Posts

A Civic Center for the 21st century

March 18, 2018, 5:53 pm/6 Comments
Ken Gregor

By Guest Columnist KLAUS VAN DEN BERG, a consultant with CITYperformance

The Atlanta Civic Center, a mega-venue that sports a 4,600-seat auditorium and a separate exhibition hall on a 19-acre site in the Old Fourth Ward, was sold to the Atlanta Housing Authority in late 2017. Former Mayor Kasim Reed, who had already sold significant land parcels to developers, closed the Civic Center deal without requiring the development of a new vision for the site that does justice to its historic significance. The sale itself proceeded mostly outside of public view after the collapse of a deal with a private developer.

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Ponce City Market, flats

Overcoming the affordable housing funding challenge

February 25, 2018, 5:23 pm/10 Comments
Ken Gregor

By Guest Columnist MIKE DOBBINS, a professor of the practice of planning at Georgia Tech’s College of Design and and a longtime advocate for housing affordability

The city is making constructive strides toward addressing its ever-growing affordable housing needs. Researchers are pretty much in agreement that a stable, safe, and affordable home provides the fundamental and essential grounding for families to make their way into better education, improved health, higher incomes, and a quality of life that holds out hope.

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Transit legislation: Rebrand MARTA, 50-cent tax on taxies, transit line to Braves stadium

February 19, 2018, 5:07 pm/7 Comments
David Pendered

Metro Atlanta residents are likely to see three changes fairly soon if state lawmakers vote for a hybrid of the two transit bills pending at the Capitol: MARTA vehicles and property may be rebranded; a new 50-cent tax could be applied to each trip in cab, limo or shared ride; and there may be a push for a sales tax in South Cobb County to provide a train, trolley or dedicated bus line to the Braves ballpark and nearby destinations.

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WeWork, 1372, Midtown

Real estate disruptor expands in Atlanta, Gov. Deal cuts ribbon on new office space in Midtown

January 21, 2018, 10:40 pm/0 Comments
David Pendered

You know a disruptor is in town when Gov. Nathan Deal and the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s top leader cut the ribbon on an office leasing location that charges tenants as little as $250 a month. And so it was Monday morning, as WeWork opened the second Midtown location of a company backed by a recent $4.4 billion investment from a Tokyo-based tech and telecom firm.

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