The Stonecrest Growth Initiative Task Force is galvanizing businesses and the Greater Lithonia community to support an application to the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program.

With an LCI planning grant, Stonecrest would be positioned to become the economic epicenter of Southeast DeKalb, bringing more jobs, improved roads, enhanced mass transportation and a well-landscaped look to the area.

The DeKalb County Planning Department and DeKalb County Commissioner Lee May are working with the Stonecrest Task Force and Stonecrest Business Alliance to submit the LCI application by the Dec. 16 deadline.

The LCI awards planning grants on a competitive basis to local governments and non-profit organizations. The grants pay for consultants to work with businesses and the community in developing comprehensive plans to improve areas, making them more attractive, more supportive of transit systems and pedestrian-friendly.

“It is a competitive process, but Stonecrest has a good shot at it,” said Dan Reuter, land use division chief for the ARC. “The committee looks at a community’s needs and other issues, and whether the community has the staffing and support in place to implement the plans. We want to develop plans that can be implemented.”

Reuter said the ARC’s review committee, which includes representatives from the Georgia Conservancy, Georgia Tech University, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and others, recommends which communities are selected for the planning grants. The LCI will announce the study areas selected for the December applications at the end of January.

May, whose Commission District 5 includes the Stonecrest area, said he believes Stonecrest is primed to become an LCI study area. Businesses in the area recently formed the Stonecrest Task Force and Business Alliance and have held several meetings, cleanup drives and other activities. May said additionally, with District 5 being the largest and fastest-growing Commission district in DeKalb—comprised of 60 percent of undeveloped land—Stonecrest, once rural, has room to grow economically.

Said Lee: “What the LCI study does is it allows for current and future planning to create new economic development in that area and transportation in that area. The study will definitely help to push for the infrastructure needed for the I-20 MARTA rail that we’ve been trying to get for 20 years.”

Doreen Carter, facilitator for the Stonecrest Task Force, said the Stonecrest community has the potential to succeed as a major economic center much like the Perimeter Mall area in North DeKalb, where businesses there pooled their resources and established the Perimeter Community Improvement District (CID). The Perimeter area recently received a $3.1 million ARC grant for transportation projects as part of the ARC Livable Centers Initiative. Conyers, located in Rockdale County, just east of Stonecrest, received $3.6 million for a bike and pedestrian facilities.

“Perimeter looks attractive and continues to make improvements because of its CID and its LCI designation. We can do the same thing in Southeast DeKalb,” Carter said. “We must get involved and make a sincere effort to shape our community into a safe, attractive and booming business environment. Once we have the study in place, it allows us to go after construction funding.”

Sarah Kendall, who is a member of the Stonecrest Task Force and works as director of development for Cadillac Fairview, said the Stonecrest businesses must raise $30,000 in matching funds for the $150,000 LCI comprehensive study. Kendall told businesses and others attending a Nov. 30 meeting at the new Stonecrest Libraray branch that commitments have been made by her company, Cadillac Fairview, and Duke Hospitality, which owns the Hyatt Hotel and Fairfield Inn near the Mall at Stonecrest, The two corporations’ letters of support, along with others, will be included in the county’s LCI application, she said.

“Cadillac-Fairview has committed $5,000 for the study. We need others to step up and make their commitments,’ Kendall said. “If we have 20 businesses contributing $1,500 each, we can easily come up with the $30,000.”

Kendall said the Task Force’s initiatives include creating an attractive, well-landscaped “gateway” at Turner Hill Road, widening roads in the Stonecrest area that are too narrow and winding for today’s traffic and branding the Stonecrest area.

The Stonecrest Business Alliance will meet Dec. 12, 8:30 a.m. at the I-HOP restaurant outside the Mall at Stonecrest. For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .