About Us - Overview

Created in 1973 by Georgia law and a resolution of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners as a special unit of the county government, the DAFC provides wide-ranging economic development services on behalf of Fulton County. DAFC also facilitates community based economic development initiatives.

Seeking to stimulate diverse, high-quality economic development, the DAFC provides taxable and tax-exempt bond financing pursuant to Georgia Development Authorities law.

Who We Serve

The DAFC serves clients of all sizes, from small entrepreneurial enterprises to global corporations. We have endowed everything from education, healthcare and transportation to arts and culture.

Our incentives help fund projects ranging from creative multi-use developments, hi-tech office buildings, data centers, state-of-the-art manufacturing and warehouse facilities, as well as new market rate and affordable housing options.

Clients Include:

Global Payments, Inc.	PPF AMLI Market Street, LLC	ALCON Laboratories	Microsoft
Hines	The Kroger Co.	Advance Education, Inc	ASOS
Allen Morris	The Loudermilk Companies	Red Rock Development	Mercedes-Benz
Atlanta International School, Inc.	Wood Partners	Hines-T3 AS Investors, LLC	PVH Corp
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta	Coca-Cola Company	CPI-Phipps, LLC	Deluxe
Mill Creek Residential	Kaplan Centennial Park	Georgia Tech Foundation	General Motors
Equifax, Inc.	Hanover	Northside Hosp, Inc	PAC Worldwide
GUGV Ascent Midtown Atlanta	SELIG Enterprises, Inc.	WellStar Healthcare System	Pandora
Property Owning, LLC	Urban Realty Partners	Fuqua	Walmart.com
JH Holdings & Buckhead Place Hotel	First Industrial Realty Trust	Royal South Pkwy Investors	Spelman College
Lennar	Miller Zell, Inc.	Sonoco	Clark Atlanta University
Piedmont Healthcare, Inc.	Warehouse Properties, LP	SYSCO Atlanta
Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, Inc.	Georgia Tech Facilities	Carter

DAFC BONDS PROCESS

The DAFC issues taxable and tax-exempt bonds for qualified economic development projects across Fulton County and its municipalities, including the City of Atlanta.

The bonds, the interest on which may be taxable or exempt from income taxation, facilitate financing for a company or institution, allowing the company to buy land, build new facilities, expand existing facilities, upgrade equipment, or otherwise make investments that enhance value and create jobs within Fulton County.

In addition to tax-exempt financing for manufacturing and other qualified projects, including 501(c)(3) projects, under federal law, many state and local governments offer taxable bonds as a way to encourage economic development. For project owners and developers, bonds are an often-overlooked source of capital that may offer significant tax advantages, thereby reducing the overall cost of financing projects.

For projects meeting certain criteria, the DAFC issues a taxable bond (for which the client must identify a purchaser). The Authority holds ownership of the property and leases it to the client. The leasehold interest in the property is initially valued, for ad valorem tax purposes, at 50% of the assessed fee interest, and that value increases by 5% annually over a 10-year period. Thereafter, the leasehold interest terminates, and the property is fully taxable.

Projects range from new construction and equipment upgrades to the renovation and expansion of existing facilities.

Bond financing applicants, whose projects are subject to DAFC qualifying guidelines, must first complete an application to be reviewed by DAFC staff. The professional staff of the DAFC evaluates each proposed project, including the number and quality of new jobs each project creates, and works in conjunction with the Fulton County Board of Assessors as applicable.

For more information regarding the program and project eligibility, please call our office at 404-612-8078.

DAFC Charter

Senate Bill 120, Development Authorities Law. Georgia (1969)

Resolution to Appoint BOD (1973)

Item 7, Resolution Declaring a Need for Creation (1973)

Minority and Female Business Enterprises (MFBE)

Enhanced MFBE Program

Development Authority of Fulton County is the only development authority in the State of Georgia that has recommended percentage levels that go beyond an undefined best efforts standard. Over the last several years, DAFC leadership and staff have worked extensively to create enhancements to DAFC’s Minority and Female Business Enterprise (MFBE) Policy.
Recommended percentage levels go beyond construction.
i. The enhanced policy encourages companies that receive incentives to make a good faith effort to use Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) for 26.7% of subcontracted work and Female Business Enterprises (FBEs) for 11.1% of subcontracted work and requires that companies submit detailed plans on the front end that detail their internal strategies for successful implementation of DAFC’s program. ii. These recommended percentage levels go beyond construction as DAFC encourages the development team to also use MBEs and FBEs during the planning and operations phases. Pre and post-construction services can include consulting, architecture, engineering, accounting, landscaping, legal, marketing, and interior design work, to name a few.
Tools and Online Tracking. The DAFC has led the initial efforts in getting this program to fruition and realized early on that improvements would need to be made to adequately track MFBE utilization. As a result, DAFC is in the process of shifting to an online tracking program that will roll out very soon. At the end of the day, DAFC hopes to work closely with companies to provide the necessary tools to be successful.

For more information on DAFC’s enhanced MFBE program, please click here for the Amended and Restated MFBE Resolution adopted by DAFC

Who We Are and What We Do