Councilmember Dustin Hillis (Courtesy City of Atlanta)

The Atlanta City Council approved legislation at its Tuesday meeting authorizing $21.5 million for the Atlanta Department of Transportation to acquire contracting services for the Howell Mill Complete Street Project.

The project, which will stretch about 2.5 miles from Collier Road to West Marietta Street, will include repaving, adding new turning lanes, new sidewalks, and updates to bike lanes and bus stops.

Work is expected to begin by the end of the year and be completed by 2026.

“Since being elected as the District 9 Council member, getting the Howell Mill Complete Street Project fully funded and to the construction phase has been one of my highest transportation priorities,” Councilmember Dustin Hillis said. “Additionally, the city is piloting an incentive program with this project to get large capital projects completed within 12 to 18 months of contract letting.”

The city council also approved:

• Legislation to authorize Invest Atlanta to create and capitalize on an economic opportunity fund grant program for $1.5 million to incentivize job creation, encourage investment, and provide tools to spur development in areas lacking access to quality groceries and fresh food.

• A resolution allowing the issuance of revenue bonds to finance a portion of the construction and development costs for Briar Park Apartments, 244 units for individuals earning between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income.

A resolution allowing the issuance of revenue bonds to finance a portion of the construction and development costs for Intrada Westside, 143 apartment units for individuals earning between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income.

• A resolution to accept the City of Atlanta’s first neighborhood heat vulnerability assessment, which measures exposure, sensitivity, and the adaptive capacity within each Atlanta neighborhood to tolerate heat stress.

• An ordinance authorizing the mayor or his designee, on behalf of the Atlanta Department of Labor and Employment Services, WorkSource Atlanta, to accept a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act youth program grant in the amount of $841,000 from the Technical College System of Georgia’s Office of Workforce Development.

• An ordinance authorizing a donation, in an amount not to exceed $5,000, from the Post 2 At-Large carry forward account to the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation. The Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation is the largest provider of pro bono legal services in Atlanta, providing free, first-rate legal services to more than 5,000 Atlantans.

• A resolution authorizing the mayor or his designee to execute a project management agreement with the Path Foundation, Inc. for the Westside Trail project, on behalf of the Atlanta Department of Transportation, in an amount not to exceed $910,000.