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Atlanta, GA | Posted: November 29, 2016
Summary Sentence:
School of City & Regional Planning alumna Elizabeth Hollister answers questions about her option paper, time here at Georgia Tech, and what she's doing now.
Full Summary:
School of city & Regional Planning alumna Elizabeth Hollister answers questions about her option paper, time here at Georgia Tech, and what she's doing now.
Elizabeth HollisterPlease explain what your option paper was about.
My option paper was a feasibility analysis examining whether the property owners along Howell Mill Road could create a viable Community Improvement District (CID) as a funding source to address the corridor's infrastructure issues.
Why did you pick that topic?
I was working as a co-op student for Jamestown Properties at the time. A friend of mine who was a neighborhood leader in Berkeley Park asked me to hop on a conference call to talk to the Asset Manager for Jamestown's White Provisions development (located on Howell Mill) about the possibility of creating a CID. The idea germinated during that call. I decided that the go/no-go decision to create a CID would require a fair amount of research and coordination which Jamestown probably would not have the resources to tackle. It seemed like a great subject for an option paper.
What was your relationship like with your faculty advisor?
I was originally assigned to a transportation advisor, but in December of my second year when I came up with the CID research idea, I realized I couldn't pursue the paper without help from a professor with a deep understanding of the real estate sector. Dan Immergluck agreed to work with me despite already having a full load of advisees. He was encouraging of my plan to take a idiographic research approach involving primarily one-on-one personal interviews. He helped me shape the paper outline and provided key expertise in how to analyze the property ownership data. I could not run with this idea without his support.
What are you up to these days? Is your research related to what you are doing now?
Yes, 100%. I called a meeting with the top 11 commercial property owners in the corridor. They all reached a consensus on the idea to create a CID and enlisted my help in setting it up since I had already spoken with so many of the owners. I am now the Executive Director of the newly formed Westside/ Howell Mill CID.
What are a few of the things you enjoyed most about the program here?
I loved working and collaborating with such a talented group of classmates. Now that we have all graduated and taken the Atlanta planning scene by storm, I have friends in high places!
