Athens-Clarke County Economic Development

11/05/2025

The Athens-Clarke County (ACCGov) Economic Development Department and the North Avenue Tax Allocation District (TAD) Advisory Committee will host two open house sessions and an online survey during November for residents to provide input on items they would like to see constructed within the TAD boundaries.

The open house sessions will take place on the following dates and times:
- Thursday, November 6 from 6:00–8:00 PM at the Joel E. Smilow Boys & Girls Club (705 Fourth Street)
- Wednesday, November 12 from 6:00–8:00 PM at Athens-Clarke County Probation (110 Bray Street)

Residents can drop in anytime during the sessions to learn more about the TAD process and provide input on ideas for community improvements. Light refreshments will be provided.

An online survey will be available at www.accgov.com/tads through November 30 for those who cannot attend the sessions. Additional outreach will also take place in the North Avenue area with organizations, businesses, and residents. The webpage also includes links to other TAD information, including a map of the North Avenue TAD area and the TAD redevelopment plan.

A Tax Allocation District (TAD) is a redevelopment tool that uses the increased property taxes generated by new development in a designated area to finance costs related to development. These costs might include, but are not limited to, public infrastructure, demolition, utilities, and planning costs.

On November 10, 2020, the Mayor & Commission adopted redevelopment plans to establish six tax allocation districts across Athens-Clarke County. Additional information about all six TADS, including maps, is also available at www.accgov.com/tads.

The North Avenue TAD consists of 68 property parcels totaling 139.6 acres, with the Loop 10 as the northern boundary, Fourth Street as the eastern boundary, Evelyn C. Neely Drive as the southern boundary, and North Avenue as the western boundary. It includes a significant amount of government-owned property and captures a portion of east Athens between downtown and Loop 10.

For more information about the North Avenue TAD public input, visit www.accgov.com/tads or contact Daniel Young with the ACCGov Economic Development Department at [email protected].

09/30/2025

The next ARTWORK professional workshop for creatives will feature speaker Amy Flurry sharing strategies on how to get your business or brand published on your own. Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6:00 PM at the Lyndon House Arts Center. Free and open to artists of all types - please join us!

Register here: https://investathensga.zohobackstage.com/Howtogetyoursmallbizbrandpublishedonyourown #/

09/26/2025

ACCGov is partnering with the Clarke County School District and University of Georgia to host a three-part workshop series that will walk through each organization's procurement processes. This is a fantastic (and free!) opportunity for local businesses interested in selling goods or services to some of the community's largest institutions.

📅 Wednesdays on Oct. 8 (ACCGov), Oct. 15 (UGA), and Oct. 22 (CCSD)
⏱ 9:30 to 11:30 AM
📍 Athens-Clarke County Library (2025 Baxter Street)
🔗 Register for one or multiple sessions at accgov.com/doingbusiness

08/29/2025

Economic Development has a new office!

08/29/2025

In accordance with its mission, the Joint Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and City of Winterville is pleased to invite small, for-profit businesses located in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and the City of Winterville (within Athens-Clarke County) to apply for the Small Business Workforce Development Grant program. Grant funds must be used to mitigate financial hardship in response to the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency, which officially ended May 11, 2023 in the state of Georgia.

Accordingly, JDA is seeking applications from small, for-profit businesses that:
- (i) have experienced negative economic impacts due to the COVID-19 public health emergency,
- (ii) are able to certify the same, and
- (iii) are able to clearly demonstrate and provide evidence of that impact.

Negative economic impacts may include, but are not limited to, higher costs, higher wages, difficulty hiring, and supply chain disruptions.

Grant funds must be used for capital purchases or facility upgrades, training or software, or inventory purchases, which lead to generating revenue in a sustainable way that will lead to growth for small businesses in Athens-Clarke County or the City of Winterville (within Athens-Clarke County).

Grants will be made in one round, must be for a specific purpose, and will range from $1,000 to $10,000. The application window will be available through Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at https://sites.google.com/view/jda-acc-winterville/home.

The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia allocated up to $100,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to the Joint Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and City of Winterville for the purpose of implementing a grant program for small, for-profit businesses located in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, that have faced negative economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

For more details about the grant program, FAQs, and the online application form, visit https://sites.google.com/view/jda-acc-winterville/home.

03/06/2025

Join (or browse) the Athens Creatives Directory today! https://athenscreatives.directory/

Attention local creators: Have you joined the Athens Creatives Directory?

The ACC Economic Development Department, in partnership with CREATE Athens (a division of Envision Athens) and many other local organizations recently launched the Athens Creatives Directory which serves as a hub for creatives as well as anyone looking for creative works or services.

