Author Archives: David Pendered

By David Pendered

MARTA is slated to show off its Buckhead Station Wednesday to companies that want a piece of its $13 million to $14 million renovation.

MARTA intends to build a north entrance and pedestrian bridges that will link the northern end of the station platform with land on both sides of Ga. 400, according to pre-bid documents posted online by the transit agency.

MARTA has always intended for its Buckhead Station to be better connected than it is with the surrounding neighborhood. Of all the MARTA stations, Buckhead Station is uniquely poised to serve tony travelers arriving at Atlanta’s airport with reservations at a top-end hotel in Atlanta’s best address for shopping, dining and office.

By David Pendered

The power of Atlanta’s tradition of building a team to achieve a big public dream was underscored Tuesday by a federal cabinet member speaking at the Carter Center.

If there had been a regional group working on the foreclosure crisis last year, the region would have been more competitive to receive some of the $1.93 billion awarded in 2010 to contend with the foreclosure problem, according to U.S. Secretary Shaun Donovan, of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Metro Atlanta now has such a consortium – the Piece by Piece initiative that includes more than 140 regional and national partners who collaborate with guidance from the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Inc.

By David Pendered

Imagine being served nice food and drink for a fair price in a cutting edge facility at Atlanta’s airport.

This is the vision of prime operators such as Delaware North and other big firms. They all are vying for a piece of the lucrative food and beverage concessions contract at the world’s busiest passenger airport – Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration has created a novel approach to sign vendors and boost local businesses in order to foster this high level of customer care. The new program is said to be the first of its kind at domestic airports and results are due in six weeks.

By David Pendered

Heather Alhadeff glanced at the half-empty room and asked the obvious question no one had raised.

“Where is everyone? I thought there would be standing room only,” said Alhadeff, a transportation planner with Perkins + Will.

About 40 folks had gathered Friday morning for a Southface program about pedestrian safety near transit stops. The light turnout does not bode well as the region shapes a debate on all forms of mobility in advance of the 2012 vote on a penny sales tax for transportation improvements.

By David Pendered

Fulton County wants to find more effective ways to combat teen dating violence.

The county’s Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to apply for a $1.75 million grant to address the problem. The phenomenon has become so prevalent that it’s been targeted by Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.

“We are happy to work with the Fulton County commission, and any other entities that are focused on eradicating this problem, as we continue to see incidents of young people who are injured – or killed – as a result of dating violence,” Howard said Wednesday.