Atlanta isn’t likely to swiftly build its way out of the shortage of affordable housing. Case in point: The clock’s been ticking more than a year on one project near the Atlanta BeltLine that’s to be built by a non-profit developer on land that was donated. The first shovel could hit the ground late this year or in early 2020.
Tag: Development
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‘Suffocated’ by traffic: Buckhead residents seek solutions from ATL, ARC, GDOT, etc.
Just one number speaks to the reason traffic is again a major topic in Buckhead: The number of vehicles that every day drives along just one street lined with homes compares to almost the entire population of Decatur.
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BeltLine Rail: Bait-and-Switch?
By Guest Columnist PATTY DURAND, co-chair of BeltLine Rail Now
You’d think if Atlanta leaders had a way to extend reliable rapid transit to dozens of neighborhoods, connecting them to existing MARTA rail at multiple points – and do it relatively cheaply – they’d jump at the chance.
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‘Good’ Gentrification
By King Williams I often get asked if there’s a scenario where gentrification can be good. I fully understand why someone would ask this question, but the answer is a resounding no. After a lengthy and ongoing conversation on both my Instagram and Twitter accounts, I was notified about a particular clip making rounds on […]
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Warehouses seek close-in locations to reduce costs, delays of traffic congestion
Warehouse owners are joining home buyers in seeking close-in locations that can shorten commutes. The trend could increase, given that the state transportation commissioner has said the delivery of goods to homes in metro Atlanta already is, “a challenge.”
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Buckhead plan aims to reduce solo commutes by providing affordable homes in Buckhead
The related challenges of affordable housing and traffic congestion are paired in a new report in Buckhead. Civic leaders have devised a proposal to increase the number of affordable homes in order to enable staffers to reside closer to work and not need a car to commute.
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Fewer drug tests, less job experience: New hiring norms as labor shortage hits employers
Employers in the Southeast have eliminated some drug testing because of the labor shortage. The Southeast is the only region in the nation where cutbacks in drug testing were mentioned in the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book.
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Plan calls for saving oak trees, widening sidewalks at Brookhaven shopping center
A proposal to save five specimen oak trees in exchange for tweaking the sidewalk requirements at a busy shopping center along Peachtree Road in Brookhaven, near MARTA’s Brookhaven Station, has received preliminary approval from city planners.
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Saving the Atlanta BeltLine: A shift from transit to micromobility
By Guest Columnist KEVIN H. POSEY, who writes about transportation and has served on related boards in the Washington region. He moved to Atlanta in 2017.
Atlanta’s BeltLine is perhaps the city’s best-known landmark. As with New York’s High Line, travel writers point it out as a key stop for those visiting Atlanta. However, that popularity poses a threat to its viability as a usable transportation corridor.
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Tenacity pays off as partners build warehouse to compete in tough retail sector
They never gave up. And after 30 years or so of efforts, the two partners and their families celebrated on Thursday the construction start of a warehouse in Tucker that is to be the foundation of the next generation of their furniture store – reflagged from Underpriced Furniture to Georgia Furniture Mart.
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Black homebuyers down 50 percent in Atlanta; summit aims to reverse trend
Almost lost in the discussion of affordable housing is the precipitous decline of black homebuyers and black homeownership. At a summit Wednesday at the Carter Center, housing specialists are to examine the roots of the problem and potential policy solutions.
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Master planned Pinewood Forest likely to outlast any changes at Pinewood Studio
Pinewood Forest has always been a concept town – a place where high tech helps create a nostalgic sense of simpler times, where the noise of air conditioners is largely replaced by silent geothermal cooling systems. Its future growth seems as secure as any residential development, a regional planner observed – even amid the changes surrounding Pinewood Atlanta Studios.
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Government-imposed design requirements cost Georgia home buyers
By Guest Columnist AUSTIN HACKNEY, government affairs director, Home Builders Association of Georgia
For generations, home ownership has provided individuals and families with a path towards economic prosperity, and a strong residential construction industry is known as an indicator of a healthy economy. However, recent restrictions and mandates enacted by some local jurisdictions are infringing on private property rights and adversely affecting home buyers, escalating the cost of new home purchases beyond the reach of some buyers, especially those interested in entry-level and workforce housing.
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A conversation with Carter’s Adam Parker about Summerhill and ‘The MET’
Back in October of 2018, my second post for Saporta Report was published. In “Let’s build Atlanta as a city, not a suburb” I mentioned a few places I saw around the city and had concerns about.
That article mentioned the Turner Hill-Summerhill development, spearheaded by the developer Carter. After a conversation with Carter, I was invited to tour one of their current projects – The MET.
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Swamp of Dreams: Okefenokee has been plied for riches for over 100 years
The latest plan to extract profits out of sand near the Okefenokee Swamp fits a pattern that started in the late 1800s and has ties to historic names in Atlanta’s growth – including Inman Park developer Joel Hurt, and an owner of the ‘Atlanta Journal’ who parleyed presidential endorsement editorials into a post as U.S. Secretary of Interior.
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Metro Atlanta’s ongoing growth to get assist from expanded sewage plant in Roswell
Metro Atlanta’s relentless growth results in part from the ability to process sewage. Fulton County is poised to foster growth in Roswell, Alpharetta and other areas north of Sandy Springs with construction set to start this fall on the expansion of the Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility.
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We really did this for a Margaritaville?
On Thursday, Aug. 8, the demolition of 152 Nassau Street has ceased thanks to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ellen LaGura who ordered developers to stop demolition until an Aug. 29 hearing.
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Atlanta to negotiate with global scooter companies valued at estimated $5 billion
Now with an estimated total value of $5 billion, the two big companies that rent scooters in Atlanta have become their own global force of nature. Yet to be determined is how Bird and Lime will respond to regulatory efforts such as the one imposed by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
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Health of Atlanta’s neighborhoods a marker of progress toward equity
By Guest Columnist DEBRA EDELSON, executive director of Grove Park Foundation
If our Atlanta region continues to grow as predicted, we will have tens of thousands of new residents move in town over the next 10 years. How will they decide what neighborhood to live in? Like many of us, they will look for a community that feels safe, is proximate to good schools, and is accessible to retail and community services. Sadly, across Atlanta, many neighborhoods don’t have these critical characteristics.
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ARC goes high tech to reach public to devise plan for 2050
By David Pendered
Think of ARC’s long-range, regional planning blueprint done with 3-D animation. It would feel more alive, more real-time representational of the region it aims to serve. And the conversation has already started about the future the blueprint aims to inform.
