By Guest Columnist HATTIE DORSEY, civic advocate, founder and retired president of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership
I cannot remember who the person was who termed this period of time as the “silly season,” when politicians appear on the scene seeking your vote and raising campaign funds.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. President and CEO Paul Morris on Wednesday gave his organization a “qualified” C and D grade on affordable housing so far.
The new chair of the board that oversees Atlanta’s housing authority says wants to work with more partners in development, business and education to improve the city’s affordable housing stock.
The idea sounds simple enough – provide Atlanta’s surplus property for use as construction sites for housing that’s affordable for a schoolteacher. Pending legislation to do just that uncorked a wide-reaching debate Tuesday among members of the Atlanta City Council over the city’s past and present efforts to promote a range of housing prices in the city.
In the eyes of Mark Pendergast, Atlanta is a “City on the Verge.”
Pendergast, an Atlanta native and author, has just penned an elaborate and exhaustive tale about the Atlanta BeltLine in his most recent book – “City on the Verge.”
Throughout the book, Pendergast sandwiches in slices of Atlanta’s history – providing a non-judgmental view of the city’s racial tensions and successes as well as its obsession with transportation and its own identity – nationally and internationally.
It’s still early, but Atlanta BeltLine officials may have some serious explaining to do regarding the extent to which they have complied with a mandate that the BeltLine improve the quality of life for existing residents impacted by the development.
By Guest Columnist ANDRE DICKENS, a member of the Atlanta City Council who serves the entire city
Every day, Atlantans share our roads and rails with our 5.7-million-person region. How you get to work, school, and home matters to me – is it stress-free, smooth, safe, and predictable?
Two plagues of metro Atlanta, homelessness and drug abuse, have forced their way into the spotlight by causing a conflagration on another of the region’s plagues – an overburdened section of highway.
No where has it been more apparent that metro Atlanta is in a, “best of times, worst of times,” moment for housing costs than at last week’s meeting of the Metro Atlanta Housing Forum.
When the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development came to Atlanta on Nov. 4, 2015 to celebrate its 50th anniversary, it turned to Renee Glover, Egbert Perry and Shirley Franklin to highlight its successes in Atlanta.
Former U.S. HUD Secretary Julian Castro was so impressed by what he saw in Atlanta during the 50th anniversary visit, that he complimented Glover, Perry and Franklin for all their “trail-blazing work” in transforming communities.
Shawn Simmons was nothing but exuberant as he showed off the view of Downtown Atlanta’s skyline from the balcony of a home he bought with help from a non-profit housing provider. “You can see the Westin, the 191, and the Georgia Pacific – that’s where I work!,” Simmons said.
Fulton County leads the nation in the rate of home renters who are evicted or put on notice of eviction, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta. A contributing factor is the management practices of corporations and equity funds that bought homes during the Great Recession.
Atlanta has approved a $40 million expenditure that aims to preserve the city’s supply of affordable homes by – among other efforts – providing money to lower income residents to repair their decaying homes and continue residing in them.
Rental rates for newly built apartments in Buckhead and Midtown now exceed $2.60 a square foot, and a new report from CBRE says the demand exists to fill the units. Meantime, the report observes gentrification and rising prices are concentrated east of Midtown/Downtown.
By Guest Columnist NATHANIEL SMITH, founder and chief equity officer (CEqO), Partnership for Southern Equity
More than 100 people attended an event at Georgia Tech recently to mark the release of a report, “Opportunity Deferred: Race, Transportation and the Future of Metropolitan Atlanta,” that was commissioned by the Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE).
Atlanta has a long tradition of being open to testing new ideas in urban planning. The latest project – preserving affordable housing – continues the city’s record.
By Guest Columnist COURTNEY ENGLISH, chairman of the Atlanta Board of Education
Atlanta works best when it works for everyone. For far too long, my beloved Atlanta, has been a tale of two cities.
Recent studies have placed Atlanta near the top of list in job creation while at the same time, one of the country’s leaders in income inequality and child poverty. The negative effects of this kind of disparity is felt first and hardest in our school system. 76 percent of our kids are on free or reduced lunch.
By Guest Columnist MELODY HARCLERODE, who promotes significant historical, cultural, and natural sites as an architect, non-profit consultant, and writer
The city of Atlanta receives much press as the financial, cultural, and transportation hub of the metropolitan area, yet small cities in this region also offer amazing stories for the public to appreciate. Consider the city of Lithonia, a town with approximately 2,000 residents covering a radius of one square mile of land north of I-20 and outside I-285.
Atlanta may be preparing to open a third front in its price war against skyrocketing costs for rental homes in the city. The target would be Georgia’s law that bans rent control.
JPMorgan Chase has awarded a $4 million grant to a new tax-exempt partnership in Atlanta that is to help create more than 1,000 jobs and provide more than 700 affordable homes in metro Atlanta, the financial institution announced Tuesday.
Atlanta’s Confederate legacy: Heavy lift faces committee to review names, tributesAugust 21, 2017 - 5:24 pm
Can the BeltLine save Atlanta? Panel discussion to explore its past, present, futureAugust 20, 2017 - 10:24 pm
Mercedes Benz now offers government-approved apprentice programsAugust 16, 2017 - 4:54 pm
‘Wind River’ dazzles as it comes from nowhere, heads for fame on video-on-demandAugust 21, 2017 - 7:44 pm
‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,’ better as PBS special than big-screen movieAugust 13, 2017 - 10:54 pm
‘Maudie’ starts out slowly and, thankfully, never fizzles outAugust 7, 2017 - 7:40 pm
