By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District, and Adam Mathes, President of Prime Power Services The calendar invitation read: “Virtual and in Person: Homelessness Encampment Emergency Meeting.” It came from Mayor Andre Dickens and the meeting was for later that afternoon on Thursday, November 10, 2022. The […]

Author Archives: Buckhead CID
Montreal: A Public Realm Built for Joy
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District, and Michael Halicki, Executive Director of Park Pride Festivals. Public art. Walkable and bikeable streets. Night-time LED illumination. A highly valued public realm. People are out and about like you wouldn’t believe! As one of my fellow LINK participants remarked, […]
Buckhead Coalition Supports Atlanta Year of the Youth with Summer Internship Program
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District “Atlanta’s young people are our future. Continuing to invest in future generations puts them on pathways to success that will help us Move Atlanta Forward, together. As Mayor, I’m committed to making Atlanta the best place in the country to […]
Buckhead Business Association: Empowering Local Business Success And Fostering Community Growth
By Rizwan Peera, President, Buckhead Business Association Atlanta’s vibrant Buckhead community is abuzz with anticipation as the storied Buckhead Business Association (BBA) continues to deliver a series of remarkable events and initiatives throughout the year. With a vision to become the driving force for business success and community development, the BBA stands as a prominent […]
Q&A with APD Major Mitchell: A Mid-Year Zone 2 Public Safety Update
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District We express our heartfelt gratitude to the men and women of the Atlanta Police Department for their hard work, dedication and selfless service. Responding quickly to emergencies, upholding law and order and protecting us – they do it all with […]
Thriving by Bridging Gaps in Accessibility
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District If Buckhead is to continue to be a thriving community for businesses, residents and visitors in the decades ahead, it is vital that we double down on infrastructure for ‘people-centric’ accessibility. Please don’t get me wrong. We absolutely should invest […]
LESS Crime: Now We Can All Contribute to a Safer City
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District When I was given the opportunity to helm the Buckhead Coalition in mid-2020 after Sam Massell retired, we were four months into the global pandemic, the protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd had turned violent in Atlanta, the […]
A Year of On-Demand Micro Transit in Buckhead
By Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead One year ago, four black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans with multi-colored swooshes all over them hit the streets in Buckhead. These vans had a mission as unique as their paint jobs – to make it easier for people to travel short distances in Buckhead without a car. Commuters […]
Time to Move On and Unite as One City
By Eric Tanenblatt, Chairman of the Buckhead Coalition The years-long cityhood debate made it possible—perhaps even easy—to view each other as adversaries with distinct and opposing visions for our community’s future. But we’re not rivals, and we never were; we’re neighbors, now and always. By now, you’ve heard that the Georgia Senate considered legislation that […]
No Little Plans in Buckhead
Daniel Burnham, the American architect and urban planner who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s, famously spoke the following in 1910: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men`s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, […]
Looking at Public Safety in Buckhead: Q&A with Major Mitchell of APD Zone 2
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District, and Major Ailen Mitchell, APD Zone 2 Commander From the moment I was given the helm of the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID) in 2009, I have gotten to know many of the fine men and women of the Atlanta […]
From One Transformational Year to Another
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District By definition, the Buckhead CID is an improvement district. If that is the case, what did 2022 look like in terms of improvements made? Plus, what does 2023 have in store for additional improvements? As we ring in the new […]
Holidays and Happenings at Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza
By Jim Durrett, executive director of Buckhead Community Improvement District, and Robin Suggs, general manager of Lenox Square December has arrived, and with it the return of holiday shoppers in Buckhead. Retail accounts for approximately $3.7 billion of economic activity in our community, and much of that occurs during this time of the year. I […]
Giving Thanks for Those Who Provide Public Safety
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District and Denise Starling, Executive Director of Livable Buckhead It’s the season for giving thanks, and Buckhead has a lot for which to be grateful. At the top of that list are the extraordinary public servants at both the Atlanta Police […]
The Infrastructure Bond, the TSPLOST, and the Buckhead CID
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District Before I get to the subject of this column, let me say that last week Buckhead Coalition member and UPS CEO Carol Tomé was celebrated at the Four Pillar Tribute and her inspirational life and example made a strong impression […]
Recovering the Veneration of Nature
By Jim Durrett, President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of Buckhead Community Improvement District Toward the end of 1987 I came home to Atlanta to begin my post-graduate-school career. I received my Professional Geologist license and worked for almost 10 years while doing volunteer work for the Georgia Conservancy and eventually joining the board […]
Help Shape the Future of Buckhead
By Denise Starling, Executive Director of Livable Buckhead Two years ago we heard from Buckhead residents and workers that they believe our area of Atlanta has the best shopping, restaurants and schools and that it is one of the best places to live. We also learned that Buckhead loves its dogs. In fact, 56% of […]
Bridging the Gap of Connectivity in Buckhead
By Matthew Gore, Projects and Programs Manager, Buckhead Community Improvement District The Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID) is elevating the community’s walkability and connectivity with a transformative project that will increase safety and create a crucial, continuous route through Buckhead for non-vehicle travelers. As a part of Phase III of the Lenox Road Complete Streets […]
Homing in on Programs to Help Address Homelessness in Buckhead
By Jim Durrett, President of the Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of the Buckhead CID, and Adam Mathes, President of Prime Power Services and Chair of Buckhead Coalition Committee on Homelessness Several times every month, we are asked essentially the same questions by individuals from all walks of life: “Can’t you do something about the […]
Bringing Night Life Nuisances and Other Safety Issues to Light
By Jim Durrett, President of the Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of the Buckhead CID I recently met with a friend who attended high school with me, and among other things, we discussed crime and the impact it has had on her quality of life and that of her children. She even lamented that were […]