2Infrastructure Investments Are Needed to Promote Compatible Development.

Roads, water, sewer, broadband, and electricity undergird the economy and the fabric of modern life. For many rural communities, however, upgrading and maintaining these assets is beyond their fiscal capacity.54 They also often need assistance with basic capital planning, managing assets, adhering to implementation plans, and applying for federal and state funding opportunities. The 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included funding for infrastructure investment not seen in generations. Without planning and support, the rural communities in this study area could miss out on important opportunities to access this funding for infrastructure projects. At the same time, development patterns affect the livability of our communities, and local decisions about infrastructure siting and investment often drive where development does or does not occur.55 Poor infrastructure planning is a leading driver of urban, suburban, and rural sprawl. Haphazard, low-development density that spirals through a landscape fragments habitat, decreases community cohesion, and increases infrastructure and community services costs.56 Meanwhile, in the very areas where we want to see development — the downtown core — infrastructure is aging and not functioning well, creating real barriers to supporting a thriving downtown.

This section identifies the major areas of infrastructure investment critical to rural economic development in the Fort Moore region.

Meeting compatible use goals requires concerted investment in infrastructure that supports concentrated development in the downtown core.

Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

Strong water and wastewater infrastructure is critical to commerce and rural quality of life.57 Residents of Marion County and the city of Buena Vista understand this better than anyone as they have faced a series of issues related to its water and sewer systems. As recently as 2022, for example, residents found themselves without water for hours — and sometimes days — because of leaks in the system.58 An elementary school had to send students home early due to a boil-water advisory. Fortunately, funding has been secured to begin to address some of the community’s challenges. In 2021, the city determined that water drawn from its existing well for its drinking water treatment plant contained amounts of radium exceeding allowable limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency.59 In 2022, the River Valley Regional Commission secured almost $1 million in Community Development Block Grant funding to drill a new well and upgrade equipment. The city is working to address its sewer infrastructure as well. In 2021, Buena Vista received a $2.5 million loan and a $6 million grant to help finance a replacement sewage treatment plant. These and future investments in water and wastewater infrastructure are critical to the city’s ability to serve its residents as well as attract visitors and businesses to its downtown. Thus, meeting compatible use goals requires more than traditional regulatory approaches: it requires concerted investment in infrastructure that supports concentrated development in the downtown core.

Transportation and Roads

In Georgia, traveling by car or truck on county roads is the primary way people and goods move throughout the community. Rural roads also play an important role in the broader state and national transportation systems. They are essential for transporting agricultural, mining, and forestry commodities. And, they often connect commercial and tractortrailer trucks to state and federal road networks. Rural areas face a number of challenges, however, in keeping their roads safe and in good condition.62 While urban areas have more traffic and road networkrelated costs, they also are located in areas with stronger tax bases to fund needed improvements.

The RVCCD planning and engagement process highlighted how critical improving transportation safety and connectivity is to the region. For example, the city of Lumpkin has a strong need for downtown pedestrian safety in the heart of the community. In recent years, increased numbers of tractor-trailer trucks have been driving through downtown on GA27.An elderly couple lost their lives downtown after being hit by a tractor-trailer. The Lumpkin Downtown Streetscape Plan, outlined in more detail later in this document, includes designs focused on encouraging safer vehicular speeds, creating accessible pedestrian walkways and destinations, and improving downtown commercial streets through more efficient on-street parking.

The city of Buena Vista is similarly focused on improving its downtown core by starting with transportation. Following the approval of a regional

As cities like Buena Vista, Lumpkin, and others plan major downtown renovations, they will need to leverage all available funding tools to support water and sewer system repairs and upgrades to support additional development. Infrastructure capacity is an essential element for economic development around a historic downtown core. Encouraging denser development in these areas through increased infrastructure capacity will lessen pressure for development in areas prioritized for conservation and limit long-term infrastructure maintenance costs.

$665 million T-SPLOST proposal, Buena Vista is poised to invest over $2 million in local proceeds to improve infrastructure around the courthouse square. The designs developed for Buena Vista reflect the community’s vision of an active and attractive downtown streetscape, with new sidewalks and street trees, relocated utility lines, and other elements that welcome visitors downtown. Indeed, all the designs created for the study-area communities reflect the core goals of making downtowns more attractive and pleasant, while providing better parking and a safer environment for pedestrians. Investment in downtown transportation infrastructure such as streetscaping, beautification, and pedestrian safety is one key to drawing development to the downtown core, stimulating economic development in a way that promotes uses compatible with Fort Moore.