The City of Woodstock was recently named one of four recipients of Georgia Techs 2019 Georgia Smart Community Challenge. Georgia Smart is a competitive one-year program that supports local governments within the State of Georgia by providing grant funding and access to technical assistance, expert advice, and a network of peers.

Participating communities leverage Georgia Smart resources to explore, study, and plan for the use, deployment, and integration of Smart Community technologies into their jurisdictions and operations.

The City of Woodstock was awarded the grant for a Smart Master Plan and Corridor Study. This project will conduct a smart corridor and infrastructure study to improve mobility and congestion in the city and deal with rapid growth and uneven commuting patterns. Collaborators include the Woodstock Downtown Development Authority and local design and development agency Black Airplane.

Representing City of Woodstock at the Georgia Smart Community Challenge were Community Development Director Brantley Day, Senior City Planner Katie OConnor, and GIS Manager Katy Leggett. Woodstock Office of Economic Development Marketing Manager Stacy Brown also attended on behalf of the Woodstock Downtown Development Authority.

OConnor prepared the City of Woodstocks proposal with assistance from key stakeholders. The proposal included a project narrative addressing Woodstocks vision, guiding principles, and specific plan of action to be undertaken during the Georgia Smart program period.

We are so excited to have been chosen to participate in this challenge because Woodstock can be an incubator for innovative technologies that can save lives and time, can help support a booming and unique walkable downtown, and can help to advance the entire region when it comes to technological solutions that work for everyone. With data and technology, we can be more entrepreneurial in our efforts and improve everyones experience of government services, said OConnor.

Ramachandra Sivakumar of the Georgia Tech College of Design and Center for Spatial Planning Analytics and Visualization will consult with the City of Woodstock in the year-long project, which will conclude in September 2020.

Additionally, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) selected the City of Woodstock, along with Cherokee County and the cities of Canton, Holly Springs, Waleska, and Ball Ground, to participate in the Community Development Assistance Program. One of only 18 project proposals awarded region-wide, the cities and the county will pursue a housing analysis, leveraging the significant expertise and resources provided by the ARC.

Woodstock is the only city in Georgia to be awarded both honors.

For more information on Georgia Smart, visit SmartCities.GaTech.edu.