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The Stitch

‘The Stitch’ seeks to bridge the divide created by the Downtown Connector

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

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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DRC meeting Margaritaville

Margaritaville, hotel development slated to demolish two historic buildings

May 24, 2018, 10:08 pm/8 Comments
Maria Saporta

Two historic buildings will be demolished if the proposed development of a 21-story hotel and Margaritaville resort and restaurant overlooking Centennial Olympic Park is approved.

The Downtown Development Review Committee met Thursday morning at the offices of Central Atlanta Progress where architects described why the developer is seeking six zoning variances for the proposed design.

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Atlanta Streetcar route on track to receive new wayfinding signs

September 20, 2014, 9:58 am/2 Comments
David Pendered

Historic sites along a portion of the Atlanta Streetcar’s route will be better marked if the plan to install wayfinding signs wins expected approval from Atlanta’s Urban Design Commission.

The UDC is slated to consider the application to install the signs at its Sept. 24 meeting. The proposal calls for new signs to be installed at a series of addresses along Auburn Avenue.

The start date for the streetcar’s operation has not been finalized. Mayor Kasim Reed has said he expects the system to begin before Dec. 31. The system still is being tested and evaluated by the appropriate governmental entities.

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Beautification of Peachtree Street bridges the first step in vision for adorning Downtown Connector

July 8, 2013, 5:08 pm/16 Comments
David Pendered

A long-awaited effort to create iconic bridges across Atlanta’s Downtown Connector is culminating this summer and a final design is due before the year’s end.

The first two projects involve Peachtree Street, Atlanta’s signature boulevard. The working draft for the enhancements is evocative of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a world famous bridge that’s located in the host city of the 2000 Summer Olympic Games that came right after the Atlanta games.

If all goes as planned, the Peachtree Street bridges will be completed in March 2015. About that time, planning is to begin for three other bridge projects. The $5.35 million in construction funding for the Peachtree Street bridges is coming from a combination of business, state, and philanthropic sources, according to a recent presentation to the board of the state Department of Transportation.

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Alicia Philipp’s Moment demonstrated how a mentor helps many others stand up – literally

March 25, 2013, 12:27 pm/11 Comments
Maria Saporta

By Chris Schroder

Alicia Philipp, president of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, had her Moment 16 years ago when she spontaneously asked a question to a crowd of people and was surprised when nearly all of them stood up. That Moment taught her a lot about the value of mentorship and the special nature of her own mentor, Dan Sweat.

“I asked everybody in the audience who had been mentored by Dan to stand – not really knowing what the response would be,” she said.

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Auburn Avenue gets state incentive to spur businesses along streetcar route

March 12, 2013, 9:58 pm/0 Comments
David Pendered

The effort to spur businesses that could be served by the future Atlanta Streetcar along Auburn Avenue got a lift Tuesday in the form of a state program that provides tax credits for new jobs.

A section of Auburn Avenue now is an Opportunity Zone. The designation will provide a tax credit of $3,500 for one new job to companies that create two net jobs. The tax credit lasts five years, according to the state Department of Community Affairs, which approved the new zone.

The designation is particularly important, coming as it does amidst a whirlwind of activity – both planned and halted – along the street that once was the center of black commerce in the south.

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Atlanta attorney Bill Moseley to become chief of staff of Jacksonville Transportation Authority

February 13, 2013, 1:04 am/0 Comments
Maria Saporta

By Maria Saporta

A former Atlanta transit duo is now in Jacksonville, Fla.

Nat Ford, a former general manager of MARTA, was named CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority last year.

On Tuesday, Ford named Atlanta attorney Bill Moseley as JTA’s chief of staff. Moseley served chairman of the MARTA board for several years. As attorney, Moseley’s practice has focused on areas of litigation, governmental affairs, and corporate and business law.

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