Author Archives: Grace Donnelly

At the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) board meeting on Wednesday, the ARC announced its 2025 awards for Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) grants and the recipients of this year’s Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP).  Six LCI planning studies will be funded through more than $1 million in grants from ARC to make metro area communities more […]

Gainesville City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the rezoning of Lakeshore Mall, allowing plans to move forward to redevelop the 49-acre site into new housing, retail locations, and community greenspace.  Branch Properties, an Atlanta-based private real estate investment and development firm, intends to break ground on the project, known as Lakeshore, in late […]

MARTA has been working since 2021 on redesigning its bus service network and is inviting public input on the changes through Feb. 22.  The NextGen Bus Network is the most comprehensive update so far to a system originally designed in the 1970s. MARTA has experienced a drop-off in bus ridership since the start of the […]

The group of community members assembled three years ago to provide input on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, widely known as “Cop City,” met for the final time via Zoom on Thursday, Dec. 5.  The facility is set to open later this month, according to officials from the Atlanta Police Department (APD) and the […]

The MARTA board of directors voted on leadership positions for 2025 and granted an ethics code waiver for another departing employee at the December board meeting on Thursday.  Beginning in January, Jennifer Ide, representing the City of Atlanta, will serve as Chair of the board; Al Pond, representing Fulton County, will serve as Vice Chair; […]

Transportation was on the ballot for Cobb and Gwinnett County voters in November, but both referendums to fund public transit expansion with a local 1 percent sales tax failed. Long-time transit advocates in the Atlanta region pointed to concerns about the economy as the main reason these initiatives didn’t find more support with voters in […]

Southern Conservation Trust (SCT) and MTB Atlanta formed a partnership to develop new hiking and mountain biking trails on properties owned by SCT, according to an announcement on Thursday.  The two organizations created a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to combine their respective expertise to expand access to trails that support recreation and community engagement on […]

MARTA board members discussed the future of the Five Points Station renovation, an inquiry into alternative funding options, and an exception to the agency’s ethics code at the meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14.  “MARTA and Mayor Dickens have agreed to move forward with the originally planned Five Points transformation project,” MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood said […]

Cobb County officials launched a new microtransit program, called CobbLinc Go, at Silver Comet Linear Park on Thursday.  The curb-to-curb service provides on-demand shared rides to select locations, including downtown Austell and Powder Springs, through a fleet of vans and a platform from software company Via.  “CobbLinc Go is about creating a more connected and […]

Micromobility issues dominated the agenda the Atlanta City Council transportation committee meeting on Wednesday. Residents from District 12 and advocates for safer, more accessible streets for people with disabilities showed up to make public comments about the disrepair or lack of sidewalks in neighborhoods like Capitol View in Southwest Atlanta.  “We’ve been told repeatedly that […]

After six years as MARTA’s chief of staff, Melissa Mullinax left the transit agency last week. MARTA has named Steven Parker, assistant general manager of external affairs, as the interim chief of staff.  “On behalf of MARTA, Melissa, I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done. Words cannot convey the support, the guidance, the […]