---
date: 2025-12-16
title: Downtown Development Authority Agenda Packet
source: 2025-12/2025-12-16_Downtown Development Authority_Agenda Packet.pdf
pages: 1
---

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT Downtown Development
AUTHORITY OF THE
CITY OF STOCKBRIDGE Authority
BOARD MEMBERS Meeting Agenda
Kenya Cook, Chair December 16, 2025 6:00 PM
Warren Washington, Vice-Chair
Tariq Collins, Treasurer
Jerry Mays, Secretary
Toseika Thomas, Board Member
Darryl Stamper, Board Member
Councilmember Elton Alexander

ADMINISTRATION
Shawn Edmondson, City Manager

Vacant
Economic Development Director

Lisa Fareed STOCKBRIDGE DOWNTOWN CONNECTION CENTER
130 M L KING SR. HERITAGE TRAIL
Downtown Manager STOCKBRIDGE, GA 30281
Website: www.stockbridgega.org
Phone: 770-389-7900
Cassandra Lester, Recorder Fax: 770-389-7912

Vacant, Attorney
AGENDA
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING
CITY OF STOCKBRIDGE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2025 6:00 PM

I. Call to Order
1. Invocation Followed by Pledge
2. Roll Call
3. Approve Agenda
4. Approve November 18, 2025, Minutes
5. Motions for additions or deletions to the proposed agenda
II. Officers and City Staff Reports
6. Chairman’s Comments – Cook
7. Vice Chair’s Comments – Washington
8. Treasurer’s Update – Mays
9. Secretary’s Updates – Collins
10. City Council Liaison - Councilman Alexander
11. Economic Development Department – Vacant
12. Main Street Advisory Board Liaison – Lisa Fareed
III. Old Business
13. Façade Grant update
Review open applications
Create an Interior grant
14. Projects update
Landscaping Project
In-house training
Daddy King Statue
Demolishing of structures on railroad land
MLK Sr. Heritage Trail resurface
Extend the Downtown boundary – Create districts
Property Acquisition
Create a Business/Community Resource guide
15. Marketing Plan
Page | 3

Confirm $6,000 per event budget
Pending vendor proposals
16. Legal Update
Received 2 recommendations
IV. New Business
17. Elect Officers for 2026
18. Projects
19. Digital sign on 75 (partner with CDA)
V. Executive Session (if needed)
VI. Adjourn
MEETING
SUMMARY MINUTES
Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 @ 6 PM
130 MLK Senior Heritage Trail
Stockbridge, GA 30281

Board Members City Staff
Kenya Cook, Chair - Present Cassandra Lester, Deputy City Clerk - Present
Warren Washington, Vice-Chair - Present Vacant, Economic Development Director
Jerry Mays, Treasurer - Present Lisa Fareed, Main Street Manager - Absent
Tariq Collins, Secretary - Present Christine Chavis, Economic Development Coordinator - Present
Darrell Stampler, Board Member - Present
Toseika Thomas, Board Member - Present Guest:
Elton Alexander, City Council Liaison - Absent

Chair Cook called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Secretary Collins proceeded with the roll call and quorum was established. Councilmember
Alexander was not present.

Motion to approve the agenda made by Vice-Chair Washington; seconded by Secretary Collins.
The motion passed unanimously.

Motion to approve the October 14th meeting minutes made by Vice Chair Washington and
seconded by Treasurer Mays. The motion passed unanimously.

Officer Reports
Chair's Comments-Cook
Chair Cook clarified the changes made since the last meeting, announcing that Jerry Mays is
now the Treasurer and Tariq Collins is the Secretary. He mentioned that the terms of some
Board members are expiring and encouraged them to reapply. Also, Chair Cook highlighted the
importance of participating in the upcoming DDA officer selection. He updated Secretary Collins
on the need to provide backup documentation for meeting agendas moving forward. Chair Cook
also stated that he would hand over the mailbox key to Secretary Collins. Lastly, he introduced
Toseika Thomas to the Board.

Vice-Chair Comments-Washington
Vice-Chair Washington reminded the Board that the second half of street cleaning is scheduled
for the upcoming Thursday or Friday following this meeting.

Secretary Update-Collins
No Comments

Treasurer Update-Mays
Operating Account: There is a service charge of $5.00. As of October 31, 2025, the balance is
$5,627.41.

Projects Account: No changes have occurred. As of October 31, 2025, the balance is
$160,353.44.

Façade Account: There have been no changes. As of October 31, 2025, the balance is
$41,133.50.

Page 1 of 5
MEETING
SUMMARY MINUTES
Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 @ 6 PM
130 MLK Senior Heritage Trail
Stockbridge, GA 30281

Motion to approve the Treasurer’s report made by Vice Chair Washington; seconded by Darrell
Stampler. The motion passed 5-0-1 with Treasurer Mays abstaining.

Old Business
Façade Grant Applications Update
Chair Cook clarified that the façade grant applicant, ArchDent, is confirmed to be within the
Downtown Development Authority's (DDA) boundaries, according to the official map on file with
the state of Georgia. He mentioned that the Board can proceed with reviewing the application
and documentation for the façade grant for ArchDent. Additionally, he stated that he would
recuse himself from voting on this application due to his affiliation with the applicant.

Christine Chavis updated the Board that applicant ArchDent will need to resubmit its
documentation since there were portions of the quotes received that did not align with the
requirements of the façade grant.

Chair Cook then informed the Board of a Façade Grant application for the rear building entrance
of the Frozen Smokes restaurant.

The Board reviewed the application and had a discussion, after which Chair Cook called for a
motion.

A motion to approve the façade grant in the amount of $23,020.00, based on the quote from
Mack Construction for the rear building entrance of Frozen Smoke restaurant was made by
Chair Cook; Seconded by Secretary Collins. The motion passed 5-0-1 with Vice Chair
Washington abstaining.

Christine Chavis noted that there were additional applications submitted, but they were
incomplete and could not be presented to the Board at this time.

Update Application to One-Page
Christine Chavis confirmed that a one-page application is available and it will need to be made
available on the website. It was also stated that the one-page application can be distributed to
the business owners.

Create An Interior Grant
The suggested language for the interior grant was updated by Christine Chavis and distributed
to the DDA Board for review. The purpose of the interior grant was explained to the new Board
members to facilitate discussion. Following this discussion, Chair Cook called for a motion
regarding the proposed interior grant amount.

Secretary Collins made a motion to approve an interior grant in the amount of $15,000 and
33%; seconded by Vice Chair Washington. The motion passed 4-1-1, with Darrell Stampler
voting against and Treasurer Mays abstaining.

After the vote, it was noted that this is the planning phase of the interior grant and that
guidelines need to be put in place. The interior grant is not currently being promoted.

Page 2 of 5
MEETING
SUMMARY MINUTES
Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 @ 6 PM
130 MLK Senior Heritage Trail
Stockbridge, GA 30281

Projects Update
Landscaping Project
Tabled

In House Training
Chair Cook discussed the training requirements for the DDA Board and the benefits for new
Board Members. He noted that on December 9th, 2025, there will be virtual training available
through Main Street, and he encouraged the DDA Board members to participate. Chair Cook
reminded everyone that if mandatory training is not completed, any votes cast by that individual
will be nullified. He also requested that Board members submit their available dates, along with
the topics and duration of the training courses they wish to attend, so that scheduling can be
arranged.

Hispanic Business Expo
Chair Cook informed the Board that he had received a call from the organizer of the Hispanic
Business Expo, who requested $700.00 to cover unforeseen expenses related to the event.
Chair Cook indicated that he would present this request to the DDA Board during the current
meeting.

He reminded the DDA Board that they had previously approved $500.00 for marketing at the
Hispanic Business Expo. He proposed reallocating that amount to cover the unforeseen costs.

After discussion, Vice Chair Washington made a motion to approve $500.00 for the Hispanic
Business Expo’s unforeseen expenses, which was seconded by Darrell Stampler. The Motion
passed unanimously.

Marketing Plan
Chair Cook suggested to the Board for discussion that they consider using the $6,000 event
budget to support Main Street events. This initiative aims to alleviate the workload of the smaller
Main Street staff and serve as a collaborative effort to enhance economic development in the
Downtown District. No vote taken.

Vendor Proposal – Tabled

Legal Update
Chair Cook stated that he is reaching out to the current city legal team and other staff for
recommendations. He asked the DDA Board to share any suggestions they may have for
consideration.

New Business
Approve 2026 Calendar
The proposed meeting calendar for 2026 was distributed to the Board for a vote.

