Penelope “Penny” McPhee, the president of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation since 2004, today announced her intention to retire by the end of 2020.
Tag: westside
Posted inColumns
Addressing Atlanta’s health disparities through community service approaches
By Guest Columnist JENNIFER S. SINGH, associate professor of sociology at Georgia Tech
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Georgia, and in Atlanta it disproportionately affects black and low-income communities. To address heart health disparities, Georgia Tech college students are getting involved through a community service-learning program at Georgia Tech in collaboration with American Heart Association and Grove Park Foundation.
Posted inLatest News
Building moratorium in Atlanta’s Westside to provide time to review housing costs, transportation
To provide a cooling-off period for review of public policies related to development in Atlanta’s heated Westside area, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has called for a six-month moratorium on new construction projects in the area. The mayor started by issuing an executive order to mandate a two-week moratorium, which expires March 2.
Posted inColumns
New mural, ‘Seeds that are Planted,’ aims to inspire viewers in Atlanta’s Westside
The new mural that aims to connect the “past struggles, sacrifices and triumphs of our ancestors” stretches 130 feet along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, welcoming visitors and residents to Atlanta’s historically black Vine City neighborhood.
Posted inLatest News
New modular construction bringing affordable housing to the Westside
If you happened to come across a house floating through the air on Atlanta’s Westside this morning, worry not; that’s just part of a new affordable housing push by developer Place Properties.
Posted inMaria's Metro
Preserving lives and buildings along MLK corridor can revive ‘Main Street’
It’s a story of rebirth – the human kind and the physical kind.
A benefit concert for the Westside Singing Ambassadors on Nov. 29 at 960 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard provided a symbolic spark of what once was and what could be again.
Posted inMaria's Metro
Giving thanks for the uplifting moments in our lives
Recently it has felt as though I’ve been spending too much of my energies complaining and worrying about the current state of affairs.
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I began to count our blessings, and I realized there are so many that they won’t all fit in one column.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
Arthur Blank’s $17.5M Westside Park gift is a sign of things to come
It’s a sign of things to come. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s $17.5 million grant announced Aug. 27 to support the development of the Westside Park at the Bellwood Quarry is the latest indication of Arthur Blank’s intention to give away a significant portion of his wealth.
Posted inLatest News
YMCA opens learning center in Vine City: Teach toddlers to read, job skills for adults
The YMCA of Metro Atlanta opened an early learning center in Vine City Tuesday, where advocates of children hope to break the pernicious problem of illiteracy. The YMCA’s reading program aims to teach reading and vocabulary to infants through prekindergarten in the type of low-income neighborhood where national data shows 89 percent of black children score below “proficient” in fourth-grade reading skills.
Posted inColumns, Main Slider
“New Atlanta”
What’s been brewing online and in real life for black Atlanta has finally gone mainstream – Old Atlanta versus New Atlanta.
This debate reached critical mass and mainstream media attention recently thanks to Atlanta influencer Isaac Hayes III.
Posted inColumns
The Westside Work continues: There are no silver bullets
By FRANK FERNANDEZ, senior vice president of community development of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
The Westside is indeed On the Rise. It is not perfect and long-time residents are rightly and deeply concerned about displacement and gentrification. However, Atlanta’s historic Westside is a different place than it was five years ago when our collective place-based efforts began.
Posted inLatest News
Westside Future Fund buys key ‘yellow store’ property
The Westside Future Fund has a acquired the “yellow store” – a key piece of property in the English Avenue community.The announcement was made by John Ahmann, president and CEO of the Westside Future Fund, on Friday at the end of the Transform Westside Summit meeting at the Gathering Spot.“The Westside Future Fund
Posted inColumns, Main Slider
West Midtown isn’t a real place. It’s a sign of successful gentrification efforts.
By King Williams A few weeks back I had one of my usually spirited debates on Twitter, in this case it was about “West Midtown.” The debate had me then going to ask the question towards my other social media channels. Is “West Midtown” A) a real place and B) have you heard of it? […]
Posted inMain Slider
Second round of voting starts for Westside city council seat; candidates meet in forum
Atlanta’s going to get a freshman city council member from the Westside’s district 3, in a special election runoff. Some of the votes will depend on what people think of candidates who have — and who haven’t — been in office.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
New 3-mile trail will link Beltline to downtown
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 8, 2019
A new trail project is planned that will connect downtown’s Centennial Olympic Park to the Atlanta Beltline, near the future Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
Column: Dan Cathy: Westside Chick-fil-A ‘a real clarion call for other businesses’
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on February 22, 2019When Dan Cathy first began challenging the Atlanta business community to invest in Atlanta’s Westside, businessman Arthur Blank suggested to the CEO of Chick-fil-A Inc. that he should open a restaurant in the community.
Posted inColumns
The Super Bowl is finally over but another side of Atlanta hid in plain sight
The Super Bowl is over…finally.
Most of the remnants of the ‘Big Game’ are gone from downtown but many of the problems that were here before kickoff still remain.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
Column: More help for the Westside, new entrepreneurship leader at Georgia State
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug. 10, 2018
A grassroots partnership launched a year-long campaign Aug. 7 to revitalize a Westside business district in the heart of English Avenue.
Posted inMain Slider
Update: Up to $7.5 million grant from west side tax fund approved for aquarium
Atlanta’s development authority board is thankful for the philanthropy behind a valuable tourist draw Downtown, but not everyone thinks the city should show its appreciation by spending that $7.5 million from a special tax fund on the aquarium.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Up to $7.5 million grant from west side tax fund teed up for aquarium
Some at Atlanta’s development authority have recommended their colleagues spend $7.5 million from a special tax fund on the $108 million expansion of the private Georgia Aquarium. But the full board may ask whether a new shark exhibit request comes when there are more pressing public needs.
