. These are examples of projects that depend heavily on TAD funding, and TADs are up for extension. Learn more at neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org
Post 1 — The Stat
68% of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are in or near a TAD. TADs help fund grocery stores and food centers in areas that the market alone won't build in. They're up for extension. What happens next matters. neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess
Post 2 — The Ask
Fresh food access in Atlanta isn't equally distributed. TADs are one of the tools working to change that. New grocery stores. Food centers. Real projects in real neighborhoods. TADs are up for extension. Learn what's at stake. neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #ExtendTheTADs
Post 1 — Professional Framing
Food access is an economic issue, not just a health one. When 68% of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are located in or near a Tax Allocation District, that tells you something important: the areas that need investment most are also the areas where the market has historically underperformed. Atlanta's Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative is using TAD dollars to fund the upfront capital costs that make grocery stores and food centers viable in these neighborhoods. Two new municipally-supported grocery stores were funded in the last four years. More are planned — pending TAD extension. This is what targeted public investment looks like when it works. And it only works if the funding tools are in place. Atlanta's TADs are up for extension. Learn more at neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #AtlantaReinvestment #NRI #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess #UrbanDevelopment
Post 1
68% of Atlanta census tracts with low/no fresh food access are in or near a TAD. TADs fund the grocery stores that the market won't build there alone. They're up for extension. neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess
Post 1
68% of Atlanta census tracts with low or no fresh food access are in or near a TAD. TADs fund the grocery stores and food centers that the market alone won't build in these neighborhoods. Two new ones were built in the last four years. More are planned with the help of NRI and TADs. neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org #ExtendTheTADs #FoodAccess #NeighborsForATL
Source: NRI Commission / Invest Atlanta, 2026  |  neighborsforaunitedatlanta.org