Sidewalk cafes have become commonplace in urban areas around the country and Atlanta is making plans to allow them. The plan has support from the head of the city’s leading pedestrian group, who views outdoor seating as enlivening streetscapes.
Category: David Pendered
Articles by David Pendered
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A terrific site for affordable homes, if only there weren’t a sewer line
MARTA intends to sell nearly a half-acre of vacant land that looked like a prime candidate for a development of affordably priced homes near Carey Park, in Northwest Atlanta. The minimum bid was $6,200, low enough to take land costs almost out of the equation. Then a buyer asked about that sewer line.
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A 17-mile trail system taking shape in Sandy Springs to connect parks, neighborhoods, destinations
Sandy Springs is moving forward briskly with planning for an estimated 17-mile set of trails to link parks, Perimeter Center and the city’s central park. The city council has allocated $750,000 to further a plan still on the drafting tables at PATH Foundation.
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Georgia’s endangered marine mammal to get relief from planned halt of offshore oil exploration
The second dead right whale of the year was reported last week, and by coincidence it was spotted the same day the U.S. House voted to block the expansion of offshore oil drilling in waters of Georgia and most of the rest of the nation. Offshore oil drilling activities are a hazard to endangered right whales and to other sea life, according to the federal government.
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Dead dolphins off Tampa join dolphin deaths, huge dead zone in northern Gulf of Mexico
A new round of dead bottlenose dolphins was reported Friday by the federal government, this one south of Tampa and in addition to the dead dolphins reported earlier in the week along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the huge dead zone in the gulf that results from an inflow of fertilizers and urban sewage.
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Georgia’s pension fund cited in positive light by Moody’s credit analysts
Georgia’s pension fund is highlighted in a positive light in a recent credit rating action by Moody’s Investors Service. Moody’s issued the rating for about $951 million in debt the state plans to sell for purposes including education and election voting systems.
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Atlanta’s new DOT to be one-stop shop for everything from transit planning to pothole repair
Atlanta residents are to be allowed to voice their thoughts about how the city’s newly created Department of Transportation goes about its business – including transit planning. Late 2020 is the target date for the new department to be fully functional, according to legislation approved Monday by the Atlanta City Council.
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Trees: More than pretty plants, they mark efforts in civil rights, public health, more
Tree canopies represent more than pretty plants. Urban forests are at the center of a national conversation over civil and human rights, the wealth divide and public health – and President Trump’s foreign relations. This is the broader conversation as Atlanta considers a rewrite of its tree ordinance.
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No ‘open, blank check’ for Atlanta BeltLine, says Atlanta’s Finance Committee chair
The Atlanta BeltLine likely won’t get approval Monday for a $7 million allocation to cover unspecified “professional expenses” until it explains to the Atlanta City Council what the money is supposed to cover.
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Georgia’s threat of hurricanes this season eased by distant weather, UGA reports
The threat of hurricanes landing in Georgia this season is reduced by the persistence of an El Niño in the Pacific Ocean, according to a report released Friday by a climatologist at the University of Georgia – who also observed that the downpours this months have reduced the extent of drought in the state.
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Planned charging stations for e-scooters, e-bikes could ease tension over their use
The free market has found a way to create a new revenue stream off electronic bikes and scooters, and this answer promises to resolve one thorny issue regarding the devices – where and how the devices are charged.
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Gwinnett County firm stiffs workers OT pay in case resolved by federal Labor Dept.
A Gwinnett County granite installation company that didn’t pay its workers overtime was among four firms cited Wednesday by the federal government – including one that stiffed its workers out of $1.5 million at a Marine military base, plus one cited Tuesday for shorting workers at an Air Force base in Panama City, Fl. wrecked by Hurricane Michael.
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Fulton County’s new sustainability plan sets climate change mitigation as No. 1 goal
Climate change mitigation is the No. 1 priority named in the sustainability program approved unanimously by Fulton County’s Board of Commissioners. The measure is strongly endorsed by environmentalists and members of a citizen panel that contributed to the document.
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Grooming change agents for tomorrow starts with engaging youth today
Jackie Ampofa is a teenager who represents the next generation of community leaders. She’s working to improve a blighted area near Six Flags Over Georgia and her mentor – whose work contributed to a new statewide law protecting tenants – brought her to an event that teaches folks from less-advantaged backgrounds how to build partnerships across generations.
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‘until I am’ wins 2019 Georgia Poet Laureate’s Prize for Marietta teen
This year’s teen winner of the Georgia Poet Laureate’s Prize explores questions of self that respond directly to Henri Cole, another award-winning poet who observed a poem is, “a little snapshot of the soul in a moment of being.”
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Tariff concerns rise in Georgia, Southeast as tight labor market draws headlines
A tight labor market continues to headline the Southeast’s economic conditions, though the transportation industry is bracing for job cuts related to trade tariffs, according to a federal report – and that was before President Trump announced potential tariffs on Mexico.
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Emory names first diversity officer to strengthen ‘diversity, equity, inclusion’
Emory University on Tuesday announced its selection to serve as the first vice provost for diversity and inclusion, chief diversity officer and advisor to the president. The position is to help Emory fulfill its ambitions to fulfill its four pillars of academic excellence.
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Georgia’s summer: Hot, dry, grazed by Republican feud over hurricane relief funding
The start of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season finds Georgia facing ever-increasing dry conditions, even as Republicans have gotten personal in the battle over federal relief for Hurricane Michael – a record delay of 34 weeks after the storm.
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Big thud: UN reports human society at risk as extinction threatens 1 million species
That thud heard across the country was response to a landmark report from the United Nations that shows human society is at risk as 1 million plant and animal species are on the brink of extinction.
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Atlanta’s tree ordinance: Final public forums slated before final draft written
Atlanta’s potential tree ordinance is nearing completion, as next week the city is to convene the second and final round of city-wide public forums before a final draft ordinance is to be presented to the public in July or August.