Chair Cook urged the Board to include its signature events in this calendar moving forward. This
initiative aims to enhance targeted marketing to business investors, entrepreneurs, and small
businesses, thereby strengthening opportunities for Downtown Development.

Chair Cook made a motion to approve the 2026 DDA Meeting calendar; seconded by Secretary
Collins. The motion passed unanimously.
Page 3 of 5
MEETING
SUMMARY MINUTES
Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 @ 6 PM
130 MLK Senior Heritage Trail
Stockbridge, GA 30281

Signature Projects
Proposal for the Daddy King Statue: No Update

Demolition of Structures on Railroad Land: No Update

Digital Sign on I-75 (Partner with CDA): No Update

MLK Sr. Heritage Trail Resurface: Postponed until the Board can review its Budget.

Extend the Downtown Boundary - Create Districts: Postponed until the Board can review its
Budget.

Property Acquisition: Postponed until the Board can review its Budget.

Create a Business/Community Resource Guide: Chair Cook reminded the Board that a
budget has been approved and requested their input on the vision for the content and layout of
the Community Resource Guide. The objective is to promote local businesses and support the
Downtown Development Authority (DDA).

Ms. Chavis cautioned that care must be taken to avoid overlapping efforts with the DDA, the
Community Development Authority (CDA), and the Economic Development team, all of which
are working on similar projects.

Chair Cook emphasized that this should be a collaborative project involving all the Boards.

Ms. Chavis expressed concerns about the potential challenges of coordinating efforts among
the various agencies given existing commitments.

Secretary Collins suggested selecting representatives from each of the three agencies in the
creation of the Resource Guide as a way to ensure that all Boards have input. These
representatives would then report back to their respective Boards on the progress of the Guide.

Chair Cook asked the Board if they agreed with this approach. During the discussion, it was
mentioned that Vice-Chair Washington and Tariq Collins would represent the DDA Board in
developing the Community Resource Guide in collaboration with the city’s Economic
Development Department and CDA, if applicable.

In response, Vice-Chair Washington withdrew as the Main Street DDA Liaison to represent the
DDA Board during the creation of the Community Resource Guide.

After further discussion, Chair Kenya Cook nominated himself as the new Main Street Liaison,
and the nomination was seconded by Vice-Chair Washington. The motion passed unanimously.

City Council Update
Elton Alexander – City Council Liaison
Not Present

City Staff Reports
Vacant – Economic Development Director
Page 4 of 5
MEETING
SUMMARY MINUTES
Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 @ 6 PM
130 MLK Senior Heritage Trail
Stockbridge, GA 30281

Lisa Fareed – Main Street Manager
Not Present

Executive Session
There was no executive session.

Chair Cook called for a Motion to adjourn at 7:56 p.m. Vice-Chair Washington made the Motion,
seconded by Secretary Collins. The Motion passed unanimously. The minutes were recorded by
Deputy City Clerk Cassandra Lester.

Executive Session Criteria GA Code
Discuss or vote to authorize the settlement of a matter covered by the attorney-client privilege. 50-14-2(1) and
Identify the case or claim discussed but not the substance of the attorney-client discussion. 50-14-3(b)(1)(A)
Discuss or vote to authorize negotiations to purchase, dispose of o lease property. 50-14-3(b)(1)(B)
Discuss or vote to authorize the ordering of an appraisal related to the acquisition or disposal of real 50-14-3(b)(1)(C)
estate.
Discuss or vote to enter into a contract to purchase, dispose of, or lease property subject to approval 50-14-3(b)(1)(D)
in a subsequent public vote.
Discuss or vote to enter into an option to purchase, dispose of, or lease real estate. 50-14-3(b)(1)(E)
Discuss or deliberate upon the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action 50-14-3(b)(2)
or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a public officer or employee.
Meeting to interview one or more applicants for the position of the executive head of an agency. 50-14-3(b)(2)
A meeting otherwise required to be open was closed to the public in order to consult and meet with 50-14-2(1)
legal counsel pertaining to pending or potential litigation, settlement, claims, administrative
proceedings, or other judicial actions brought or to be brought by or against the agency or any officer
or employee or in which the agency or any officer or employee may be directly involved and the
matter discussed was [identify the matter but not the substance of the discussion.
meeting held for investigative purposes under duties or responsibilities imposed by law. 50-14-3(a) (1)

Page 5 of 5
