GRTA DEVELOPMENTS OF REGIONAL IMPACT (DRI) REVIEW SERVICES 

Purpose of Project

The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Development of Regional Impact Review Program was established to assess the benefits and costs of land development projects that meet DRI criteria within the 13 counties of metro Atlanta. According to state law, a Development of Regional Impact (DRI) is defined as a “large, master-planned development that exceeds a threshold size and land use type determined by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.” 

 

The primary objective of this program is to provide an evaluation of the effect of the proposed development upon the transportation network as well as identify ways in which existing and future detrimental impacts on multi-modal mobility and can be eased with planning and engineering principles and judgement. 

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Our Role on the Project

During a transitional period for GRTA shortly after the release of the 2021 DRI Review Procedures, Modern Mobility Partners (MMP) led the program in its entirety. Our services included working closely with Regional Commissions, partner state agencies, developers, applicants, and local governments to complete each step in the review process – from methodology development to the issuance of the final Notice of Decision of the mandatory and ancillary conditions of approval to develop the site. MMP served as the point of contact for senior management and their partners with the intent of reaching consensus over approval conditions. Our team was responsible for disseminating procedural knowledge to applicant teams given the relatively new modifications to the rules and regulations of the DRI review procedure. 

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Problem Solvers​

During our time presiding over the program, MMP was presented with some notably unprecedented cases for alternative mode study options. Our team was responsible for working with various organizations to pioneer study methodology for developments with significant opportunities to walk, cycle and utilize transit as an alternative to car trips. This not only required a robust grasp of the elements of the transportation study required by GRTA but the reasoning behind the requirements. Through our understanding of the overarching objectives that GRTA sets for evaluating impacts of site development, MMP was able to develop a customized study methodology that captured the basic requirements of a traffic impact study with a heavy emphasis on the impacts related to alternative modes.