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.”
Tag: Development
Posted inColumns
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.
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First an apartment tower, now a senior facility planned on grassy plot near Lenox Square
Nature abhors a vacuum – the truth of the maxim is evident in the ongoing efforts to develop a grassy plot that neighbors have embraced as their park near Lenox Square. First it was a high rise apartment building, now the proposal is a senior living facility.
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Emory area could see skyscrapers under Atlanta’s proposed rezoning
Office towers of an unlimited height could be permitted on a portion of land brought into Atlanta through the annexation of Emory University and the surrounding area, according to the rezoning proposal.
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Auburn Avenue is our most important street. Here’s what we should be doing
As we close out Black History Month, I think it’s time we show some love towards the most important street in Atlanta – Auburn Avenue.
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Breaking through the Perimeter: PATH400 to link BeltLine, areas north of I-285
A huge hurdle has been cleared that is to enable PATH400 to connect Atlanta’s BeltLine with Sandy Springs and, possibly if not eventually, the growing trails system north of I-285. As PATH Foundation noted of this first step: “Federal dollars are involved so it won’t happen overnight, but it’s coming.”
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Retiring state property chief had immense influence over metro Atlanta for 15 years
Steve Stancil may not have a household name. But when he steps down Feb. 1 as State Property Officer, he will have affected metro Atlanta since 2003 on issues ranging from mass transit, to development policies, to future development along the Atlanta BeltLine and the future film studio/mixed use development that’s to be built in Atlanta at the old Pullman Yard.
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Metro Atlanta ranks 10th of 15 big U.S. metros for future commercial investments, Trepp reports
Metro Atlanta ranks 10th out of the nation’s top 15 metro regions for investment potential in commercial loans, according to a new report by the industry watcher Trepp. In a small way, the bankruptcy of a popular bicycle business with four shops in the region shows why metro Atlanta isn’t ranked higher.
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Brookhaven’s new $40 million parks bond earns top credit rating; city already spending proceeds
Brookhaven hasn’t wasted a minute in ramping up projects with the $40 million bond for parks and facilities voters approved in November 2018. Just four days after Moody’s Investors Service awarded the bonds its highest rating, the Brookhaven City Council approved two contracts related to parks improvements.
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Atlanta’s tree ordinance a sore spot among residents as city eyes a new code in July
Atlanta’s aged tree ordinance of 2001 looks so good that some folks say they’d be happy if the city would enforce it – until it can be updated. Meanwhile, the city says it’s on track to update the existing tree ordinance in July.
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Construction costs skyrocket, niches remain – such as Houston’s site near Lenox Mall
The site of a former Houston’s restaurant, across Lenox Road from the mall, is just the type of property that could accommodate a trophy asset the current and near-future economy could support. This comes at a time a new report from CBRE suggests some potential commercial developments may not make much economic sense because of skyrocketing construction costs in metro Atlanta.
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Federal funds to cover lion’s share of retooling of dangerous stretch of Ga. 316
A crash-plagued intersection west of Athens, on Ga. 316, is to be made safer through construction of a diamond interchange that has received significant federal funding, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
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Center for Civic Innovation reports progress on review of Atlanta’s NPU system
For Jim Martin, improvements can’t come soon enough to Atlanta’s NPU system, City Hall’s forum for residents to participate in civic decisions that’s largely unchanged since it was established in 1974. Martin knows whereof he speaks– he chairs NPU-D, in northwest Atlanta.
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Centennial Olympic Park makes mark as public-private urban renewal project
As Centennial Olympic Park became a backdrop Monday for the Atlanta United parade, the park again solidified its position as a regional touchstone that remains a center of major developments – more than $2.3 billion since 1996.
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‘The ATL’ board needs more visionaries and fewer political appointees
Atlanta is a city founded on transportation.
Railroads were the economic engines of Atlanta and the state. After the railroads, there were horsecars, streetcars, buses and pedestrian-filled streets that enabled the city’s growth.
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Georgia Tech hosting series of talks on redesigning cities to meet needs of 21st century
A series of talks on redesigning cities, their systems and policies, to meet the needs of the 21st century promises to explore topics that are on the table today in metro Atlanta. The series of six talks begin Dec. 4 and continues through April at Georgia Tech.
