Category: Maria Saporta

By Maria Saporta The last time Atlanta hosted the International Downtown Association, it was in 1977 – a time when Atlanta’s central city was beginning to enter a period of decline. Population was decreasing as growth and development extended to suburban communities – partly due to white flight. And downtown businesses and retailers were beginning […]

The moment was priceless. A man was walking along the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine on Sunday morning wearing a T-Shirt with a peace sign and the following words: “Make Music – Not War.”

The man walked up to a green piano placed on the BeltLine as part of an inspirational initiative called: “Pianos for Peace.”

The Home Depot Foundation is stepping up its commitment to veteran related causes to $250 million by 2020.

The foundation announced the increased commitment Thursday morning as it kicked off its sixth annual “Celebration of Service” campaign.

The Atlanta City Design Project will invite local residents to hear a national perspective from an outsider.

On Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. at Atlanta’s Central Library, Arthur C. Nelson, a professor of urban planning and real estate development at the University of Arizona, will help Atlanta answer several key questions as part of the City Design Project.

During the politically volatile season when some people mistakenly mention Arabs, Muslim, Islam and terrorists as if they were interchangeable, voices of reason and understanding are hoping to be heard.

One of those voices is Abe Kasbo, an Arab American who was born in Aleppo, Syria.

Renew Atlanta – the City of Atlanta entity in charge of investing the $250 million infrastructure bond referendum – has paid $15.2 million on projects and has another $64.3 million in projects under contract.

That was part of the report that Faye DiMassimo, general manager of the Renew Atlanta program, gave to members of the Atlanta Committee for Progress Infrastructure Task Force on Monday morning at a meeting in the Old City Council Chambers.

Atlanta-based PulteGroup is in a state of transition.

It recently reduced its workforce – both national and at its corporate headquarters – to lower its overhead costs. It survived a public attack from its founder – William Pulte – against the board and CEO Richard Dugas. And the board is now searching for a new CEO given Dugas announcement that he plans to step down by May 2017.

More than 400 people came to a community meeting at Grady High School Tuesday evening to explore turning the Monroe Drive-Boulevard corridor into a complete street.

History was celebrated – and made – Thursday in the ground floor gathering space of Vinings Bank.

At one end of the room, former Gov. Roy Barnes (a Democrat) was sitting next the man who forced him into political retirement – former Gov. Sonny Perdue (a Republican), and they were all smiles, happily agreeing to get their picture taken together. Perdue jokingly mentioned how time can change former political foes.

Following an outpouring of support for Henri Jova’s round bank building on Monroe Drive, the Atlanta BeltLine Design Review Committee Wednesday afternoon failed to support the building of a multi-story, self-storage facility on the site.

The best hope to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement will be during the lame duck session of Congress, top business and government leaders said at a lunch program organized by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta.