Atlanta Beltline, Inc. and Invest Atlanta approved a $242 million budget for Fiscal Year 2026 on June 18, the largest in the organization’s history. It’s a 20 percent increase from last year’s record-breaking $172 million budget. But the hefty fund is set to pay for some major work on the 22-mile trail project and its […]
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Atlanta’s tech scene has a big week with Atlanta Tech Week and Render ATL
The tech space in Atlanta, an evergrowing industry for the region anchored by dozens of colleges both in and around the city, saw enthusiasm for the growing space on full display last week. Atlanta Tech Week, which ran from June 8 through 13, wrapped up its programming on Friday for its third year filled with […]
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MARTA splits on single-tracking after concert delays
MARTA leaders are split on the transit authority’s single-tracking policies after a June 2 Shakira concert at State Farm Arena left fans packed on train platforms with unexpected delays and miscommunication. At a June 12 MARTA work session, board members and officials discussed the agency’s rules regarding planned single tracking, which is when trains run […]
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City kicks off abandoned Atlanta Constitution building redo
On June 6 Mayor Andre Dickens and Invest Atlanta kicked off renovations on the latest neglected Downtown Atlanta site — the long-abandoned former Atlanta Constitution building. The $40.6 million dollar transformation will turn the historic building into “Folio House,” a combination of affordable housing and commercial space. It’s part of the city’s ongoing effort to revitalize […]
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Chattahoochee National Recreation Area kicks off first-ever trail overhaul
On June 2 the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy kicked off the Island Ford Trail Project, an overhaul of the National Recreation Area’s 66 miles of trails. It’s the single largest project in the nonprofit conservancy’s history and the first phase of a pioneering trail management plan. From June to December, a professional trail crew will […]
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Lights, camera, taxes: Georgia looks to maintain production powerhouse status as Kemp signs new tax break into law
Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 475 (HB 475) earlier this month, ushering in a new age of tax credits that reflects the ever-changing film and TV industry. The bill goes into effect at the start of next year and was sponsored by Rep. Matthew Gambill (R) and Sen. Matt Brass (R). Notably, it made […]
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The unheard win for public health
A long-standing powerhouse in public health, Atlanta is now home to another public health initiative that’s been making strides in eliminating the debilitating disease lymphatic filariasis: Global Alliance for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF). Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a tropical parasitic infection, which is usually transmitted through mosquitoes. It is sometimes called ‘elephantiasis’ because […]
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Committee for a Better Atlanta launches policy platform ahead of packed local election season
Atlanta’s nonpartisan coalition of business and civic organizations returned with its 2025 policy platform ahead of a slate of municipal elections in November. It’s the first step in the group’s intensive candidate-vetting process that lays out the top local issues for voters and gauges how well each hopeful will address them. Committee for a Better […]
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Atlanta tax relief initiative seeks to help senior homeowners avoid displacement
The City of Atlanta is again looking to bring some relief to its senior resident homeowners facing rising property taxes. The Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund, which opened on May 1 this year, is an affordable housing initiative from Invest Atlanta and the City of Atlanta seeking to give homeowners with the highest risk of displacement […]
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Atlanta climbs to 21st in national ParkScore ranking
Atlanta continued its rise through the Trust for Public Land’s (TPL) annual ParkScore rating with a best-ever finish in 21st place, four spots higher than last year’s 25th ranking. Every year, the national nonprofit releases a ranked list of park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities. The list bolsters local park improvement efforts […]
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U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock: ‘Uncertainty is never a friend of business’
At the weekly Rotary Club of Atlanta luncheon May 19, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock provided an alternative voice to many of the policies being pushed by the “trifecta” of Republican power in Washington. Warnock said he is “deeply concerned” about a number of those policies, including cuts to the Atlanta-based Centers of Disease Control and […]
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Invest Atlanta taps into TAD funds for Westside affordable housing
At a May 15 meeting the Invest Atlanta board approved $8.5 million in Tax Allocation District funds to help build 150 new units of affordable housing in some of the city’s underfunded neighborhoods. The projects will add 166 new housing units total, with 150 set aside at various affordability levels based on the Area Median […]
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Atlanta Medical Center redevelopment shows signs of life
The former Atlanta Medical Center is brimming with activity as demolition crews take the first steps to tear down the hospital and put a 22-acre mixed-use campus in its place. The hospital has been closed since 2022, when Wellstar suddenly shut the trauma center’s doors to the public. It sat empty until October 2024, when […]
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ARC board approves amendment to transportation plans, discusses uncertain status of federal grants for local priority housing projects
At a joint meeting of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) board and the Transportation and Air Quality Committee (TAQC) on Wednesday, board members voted to approve an amendment to the ARC’s regional transportation plans, which adds about $207 million to the budget for transportation projects around the metro area. The action applies to the ARC’s […]
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ARC awards 2025 Livable Centers Initiative grants, announces Community Development Assistance Program recipients
At the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) board meeting on Wednesday, the ARC announced its 2025 awards for Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) grants and the recipients of this year’s Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP). Six LCI planning studies will be funded through more than $1 million in grants from ARC to make metro area communities more […]
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The first American pope comes at a critical time
White smoke rose above the Vatican Thursday last week, a signal that Catholics around the world recognized as the end of the conclave to elect a new pope as a successor to the late Pope Francis. Not long after, the Vatican announced to eagerly-awaiting crowds that Cardinal Robert Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — […]
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Beltline readies for World Cup with West End driverless shuttle proposal
Atlanta Beltline, Inc. could bring autonomous vehicles to the West End with a proposed 12-month pilot program aimed at connecting MARTA to the Southwest Trail and Atlanta University Center. The people-moving project aims to add four driverless shuttles to the city by January 2025, in time for the city to host eight FIFA World Cup […]
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YWCA Greater Atlanta reaches $19.5 million goal
The YWCA Greater Atlanta, founded at Spelman College in 1902, just celebrated one of its most eventful weeks ever. Danita Knight, president and CEO of the YWCA Greater Atlanta, announced it has raised its goal of $19.5 million to renovate the Phillis Wheatley YWCA on the Westside, a project that’s been years in the works. […]
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CCI’s Rohit Malhotra announces run for Atlanta City Council president
The race for Atlanta’s City Council President is becoming more competitive. Rohit Malhotra, the founder of the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI), is running for the office. He filed his paperwork on May 9, becoming the second candidate in the race. Atlanta City Council member Marci Overstreet announced she is running for the position in […]
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Georgia State University makes way on campus remake – and Sparks Hall demolition
Georgia State University is gearing up for a major transformative project on its downtown Atlanta campus, but the $107 million overhaul will destroy the first building designed and built for the college. It’s a fast-tracked catalog of nine projects set to turn the commuter-centric campus into a true college destination before Atlanta hosts the 2026 FIFA […]
