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GRTA complies with Civil Rights Act, except for amenities in four parking lots, internal report shows

by David Pendered

GRTA complies with the federal Civil Rights Act in the operation of Xpress bus service, but four parking lots lack required amenities, according to results of a self-review the GRTA board discussed Wednesday.

The issue is a lack of amenities such as ADA parking in a leased lot, pavilions, security cameras, and call boxes, the review determined. The board voted to address the shortcomings.

Other than the parking lot issues, the review determined that GRTA complies with the provisions of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as administered by the Federal Transit Administration.

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Cousins Properties bullish on job growth in Atlanta area as it expands in Texas; Billy Payne to leave board

by David Pendered

Metro Atlanta has regained all the office jobs it lost during the great recession and job growth is expected to exceed the national average, Cousins Properties, Inc. states in its annual financial report to the federal SEC.

In other Cousins news, Billy Payne – credited with helping to bring the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta – is to leave the Cousins board of directors after its annual board meeting May 6. Payne, 66, was elected to the Cousins board in 2006 and remains chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club.

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DeKalb Sheriff Brown’s campaign for Congress assailed by rights activist Joe Beasley over campaign finances

by David Pendered

DeKalb County Sheriff Tom Brown’s campaign for the congressional seat held by Rep. Hank Johnson is under attack by veteran human rights activist Joe Beasley.

Beasley said he filed a complaint against Brown’s campaign finance practices with the Federal Election Commission. Beasley said he holds a dim view of Brown because of the sheriff’s demeanor following the fatal shootings in 2006 at the Fulton County Courthouse, and Brown’s handling of evictions during the foreclosure crisis of the Great Recession.

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Atlanta deepens connections with Brazil for trade, academic exchange

by David Pendered

Signs of strengthening relations between Brazil and Atlanta continue to appear.

On Saturday, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is to lead a seven-day trade mission to Brazil. Last week, Georgia State University and an educational initiative started by Fulton County Chairman John Eaves hosted more than 125 college students from Brazil who are studying STEM fields at colleges in Georgia.

Georgia and Brazil have maintained direct relations for more than 20 years. The state opened a trade office in Brazil in 1994 and the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce opened in Atlanta in 1996. Brazil opened a new consulate in Atlanta in 2008.

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New report: Atlanta’s sprawl among nation’s worst; ARC’s Doug Hooker says ranking ‘a look back in time’

by David Pendered

ARC Executive Director Doug Hooker is pushing back against a new national ranking by Smart Growth America that shows metro Atlanta is one of the worst regions in the country when it comes to sprawl.

Hooker cites a 2013 report by Chris Leinberger, a land use strategist and developer, that announced metro Atlanta is, “experiencing the end of sprawl.” Leinberger’s study observed that walkable urban development now accounts for most of the development in metro Atlanta.

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Atlanta to sell 1 acre by BeltLine; developer to be chosen April 17

by David Pendered

Atlanta on Monday announced its plan to sell just over an acre of land in the BeltLine corridor. The property is across North Avenue from Ponce City Market and abuts the Eastside Trail next to the Historic Fourth Ward Park.

The city intends to select a developer on April 17. The vacant property was formally put on the auction block Monday by Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm.

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New airport business alliance similar to successful economic development program in Gwinnett County

by David Pendered

The newly formed Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance bears a striking resemblance to Partnership Gwinnett, a public-private initiative that has created a strong record of economic development in Gwinnett County.

Each entity was formed to attract jobs and investments to their respective areas. One distinguishing point is that the aerotropolis alliance was convened by the Atlanta Regional Commission, whereas Partnership Gwinnett is based at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

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Emory University’s contest lifts region’s role in global health arena

by David Pendered

Teams from Dallas and Baltimore took home top honors, but in a sense Emory University and metro Atlanta were the real winners in this weekend’s International Emory Global Health Case Competition.

The event drew to Emory’s campus more than 140 top students and scholars from the U.S. and countries including Australia, Canada and Sweden. For these students, Emory was the venue to propose and debate 21st century strategies for the World Health Organization.

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MLK Historic District to be bolstered as AHA plans tear-down of building

by David Pendered

The proposal to demolish a building owned by the Atlanta Housing Authority in the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District is advancing even as the city expects to enact in May a set of new zoning regulations to create an entire landmark district in the area.

The AHA-owned building is located along Auburn Avenue in the heart of the proposed commercial and institutional section of the landmark district. Fulton County property tax records list the owner as Westside Revitalization Acquisitions, LLC. AHA’s report to HUD lists the building as one of its potential tear-downs.

This particular structure, built in 1981, may not be worth saving – an economic review panel will help determine the building’s fate. But the proposed demolition does raise the question of protecting and promoting the King historic district as it is poised for revitalization spurred by the Atlanta Streetcar.

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MARTA’s mystery rider program, up for renewal, grew from federal ADA lawsuit filed by disabled riders

by David Pendered

When MARTA on Wednesday begins its latest effort to improve customer service, it will be renewing a program that grew out of a federal court order issued in 2002 to protect disabled riders.

MARTA is soliciting proposals for a mystery rider program. A central issue is MARTA’s compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The program goes by the sort of fun-sounding name of, “MARTA’s Mystery Customer Program.” The name harkens to the mystery customers who check on retail clerks to advise management on how well the clerks treat customers.

