Remembering A.C. Toh during the 50th anniversary of A.C.T. Enterprises

June 24, 2019, 5:39 pm/0 Comments

Back in the 1980s, I had the pleasure of getting to know one of the most flamboyant developers who had entered the Atlanta market – A.C. Toh.

Toh made headlines in the 1980s by proposing to build a high-density international village on a 19-block area on the south part of downtown. Then Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young had taken Toh on a tour of the area, and together they envisioned what the place could be – a bustling new downtown with high-rise residential and office towers.

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Andrew Young on HOPE Global Forum: 'This is free enterprise at its best'

June 3, 2019, 6:42 pm/5 Comments

The 2019 HOPE Global Forum, once again, showed capitalism at its best.

The forum, held at Atlanta Hyatt Regency from May 29 to 31, brought together what has become one of the most diverse gatherings of business leaders and the general public.

The 2,000 attendees literally came from all walks of life from many different corners of the world.

And the messages were powerful.

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Gwinnett leaders still dreaming of more transit

May 20, 2019, 5:19 pm/3 Comments

Despite the MARTA referendum loss in Gwinnett County on March 19, county and transportation leaders stand firm on the need to bring transit to Georgia’s second largest county.

“Regardless of the way the vote went in March, there is so much need for transit and mobility relief in Gwinnett,” said Charlotte Nash, chair of the Gwinnett County Commission.

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Preserving both Maynard Jackson's and MLK's legacy on Sunset Ave.

May 13, 2019, 1:12 am/6 Comments

My life was transformed at 234 Sunset Ave. – the home of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King and their four children.As I have written before, my closest friend in 1966 to 1968 was the oldest of the King children – the late Yolanda King. I had the incredible good fortune to spend the night in the home, to get to know Martin Luther King Jr., and the entire family

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Pittsburgh LINK trip will offer Atlanta lessons in equity, innovation and the arts

May 6, 2019, 7:00 pm/2 Comments

About 110 Atlanta leaders will be attending the 23rdannual LINK (Leadership, Involvement, Networking, Knowledge) trip to Pittsburgh from May 15 to May 18.The LINK trip will be a little different this year as organizers have decided to make the experience more intentional and more impactful by targeting certain lessons that are particularly relevant to Atlanta.

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With lawsuit settled, it's time to preserve Paschal's and Gaines Hall

April 29, 2019, 6:11 pm/10 Comments

For nearly five years, the city of Atlanta has been in a legal battle with Clark Atlanta University over the ownership rights of nearly 13 acres of land in the heart of Westside community.On April 18, the two sides lay down their arms and agreed to a settlement where the city agreed to pay $750,000 in legal fees that CAU had incurred due to the litigation (in which CAU won every case).

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Modular homes can help solve Atlanta's housing affordability crisis

April 22, 2019, 4:46 pm/5 Comments

Longtime Atlanta business leader – Cecil Phillips – has a solution to the city’s affordable housing crisis. Modular housing.Make no mistake. This is not your grandfather’s mobile home. The modular homes being proposed and developed by Phillips match the quality and amenities of new home construction – except they can be built much more quickly and cost significantly less money.

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Atlanta – be proactive, not reactive – in building airport relationships

April 15, 2019, 2:56 pm/2 Comments

The city of Atlanta dodged a bullet when the 2019 state legislature failed to pass a bill to either takeover Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport or to create a legislative oversight committee to oversee the airport’s operations.Even Gov. Brian Kemp, in comments before the Rotary Club of Atlanta on April 8, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when asked about the airport issue..

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Opening up Peachtree Street to people rather than cars

April 8, 2019, 6:18 pm/0 Comments

Atlanta Streets Alive is helping change how we view our city’s streets.More than 120,000 Atlantans turned out on Sunday for the Atlanta Streets Alive along Peachtree Street from south downtown to 16thStreet.It was the perfect opportunity to test out a proposal by the City of Atlanta to reimagine three key blocks of Peachtree Street – from Margaret Mitchell Square to Baker Street.

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City and APS launching a pilot program to turn school lands into public parks

April 1, 2019, 6:13 pm/5 Comments

It’s such a simple notion.Atlanta can greatly add to public green space and parks by partnering with the Atlanta Public Schools to open up school property to the public.The idea is getting traction in Atlanta. The city of Atlanta, the Trust for Public Land, the Urban Land Institute-Atlanta and the Atlanta Public Schools are about to launch a pilot program that would welcome the public to use school grounds after hours and on weekends.

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Leadership in Atlanta continues to change and evolve

March 25, 2019, 6:40 pm/10 Comments

In the 1960s, a small group of about a dozen white businessmen held a tight grip on power in Atlanta.

That group included Robert Woodruff of the Coca-Cola Co., the top Atlanta bankers of the day – Mills B. Lane of Citizens & Southern; Billy Sterne from Trust Company Bank; James D. Robinson Jr. of First National Bank; Jack Tarver of the Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution; Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. (who ran the office supply business started by his father); Larry Gellerstedt Jr. of Beers Construction; the top executives of Southern Bell, Georgia Power, Atlanta Gas Light among others.

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'The Stitch' seeks to bridge the divide created by the Downtown Connector

March 4, 2019, 4:19 pm/2 Comments

Ever since the Atlanta region began carving the city apart with highways in the 1950s and 1960s, civic leaders have explored ways to reconnect the disjointed areas by bridging over our interstates.In 1981, the late Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson was about to end his second term in office. President Jimmy Carter, who had just lost re-election, was looking for the right place to build his presidential library.

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E-scooters and bicycles need their own lanes in Atlanta

February 25, 2019, 5:14 pm/10 Comments

Move over automobiles. People are taking over.

In the central areas of Atlanta, a phenomenon of “micro-mobility” is transforming the way people are getting around.

E-scooters, one-wheelers, Segways, electric bicycles and regular bicycles (devices that usually travel at less than 15 miles an hour) are demanding their fair share of the street.

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Special Atlanta moments with two music masters – Itzhak Perlman and Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

February 18, 2019, 6:26 pm/3 Comments

Two 73-year-old musicians graced town over the weekend – performing in new venues – and proving that music bridges over generations and locations.

Itzhak Perlman, the internationally-renowned violin virtuoso, performed at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts, on Saturday evening. And the next night, Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker and his band performed at the City Winery next to Ponce City Market.

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