Atlanta business leaders discuss economic recovery ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - For many in Atlanta, especially those in the business community, the big question for 2010 is when will we see significant economic recovery.

A luncheon today at the Rotary Club attempted to provide some answers.

For the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the future means smarter and more targeted growth.

LINGINFELTER: We have grown so fast...we are sort of victims of our own success in some ways. We couldn't possibly have imagined 25 years ago being almost 6 million people in metro Atlanta.

That's Bill Linginfelter, the chamber's chairman.

He addressed 200 hundred or so local business leaders and laid out a broad outline for economic development in the next decade.

Solve the water crises, improve our schools, and create incentives for high-growth, niche industries, like vaccine manufacturing, livestock engineering, and video game design.

Transportation was also big on the agenda. He and the chamber support a regional tax that would finally address Atlanta's traffic issues.

He realizes, however, it'll take some time.

LINGFELTER: I don't know if it can be done this year so you're really talking about 2012 and you hope over the next two to three years you get out of this recession and people will feel good enough about... and realize again how difficult it is to get around this city.

But he says state legislators need to get into the game somehow, citing a study that showed Georgia spent far less on economic development than Florida or the Carolinas.

For WABE News, I'm Jonathan Shapiro. © Copyright 2012, WABE