Riverdale LCI

KB Advisory Group conducts market analysis with TSW for Riverdale LCI

KB Advisory Group (KB) Scope

​KB Advisory Group partnered with TSW for the market analysis, conducted with Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) funding granted by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). ​

This report provided a demographic, economic, and real estate inventory and trend analysis for several nested geographic areas: ​

• Clayton County
• The City of Riverdale
• The LCI Area
• The Church Street Corridor Subarea

The study examined the state of the market, forecast future demand potential, and identify strategies that can bolster the economic development potential of the LCI area.

Existing Conditions

The City of Riverdale lies within central Clayton County. The city and the county are both used as geographic points of comparison in this study.

The LCI Study Area was the primary geography of interest for demographic, economic, and real estate analysis purposes. It generally encompassed a large portion of central Riverdale on either side of the main SR 85 commercial corridor.

The Church Street Corridor was another area of particular interest within the larger LCI Study Area. Church Street is a less heavily travelled road in comparison to SR 85,  adjacent to several city facilities including the Town Center. It is also commercial in nature. This area was examined mostly from a real estate perspective.

The Findings

The analysis found the LCI Area shared many commonalities with Riverdale and Clayton County but had its own unique attributes. While the three areas had similar generational and racial compositions, household income and educational attainment trends differed.

An analysis of the local economy found the LCI Study Area contained most of the jobs that exist within the City of Riverdale. Of those living within the LCI and employed within the LCI, workforce composition was relatively the same.  Although, there was more variety of jobs by industry for those living within the LCI who may work outside of the area.

Housing in the Riverdale LCI was found to be affordable with 84% of homes valued at $200k or less. This amount was 20% greater than in Clayton County which had a higher percentage of new homes than the City of Riverdale or Riverdale LCI. Household tenure was almost evenly distributed between the City of Riverdale and Clayton County with over 50% of homes in both geographic locations renter-occupied and the other 50% owner-occupied. The Riverdale LCI, however, consisted of a larger proportion of renter-occupied homes (66%) than the other two locations.

​Commercial real estate in the LCI Area was found to be dominated by retail uses. Over 1.4 million square feet of restaurants, gas stations, and grocery and convenience stores populate the area, and are largely located along the State Route 85 corridor. Much smaller amounts of office and industrial uses made up the remainder of the inventory.

Implementation Strategy

Based on the executed real estate demand forecast, KB recommended attention be placed on the well positioned, catalytic sites to infuse the local market with a new delivery of homes. Providing housing options not currently available would in turn further the appeal and livability of the Church Street Corridor and create a more competitive commercial market capable of supporting new retail in an oversaturated market.