Transportation planners overlooked one aspect of Atlanta’s convention industry – the people who attend – and that evidently contributed to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ decision to halt the first step in a plan aimed at making Downtown more pleasant for pedestrians. In addition, the mayor ordered a review of the entire Downtown mobility plan by the city’s newly approved Transportation Department, which is to be functional by late 2020.
Tag: Development
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Downtown Atlanta is about to lose its only streets that actually move traffic
By Guest Columnist JACKSON FAW, a writer, actor and activist based in Atlanta
On July 1, against promises made to downtown Atlanta hotels and businesses that oppose the plan, the Atlanta City Council rushed a vote to begin eliminating the city’s only downtown streets designed to move large volumes of traffic quickly.
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The sad saga of Fort Mac continues – same stuff, different day
Something funky is going on at Fort McPherson – again.
This time it involves the 145 acres under the control of the McPherson Implementating Local Redevelopment Authority.
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Downtown Atlanta traffic: Baker Street conversion part of sweeping proposal to reshape mobility
A significant vote on part of the sweeping proposal to “revolutionize the way we move through Downtown Atlanta” into 2030 is on the agenda Monday, and the Atlanta City Council is slated to approve this step in a plan fostered by the group of influential business leaders, Central Atlanta Progress.
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Park service seeks comments for planned upgrades at park along Chattahoochee River
More improvements are planned near the southern tip of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, including a proposed trail and elevated overlook with views of the river. The deadline for public comment is July 7.
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A terrific site for affordable homes, if only there weren’t a sewer line
MARTA intends to sell nearly a half-acre of vacant land that looked like a prime candidate for a development of affordably priced homes near Carey Park, in Northwest Atlanta. The minimum bid was $6,200, low enough to take land costs almost out of the equation. Then a buyer asked about that sewer line.
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Remembering A.C. Toh during the 50th anniversary of A.C.T. Enterprises
Back in the 1980s, I had the pleasure of getting to know one of the most flamboyant developers who had entered the Atlanta market – A.C. Toh.
Toh made headlines in the 1980s by proposing to build a high-density international village on a 19-block area on the south part of downtown. Then Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young had taken Toh on a tour of the area, and together they envisioned what the place could be – a bustling new downtown with high-rise residential and office towers.
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Tariff concerns rise in Georgia, Southeast as tight labor market draws headlines
A tight labor market continues to headline the Southeast’s economic conditions, though the transportation industry is bracing for job cuts related to trade tariffs, according to a federal report – and that was before President Trump announced potential tariffs on Mexico.
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Atlanta’s tree ordinance: Final public forums slated before final draft written
Atlanta’s potential tree ordinance is nearing completion, as next week the city is to convene the second and final round of city-wide public forums before a final draft ordinance is to be presented to the public in July or August.
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Apartment prices rise as much as 25 percent, as talks continue on housing affordability
Apartment rental prices have spiked by 25 percent in the past year in a neighborhood near Lenox Square and by 16 percent in and near Atlantic Station, according to a new report by rent.com. These figures provide context for this summer’s continuing conversation about affordable housing.
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Why are communities most affected by research often the last ones involved?
By Guest Columnist NICOLE KENNARD, a Georgia Tech graduate and doctoral researcher at Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Sheffield
“I got out!” An overwhelming feeling of relief and achievement washed over me as I went up to the stage to receive the piece of paper I’d paid for in my own sweat and sanity over the previous four years….
Although I had a few job offers in engineering before graduation – from companies including Michelin and Boeing – I turned them down in the hopes of pursuing a career in sustainable community development.
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ARC’s planning grants: LCI expands to promote evolving priority issues
Metro Atlanta’s signature initiative to retool the way people live, work and play is being reinvented this year to promote evolutions in smart technology, green infrastructure and housing affordability.
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ARC funds $1.6 million in study grants to improve neighborhoods, including Little Five Points
The ongoing effort to retool Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood into a more pleasant place to spend time got a lift Thursday when the Atlanta Regional Commission included the neighborhood on a list of 10 recipients who will share a total of $1.6 million in study grants awarded through the LCI program.
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Little Five Points: Blind Willie mosaic to go in plan to create ‘welcoming’ space
A few more of the grittier edges of Little Five Points’ central gathering spot are to be smoothed over in the coming year as Findley Plaza is renovated. The plan calls for removing the mosaic of the fabled blues musician Blind Willie McTell, and is so detailed it specifies the distance between granite curbstones.
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Federal aid for Hurricane Michael relief knotted up in Puerto Rico’s $72 billion debt
Lost in the debate over federal money to help Georgia residents recover from Hurricane Michael is the issue of the largest government bankruptcy in U.S. history – an estimated $72 billion filing by Puerto Rico, said to be the only, “bankrupt tax haven in the world.”
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The odd origin of jaywalking: Exploring mobility and other urban affairs
Thank General Motors the next time a pedestrian gets ticketed for jaywalking. Thank a civic effort for showing how to create a pleasant community on the social ashes of a hamlet in New York. Armchair urban planners can consider these topics and more via podcasts of Georgia Tech’s recently concluded seminar, Redesigning Cities.
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Predicted boom of data centers could impact energy demand, job market
Metro Atlanta may be on the cusp of a building boom for data centers, according to a new report from CBRE. The energy-hungry facilities could present new challenges and opportunities in a region better known for its office and retail commercial markets.
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Atlanta’s proposed transportation department to be a horn of plenty for mobility
Atlanta’s proposed stand-alone transportation department is expected to salvage a mobility system that’s so systemically broken the city has a long history of farming work to outside entities – including the Atlanta BeltLine, Midtown Alliance and Central Atlanta Progress.
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Data center planned near BeltLine may exceed size allowed under pending rules
Plans are advancing to enable the expansion of a data center in the vicinity of the Atlanta BeltLine near the Bellwood Quarry. The new facility would be larger than allowed under pending restrictions on the size of data centers near the BeltLine, though it’s not immediately clear if this site would be in the restricted area.
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Atlanta races ahead of consultant’s advice in proposed Transportation Department
Atlanta’s proposal to create a freestanding Department of Transportation – reporting exclusively to the mayor – was part of the long-term plan suggested by the city’s management consultant, but only after a slow transition to a new department. The Atlanta City Council begins its deliberations on April 22.
