Atlanta plans to condemn property to build an Atlanta BeltLine trail so the project doesn’t lose federal funding.
The Southwest Corridor Trail is to be built with an $18 million TIGER V grant. Atlanta has until June 30 to acquire rights of way and complete other pre-construction activities, according to terms of the grant.
The Atlanta City Council, at its Monday meeting, is slated to authorize Mayor Kasim Reed to acquire land needed for the southwest trail. The legislation provides for purchase ...more
The perennial proposal to do something, anything, about the Fulton County tax commissioner is bottled up in the Georgia legislature.
The state Senate on Thursday tabled a proposal by ranking House members that contains two big provisions. At this stage in the legislative session, there’s no telling if the proposal has a chance of being passed this year.
House Bill 346 was introduced this year and makes at least these two substantive changes in the office of Fulton County’s tax commissioner:
The post ...more
The Atlanta Housing Authority proposes no new initiatives in the first forward-looking report it has prepared for HUD since former CEO Renee Glover left last year following a public two-year dispute with Mayor Kasim Reed.
The report does say AHA intends to provide the Falcons with land near the new stadium for a surface parking lot. This site is part of the now-demolished housing project, Herndon Homes.
The report clearly states the decision to provide no new initiatives for the fiscal year ...more
Bicycling, walking and transit are getting more attention than ever as metro Atlanta planners prepare to adopt the proposed update of the region’s short- and long-term transportation plans. They’re to be approved within 30 days.
“We will see this discussion grow more robust: How can we ensure a transit network and pedestrian network that improves moving people to regional job centers,” the ARC’s David Haynes said at Wednesday’s GRTA board meeting.
Transit is slated to receive a significant portion of the region’s ...more
Fewer dogs and cats are being euthanized in Fulton and DeKalb counties now that a non-profit organization hired last year is promoting adoption of animals and counseling for owners who had planned to abandon their pets.
The euthanasia rates in February were about 14 percent in DeKalb and less than 25 percent in Fulton, according to Rebecca Guinn, executive director of LifeLine Animal Project. Historic highs have been near 85 percent at each facility.
LifeLine has been able to reduce the destruction ...more
A new report by PEDS calls on transportation planners to make pedestrian safety as important a goal as congestion relief, particularly near transit stops. The report also includes a toolkit for improving pedestrian safety near transit stops.
“We want safety to be a top priority, or as important as congestion relief,” Sally Flocks, PEDS president and CEO, said Sunday.
Flocks is slated to present the report Thursday to the ARC’s Transportation and Air Quality Committee. PEDS will ask ARC to conduct a ...more
The Queen of England is slated to meet Martin Luther King Jr.’s sister-in-law during Nigeria’s centennial celebration next week in London.
Naomi Barber King is the widow of A.D. King, brother of the slain civil rights leader. She founded the A.D. King Foundation, which promotes a platform of non-violent social change that’s distinct from measures conducted in the name of the more famous civil rights leader.
Nigeria’s centennial celebration recognizes the anniversary of the beginnings of independence for the west African country. ...more
A free app from researchers at Georgia Tech is the latest step toward providing information passengers need to know about the region’s public transit systems.
The app now provides arrival time for MARTA trains. It previously had provided arrival times for MARTA buses and Georgia Tech’s shuttles. Over time, developers plan to add arrival data for other transit systems in the Atlanta area.
The OneBusAway app functions on all mobile devices, computers, and large screens such as those provided in public places, ...more
Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday was quick to jump on President Obama’s budget proposal for not including money to start the Savannah harbor deepening project.
But the Obama proposal does contain money for other transportation projects that may be of help in Georgia, particularly in Atlanta. Deal said the state will begin deepening the harbor with funds it already has set aside for the job.
For starters, the president has recommended a four-year transportation program that includes continued funding of the TIGER ...more
The Atlanta City Council is slated to cast a series of votes Monday that may resolve a bit of the uncertainty surrounding the planned Falcons stadium.
But no matter how the council votes, significant hurdles remain. Construction funding for the $1.1 billion stadium remains subject to a legal challenge that could derail the project. In addition, the council just this weekend received a highly anticipated report from Mike Dobbins that address issues of connectivity and community regarding the stadium site.
The report ...more
