By John Ruch A railroad bridge over Ormewood Avenue and a reconstructed 1800s farm at the Atlanta History Center have been nominated as official landmarks as the City continues to expand its definition of “historic.” The landmark nominations of the Ormewood Avenue Bridge and the Smith Farm were approved enthusiastically by the Atlanta Urban Design […]
Author Archives: John Ruch
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Write-in candidates begin signing up for Atlanta city races
Write-in candidates have begun signing up for Atlanta’s Nov. 2 municipal races, joining some fields already crowded with candidates seeking to be on the ballot. Two write-ins for mayor have signed up: Henry Anderson of Sweet Auburn and Raina Bell-Saunders of Northwest Atlanta. Another 14 candidates have filed to appear on the ballot: Antonio Brown, […]
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Advocacy groups to hold Atlanta city election forums on housing, transportation issues
By John Ruch A coalition of housing and transportation advocacy organizations is holding a series of Atlanta city election candidate forums, kicking off Aug. 26. Dubbed “What’s Your Plan?,” the series is supported by organizations that support new City zoning rules that would allow more dense and affordable housing in more places, and to speed […]
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ARC chief explains the transformative goals for his final months on the job
By John Ruch With roughly seven months left on the job, Atlanta Regional Commission Executive Director Doug Hooker is working to accomplish a list of final-year goals intended to expand the definitions of and participation in the ARC’s regional programs. “Suffice it to say that I am not trying to ‘coast to the end,’” Hooker […]
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Atlanta, meet your candidates for the Nov. 2 elections
By John Ruch Atlanta, meet your candidates for the Nov. 2 municipal elections. The following candidates — including 14 contenders for mayor alone — filed qualifying paperwork by the Aug. 20 deadline. (None of them are officially on the ballot yet, though, as formal certification comes next week.) MAYOR Antonio Brown, Andre Dickens, Kirsten Dunn, […]
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Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation says it had no role in training center site selection
By John Ruch The Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation says it played no role in picking the controversial location of a proposed public safety training center, contradicting an official site recommendation report, and later said it considers the choice “viable.” “When the Atlanta Fire Rescue Foundation was asked to participate, the site was already determined,” said […]
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ARC seeks to confirm tax-exempt status, raise programming endowment
The Atlanta Regional Commission is seeking to confirm its little-known status as a tax-exempt public charity with an eye on raising private philanthropic funds to endow surveys and scholarships to be more inclusive. “Like a lot of organizations, we have always focused on equity, but we’ve been looking at ways we can improve access to […]
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Atlanta City Council delays vote on controversial public safety training center, tightens legal language
By John Ruch The Atlanta City Council has delayed its vote on a controversial public safety training center at the former Prison Farm for three weeks, responding to pressure from opponents concerned about a lack of public input and impacts on forest and neighborhoods. The council also voted at the same Aug. 16 meeting to […]
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Krispy Kreme’s return to Ponce would be even sweeter with historic preservation advice
Krispy Kreme’s efforts to bring back the fire-gutted doughnut shop on Ponce is good news that would be even sweeter with more input from local preservation experts. The shop has been a Midtown institution for over 55 years, attracting customers to its 24-hour drive-thru with an iconic neon sign. Now that local history has a […]
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Public safety training center plan heads to City Council with chorus of opposition
The controversial plan to build a public safety training center at the former Atlanta Prison Farm site is heading to City Council for consideration Aug. 16 in a downsized version that is still opposed by a coalition of community and activist groups. The council’s Finance/Executive Committee on Aug. 11 approved a version of the plan […]
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Buckhead condo project moves ahead with deal to partly preserve historic book bindery
A historic brick building in Buckhead that once housed a book factory and a beloved bookstore would be largely preserved, after years of community efforts, as part of a surrounding condo development that recently won zoning approval. Currently home to Peachtree Battle Antiques and Interiors, the building at 2395 Peachtree Road began life in 1929 […]
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Georgia’s joint development authorities vary widely in meeting transparency
Little-known government bodies called joint development authorities around the state, with such powers as issuing bonds and conducting regional plans, vary widely in transparency and public accessibility, a SaportaReport review has found. At least two multi-county JDAs may be violating a state law requiring them to meet quarterly, including a DeKalb/Newton/Gwinnett authority that was last […]
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A look at who’s funding the Atlanta City Council president candidates
As fundraising totals head toward the $750,000 mark in the Atlanta City Council president race, it’s easy to measure by the size of the war chests. But in the nitty-gritty of contributor lists — beyond the usual gaggle of attorneys, developers and airport contractors — there’s a finer-grained picture of the subcultures and niche groups […]
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Atlanta kills obscure law limiting bus shelters as MARTA builds more
An obscure Atlanta ordinance limiting the number of bus shelters in the city to 300 was repealed in June after surprised City Council members heard of it on Twitter. MARTA says it ignored the law, but has fewer than 300 Atlanta shelters anyway — a count that will be improved by a five-year expansion plan. […]
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Atlanta Police Academy to open temporary home at college rejected as training center site
The Atlanta Police Academy is set to reopen next week in its new home at Atlanta Metropolitan State College. The deal is a temporary solution while the City seeks to build a permanent public safety training center at a controversial site in DeKalb County after rejecting other options — including the college. The former police […]
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Fulton Development Authority debates its own self-reform efforts, begins financial review
Intent on self-reforming from a financial scandal, the board of the Development Authority of Fulton County plunged into debate July 27 on who should do it and how fast, with tempers flaring over the chair’s unilateral actions and a last-minute slate of reform ideas. Along the way, the board heard from its longtime auditor as […]
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BeltLine trail segment gets preferred route through Bankhead/Washington Park
A segment of the Atlanta BeltLine’s Westside Trail through Washington Park and Bankhead has a preferred route and could have a construction-ready design by January. Actual construction on the so-called Westside Trail Segment 4, aka the Westside Trail Extension North, is yet to be scheduled and would take well over a year, officials said at […]
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Braves and Major League Baseball join the effort to commemorate a Negro Leagues field
A decade-long effort to commemorate a rare piece of Negro Leagues baseball history in Southwest Atlanta, the former Black Crackers practice field, is getting a boost this week from Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves. The league and team’s private volunteer work day July 28 may help spark further hands-on help and fundraising for […]
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Obscure six-county development authority collects fees, hired lobbyist, meets privately
An obscure joint development authority of six metro Atlanta counties has ignored state financial reporting requirements and open meetings laws for years while collecting and spending public money: $15,000 a year in membership fees, a $10,000-a-year lobbyist, and the ability of companies in member counties to get job-based tax breaks. The Joint Development Authority of […]
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Major Atlanta mayoral candidates discuss jail, Buckhead cityhood and more
The major candidates for mayor took strong stances on the fate of the city jail and issued some zingers about the Buckhead cityhood movement at a July 21 forum. Hosted by the Upper Westside Improvement District and the Northwest Community Alliance, the forum was held at The Works mixed-use complex. Candidates included City Councilmembers Antonio […]