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Traffic relief, transit upgrades funded in ARC’s five-year spending plan

by David Pendered

A new plan due for initial adoption Wednesday by the ARC board shows the extent to which $7-plus billion can go toward improving metro Atlanta’s transportation network.

Planners talk up the will-do projects contained in this five-year spending proposal, rather than lofty visions in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s long-range transportation plan. The ARC’s 2040 plan update is up for adoption, as well.

This strategy of focusing on the five-year plan addresses some realpolitiks: Regional traffic is building after the recession, while transportation funding remains scarce; A vote to adopt a regional transportation plan will show ARC’s board is not immobilized by disagreement over who should be elected as a citizen board member.

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Consolidation in shipping industry latest wrinkle for Savannah port

by David Pendered

The vagaries of the global shipping trade are again poised to affect Atlanta’s second major trade port, the seaport in Savannah.

Last month, the concern was construction delays at the Panama Canal. This month, it’s the question of how the Savannah port will factor into a proposed alliance of shipping companies that would control up to 40 percent of the world’s major oceanic transport.

All these events are routine business ventures compared to the state’s decision on how to proceed with the deepening of the Savannah harbor – despite the decision by the Obama White House not to provide federal funding for the project.

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Atlanta a finalist for $30 million urban renewal grant; Mayor Reed responds to saportareport.com story on AHA

by David Pendered

Atlanta is one of six cities HUD has chosen as finalists for a federal Choice Neighborhood grant that would provide Atlanta with up to $30 million to improve three impoverished neighborhoods.

Atlanta would target the money on three neighborhoods west of the future Falcons stadium. The potential federal grant is separate from the $30 million already promised to the area by Atlanta and the Blank Family Foundation.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s office announced the city’s status as a finalist for the grant on March 18, the same day it issued a statement from the mayor that responded to a March 13 story in saportareport.com.

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As Yellen talks about jobs & economy, two with Ga. ties debate role of Fed

by David Pendered

A definite Georgia flavor surrounded Janet Yellen’s first press conference in Washington Wednesday as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve.

As Yellen was preparing to talk with reporters, a retired vice president of the Atlanta Fed and a UGA economics professor were speaking at a separate panel discussion, hosted by the Heritage Foundation, on what the Fed has done in its 100-year history for U.S. monetary policy.

Despite the different venues, the conversations shared an interest in the Fed’s role in unemployed and underemployed Americans.

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Sustainability’s next generation flexes young wings of new ideas in Atlanta

by David Pendered

A nascent movement in the sustainability arena flexed its young wings in Atlanta last week.

The movement involves the merging of issues including renewable energy, green buildings, and consumer products free of toxic chemicals. Apple CEO Tim Cook epitomizes the new concept for one advocate who spoke at a panel discussion sponsored by Southeast Green.

Cook drew headlines for this Feb. 28 remark to shareholders who criticized Apple’s green investment strategy: “If you want me to do things only for ROI [return on investment] reasons, you should get out of this stock.”

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Atlanta to condemn land for BeltLine rather than risk losing $18 million in federal funds for southwest trail

by David Pendered

Atlanta plans to condemn property to build an Atlanta BeltLine trail so the project doesn’t lose federal funding.

The Southwest Corridor Trail is to be built with an $18 million TIGER V grant. Atlanta has until June 30 to acquire rights of way and complete other pre-construction activities, according to terms of the grant.

The Atlanta City Council, at its Monday meeting, is slated to authorize Mayor Kasim Reed to acquire land needed for the southwest trail. The legislation provides for purchase or condemnation. The paper, 14-O-1145, does not specify the amount of land involved.

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New intrigue in proposed remake of Fulton County tax commissioner

by David Pendered

The perennial proposal to do something, anything, about the Fulton County tax commissioner is bottled up in the Georgia legislature.

The state Senate on Thursday tabled a proposal, filed by ranking House members, that contains two big provisions. At this stage in the legislative session, there’s no telling if the proposal has a chance of being passed this year.

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AHA after Renee Glover: No new initiatives for residents; but provide land for Falcons parking lot

by David Pendered

The Atlanta Housing Authority proposes no new initiatives in the first forward-looking report it has prepared for HUD since former CEO Renee Glover left last year following a public two-year dispute with Mayor Kasim Reed.

The report does say AHA intends to provide the Falcons with land near the new stadium for a surface parking lot. This site is part of the now-demolished housing project, Herndon Homes.

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Getting around without a car: Transportation funding proposals promote transit, walking, biking

by David Pendered

Bicycling, walking and transit are getting more attention as metro Atlanta planners prepare to adopt the proposed update of the region’s short- and long-term transportation plans. The plans are to be approved within 30 days.

“We will see this discussion grow more robust: How can we ensure a transit network and pedestrian network that improves moving people to regional job centers,” the ARC’s David Haynes said at Wednesday’s GRTA board meeting.

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Pet euthanasia rates lower after new manager in Fulton, DeKalb steps up adoptions, counseling for owners

by David Pendered

Fewer dogs and cats are being euthanized in Fulton and DeKalb counties now that a non-profit organization hired last year is promoting adoption of animals and counseling for owners who had planned to abandon their pets.

The euthanasia rates in February were about 14 percent in DeKalb and less than 25 percent in Fulton, according to Rebecca Guinn, executive director of LifeLine Animal Project. Historic highs have been near 85 percent at each facility.

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