Creators of all types can create a listing in the directory for free. For more information on how to submit your work for a directory listing – or to just explore the many creatives already there – visit https://athenscreatives.directory

02/26/2025

01/24/2025

PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITY: The Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department and the West Broad / Hawthorne Area Tax Allocation District (TAD) Advisory Committee will host three open house sessions and an online survey during January and February for residents to provide input on items they would like to see constructed within the TAD boundaries.

The open house sessions will take place on the following dates and times:
-- Saturday, January 25 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Athens Farmers Market at Bishop Park (705 Sunset Drive)
-- Tuesday, February 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Runway Cowork in the Beechwood Shopping Center (196 Alps Road, Suite 70)
-- Thursday, February 6 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at Howard Park Meeting Room A (291 Henderson Extension)

Residents can drop in anytime during the sessions to learn more about the TAD process and provide input on ideas for community improvements. Light refreshments will be provided.

An online survey will be available at www.accgov.com/tads through February 23 for those who cannot attend the sessions. Additional outreach will also take place in the West Broad / Hawthorne area with organizations, businesses, and residents.

A Tax Allocation District (TAD) is a redevelopment tool that uses the increased property taxes generated by new development in a designated area to finance costs related to development. These costs might include, but are not limited to, public infrastructure, demolition, utilities, and planning costs.

On November 10, 2020, the Mayor & Commission adopted redevelopment plans to establish six tax allocation districts across Athens-Clarke County. Additional information about all six TADS, including maps, is available at www.accgov.com/tads.

The West Broad / Hawthorne Area TAD consists of 92 property parcels totaling 172.2 acres, with boundaries centering around West Broad Street between Hawthorne Avenue and the split with Epps Bridge Parkway. Located west of Downtown Athens, it is bordered by residential neighborhoods to the south; Epps Bridge Parkway to the west; residential neighborhoods to the north; and Hawthorne Avenue to the east.

For more information about the West Broad / Hawthorne TAD public input, visit www.accgov.com/tads or contact Daniel Young with the ACCGov Economic Development Department at [email protected].

07/16/2024

PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITY: ACCGov’s Economic Development Department and the Mall Area Tax Allocation District (TAD) Advisory Committee will host two open house sessions and an online survey during July for residents to provide input on items they would like to see constructed within the Mall TAD boundaries.

Open house sessions will take place Thursday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 23, both from 5:00-7:00 PM at the Extension Office (275 Cleveland Road). Residents can drop in anytime to learn more about the TAD process and provide input on ideas for community improvements. An online survey will also be available at www.accgov.com/tads through Wednesday, July 31 for those who cannot attend the sessions.

A Tax Allocation District (TAD) is a redevelopment tool that uses the increased property taxes generated by new development in a designated area to finance costs related to development. These costs might include, but are not limited to, public infrastructure, demolition, utilities, and planning costs.

More information, maps & the survey: www.accgov.com/tads

A Tax Allocation District (TAD) is a redevelopment tool that uses the increased property taxes generated by new development in a designated redevelopment area to finance costs related to development including, but not limited to, public infrastructure, demolition, utilities, and planning costs.

05/07/2024

Thanks to the work of Economic Development staff and industry partners, Athens-Clarke County was recently designated a gold level BioReady® Community by the state’s leading life sciences membership organization, Georgia Bio. 🏆

ACCGov is the first county in Georgia to receive this certification, which shows a community's readiness to support the biotech industry.

08/03/2023

On Thursday, August 3, 2023, Governor Brian Kemp announced that Duckshin Housing, a construction materials manufacturer, will create 100 new jobs and invest more than $15 million in Athens-Clarke County through its first U.S. facility.

“Since 2019, we have announced more than 3,400 new jobs and $903 million in investments in Athens-Clarke County, thanks to the dedication of our local partners and hardworking economic developers," said Governor Brian Kemp. "We're proud to welcome Duckshin Housing as the latest job creator in this growing list as we continue to bring opportunity to all parts of the state."

Established in 1980, Duckshin Housing is headquartered in Seoul, Korea. The company produces architectural deck plates and frames. Duckshin’s deck plates are made of galvanized steel and rebars and designed for efficient production to be cost effective, and with enhanced safety in mind.

Duckshin’s new facility will be located on Olympic Drive at the Athena Industrial Park, and construction is expected to begin later this year. When open, Duckshin will be hiring for welder, machine operator, forklift driver, and other operations positions. Job postings will be made to the company’s website when available, and Duckshin plans to work with local employment services as well.

Read more: accgov.com/news