“We just met with a group on some funding opportunities,” he says. Villa Rica is exploring architectural designs to create more pedestrianfriendly pathways and public spaces. One of the more ambitious ideas includes reviving the Gold Nugget Trail, a project initially aimed to connect downtown through a network of trails similar to Carrollton’s Greenbelt system.“As new developments come in, the trail would be expanded through that development,” Reese explains, pointing to a broader vision of integrating green space into Villa Rica’s ongoing growth. For Mayor McPherson, the character of Villa Rica’s downtown is shaped by its independent, locally owned businesses—a focus the city is working hard to preserve. “You can go to any city and find a big chain store,” she remarks, but what makes Villa Rica unique are the small, family-run businesses that line its historic streets. Even so, one challenge Villa Rica faces downtown is vacancy. While facade grants are already in place to help restore storefronts, more work must be done to fill these empty spaces.“We have more vacancies than before Covid,” Mayor McPherson admits.The city is on track to remedy this but recognizes that the road to recovery for small businesses is far from easy. Local residents play a critical role in this resurgence. “They do need residents believing and shopping local,” she emphasizes, reiterating the importance of community support in sustaining Villa Rica’s unique downtown identity. Outside of the downtown core, Villa Rica is nearing full capacity in its existing industrial park, signaling a need for future expansion. “Unless we buy more property, what we currently have for industrial is full,” Mayor McPherson says.There is little space left, with only one potential vacancy, and the city is actively searching for new locations to support industrial growth. Carroll Tomorrow, an economic development arm of the local Chamber of Commerce, has also started shifting focus from primarily industrial to 183 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 11 VILLA RICA, GA
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