JOURNALISM
Cousins Properties bullish on job growth in Atlanta area; Billy Payne to leave board
- Metro Atlanta has regained all the office jobs it lost during the great recession and job growth is expected to exceed the national average, Cousins Properties, Inc. states in its annual financial report to the federal SEC. In other Cousins news, Billy Payne – credited with helping to bring the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta – is to leave the Cousins board of directors after its annual board meeting May 6. Payne, 66, was elected to the board in 2006 and ...more
DeKalb Sheriff Brown’s campaign for Congress assailed by rights activist Joe Beasley
- DeKalb County Sheriff Tom Brown’s campaign for the congressional seat held by Rep. Hank Johnson is under attack by veteran human rights activist Joe Beasley. Beasley said he filed a complaint against Brown’s campaign practices with the Federal Election Commission. Beasley said he holds a dim view of Brown because of the sheriff’s demeanor following the fatal shootings in 2006 at the Fulton County Courthouse, and Brown’s handling of evictions during the foreclosure crisis of the Great Recession. Brown’s campaign responded Sunday ...more
Atlanta deepens connections with Brazil for trade, academic exchange
- Signs of strengthening relations between Brazil, Atlanta and Georgia, continue to appear. On Saturday, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is to lead a seven-day trade mission to Brazil. Last week, Georgia State University and an educational initiative started by Fulton County Chairman John Eaves hosted more than 125 college students from Brazil who are studying STEM fields at colleges in Georgia. Georgia and Brazil have maintained direct relations for more than 20 years. The state opened a trade office in Brazil in 1994 ...more
New report: Atlanta’s sprawl among nation’s worst; ARC’s Doug Hooker responds
- ARC Executive Director Doug Hooker is pushing back against a new national ranking by Smart Growth America that shows metro Atlanta is one of the worst regions in the country when it comes to sprawl. Hooker cites a 2013 report by Chris Leinberger, a land use strategist and developer, that announced metro Atlanta is, “experiencing the end of sprawl.” Leinberger’s study observed that walkable urban development now accounts for most of the development in metro Atlanta. The report by Smart Growth America ...more
Atlanta to sell 1 acre by BeltLine; developer to be chosen April 17
- Atlanta on Monday announced its plan to sell just over an acre of land in the BeltLine corridor. The property is across North Avenue from Ponce City Market and abuts the Eastside Trail next to the Historic Fourth Ward Park. The city intends to select a developer on April 17. The vacant property was formally put on the auction block Monday by Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm. Invest Atlanta issued a request for proposals that includes 11 specific objectives for the ...more
New airport business alliance similar to successful program in Gwinnett County
- The newly formed Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance bears a striking resemblance to Partnership Gwinnett, a public-private initiative that has created a strong record of economic development in Gwinnett County. Each entity was formed to attract jobs and investments to their respective areas. One distinguishing point is that the aerotropolis alliance was convened by the Atlanta Regional Commission, whereas Partnership Gwinnett is based at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the new alliance is to make it easier for companies to locate ...more
Emory University’s contest strengthens region’s role in global health arena
- Teams from Dallas and Baltimore took home top honors, but in a sense Emory University and metro Atlanta were the real winners in this weekend’s Emory Global Health Case Competition. The event drew to Emory’s campus more than 140 top students and scholars from the U.S. and countries including Australia, Canada and Sweden. For these students, Emory was the venue to propose and debate 21st century strategies for the World Health Organization. These strategies are extremely important. The question about the future ...more
MLK Historic District to be bolstered as AHA plans tear-down of building in district
- The proposal to demolish a building owned by the Atlanta Housing Authority in the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District is advancing even as the city expects to enact in May a set of new zoning regulations for the entire historic district. The AHA-owned building is located along Auburn Avenue in the heart of the proposed commercial and institutional section of the historic district. Fulton County property tax records list the owner as Westside Revitalizations Acquisitions, LLC. AHA’s report to HUD ...more
MARTA’S mystery rider program, up for renewal, grew from federal ADA lawsuit
- When MARTA on Wednesday begins its latest effort to improve customer service, it will be renewing a program that grew out of a federal court order issued in 2002 to protect disabled riders. MARTA is soliciting proposals for a mystery rider program. A central issue is MARTA’s compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The program goes by the sort of fun-sounding name of, “MARTA’s Mystery Customer Program.” The name harkens to the mystery customers who check on retail clerks to ...more
Traffic relief, transit upgrades funded in ARC’s five-year spending plan
- A new plan due for initial adoption Wednesday by the ARC board shows the extent to which $7-plus billion can go toward improving metro Atlanta’s transportation network. Planners talk up the can-do projects contained in this five-year spending proposal, rather than lofty visions in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s long-range transportation plan. The ARC’s 2040 plan is up for adoption, as well. This strategy of focusing on the five-year plan addresses some realpolitiks: Regional traffic is building after the recession, while transportation funding ...more