Downtown Development Authority

The Downtown Development Authority of the City of Chamblee was established by special state legislation. It is an independent authority established for the purpose of planning, organizing, and financing projects that will revitalize and redevelop Chamblee’s downtown. The CDDA meets once per month, as needed, and are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. CDDA members must be a resident, a business owner, or a property own in the downtown area. Members must take at least eight hours of training on downtown development and redevelopment programs within the first 12 months of their appointment to the DDA.

Tax Incentive Strategy

The Chamblee City Council and the Chamblee Downtown Development Authority have each unanimously voted to approve a new Tax Incentive Strategy that provides guidelines for the use of incentives designed to encourage the creation of jobs, housing diversity historic preservation and more. For more information, click here.

Meetings

6:30 pm
Fourth Tuesday of every month
City Hall: 5468 Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA 30341

Agendas & Minutes

Meeting agendas are available from the Downtown Development Authority Secretary and this site. They should be posted on this site within 24 hours of the agenda closing. Meeting minutes will also be placed on this site after they are officially approved.

View All Agendas and Minutes

Board Members

Brian Ray - Chair (Term 2015-2027)

Brian Ray has lived in Huntley Hills in Chamblee with his wife and family since 2011. He has a Bachelor’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Arkansas and a Master’s of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia. He is a licensed landscape architect and a certified community planner with over 28 years of experience. He has a passion for community design and designing places for people. In addition to serving on the Chamblee DDA since 2015, he served on boards of both the Huntley Hills Neighborhood Association and the Huntley Hills Swim and Tennis Club.

Matt Sitter - Vice Chair (Term 2022-2027)

Matt Sitter was born in Detroit, Michigan, and spent his elementary years in Raleigh, NC, then moved to Houston, Texas. He received his college degree in television production at the University of Texas and moved to Atlanta in 1987. Matt worked for 32 years at Cable News Network as a Technical Director and Director and spent most of his time in the control room. He recently took a buyout and is enjoying a much less stressful life! Matt has lived in Chamblee for 25 years and was the HOA President at Surrey Place for 10 years (He still writes their quarterly newsletter). He's worked with Keep Chamblee Beautiful and Trees Atlanta and is very excited to be part of creating a fantastic downtown area that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Robert Smith- Secretary (Term 2017-2025)

Rob Smith grew up in Dunwoody and graduated from The University of Georgia with a degree in Economics. He is a resident of Keswick Village and moved to Chamblee in 2012.

Rob is a Vice President of Asset and Portfolio Management with over a decade of experience working for major real estate managers and developers including Jamestown Properties, Rialto Capital Management and currently Stonemont Financial Group. His experience spans all of the different CRE asset types, having managed over $2.5 billion in AUM and disposed of $800 million, with a concentration in Class A Industrial, Office and Multifamily.

Jonathan Smith - Treasurer (Term 2021-2025)

Jonathan Smith lives in Sexton Woods with his wife, Michelle, and son, Noah. He grew up in Dunwoody and graduated from North Springs High School, Washington & Lee University (B.A., Econ) and Mercer University (J.D.). He currently serves as Senior Vice President & Executive Deputy General Counsel of the Atlanta Braves.

John Mesa - City Council Appointee (Term 2022-2025)

Councilmember Mesa was appointed to the city council in November 2013 and has been a Chamblee resident since 2002. Throughout his tenure on city council, his priorities have been encouraging a thriving business environment and the redevelopment of the downtown area. Currently, he serves on the board of the Downtown Development Authority.

Michael Escobar (2023-2027)

Michael Escobar has lived in Chamblee’s Keswick Village since 2017 with his wife, Kristin, and they have two daughters. He has served on the Board of Keep Chamblee Beautiful as the Keswick Forest Committee Chair since January 2022 in addition to participating on the Steering Committee for Chamblee’s Master Trail Plan. Michael has worked for Salesforce since 2010 and is currently a Sr. Principal Partner Account Manager focused on manufacturing partnerships.

Seth Watson (2023-2027)

Seth Watson is a husband to Sara Beth Watson, father of 2 amazing children, Sydney (9) and Leo (6). He is a seasoned entrepreneur who started his first business in 2001. Successfully exiting 2 prior businesses, Seth now owns and operates Distillery of Modern Art in Chamblee. He brings over 2 decades of business experience to the DDA.

Seats on the CDDA

The Chamblee Downtown Development Authority accepts statements of interest to fill positions as they expire or become vacant. Interested applicants should submit a statement of interest. Applications for 2023 appointment closed on January 15th, 2023.

This webpage will be updated to reflect acceptance of applications when a position is vacated or expiring.