JOURNALISM
Mercedes-Benz cites region’s quality of life in relocation: Moody’s Investors Service
- It comes as no surprise that Moody’s Investors Service views Mercedes-Benz’s relocation to metro Atlanta as a “credit positive” for Atlanta and Fulton County. What is interesting is the set of reasons for the relocation that are cited in Moody’s report. “Quality of life” ranks on the list of motives to move from New Jersey. Incidentally, although the Jan. 15 credit outlook issued by Moody’s emphasizes the decision by Mercedes-Benz, it also mentions three other companies that have left New Jersey for ...more
Gov. Deal tees up transportation debate as federal funds wane
- Gov. Nathan Deal sought Wednesday to cast a hopeful tone over the future of transportation. The current reality is grim. For starters, starting June 1, Georgia is facing a $367.2 million shortfall in necessary federal transportation funds in the “We are currently operating at a rate that requires over 50 years to resurface every state road in Georgia. If your road is paved when you graduate high school, by the time it is paved again you will be eligible for Social ...more
Forsyth County: Top credit, $260 million in new road, water projects
- By David Pendered Forsyth County is quietly going about its business of building $200 million of road projects, and on Thursday commissioners discussed plans for new interchange at Ga. 400. To keep this sum in perspective, Atlanta voters on March 15 will have a chance to cast their ballots on a proposed $252 million bond issue to improve transportation and city buildings. In addition, Forsyth County on Monday received the highest credit rating possible from Moody’s Investors Service for an upcoming bond issue ...more
Hotel leaders oppose propose religious freedom bill, mindful of perception
- Georgia lawmakers should be mindful of the state’s tourism industry as they deliberate proposed religious freedom bills, leaders of the state’s hospitality industry told a House panel Tuesday. But with supporters rallying in the Capitol’s Rotunda and then spilling to the ceremonial front door Atlanta City Hall, the proposals already have a lot of momentum. A Republican committee member indicated advocates won’t go quietly into the night. “We hear this a lot – ‘You guys shouldn’t do that because it will ...more
Underground ATL: Ga Tech grad shows time right for redevelopment
- As Darron Cooper completed a research paper about Underground Atlanta last year at Georgia Tech, he had no idea the city was on the brink of selling Underground to a developer. Underground Atlanta has a critical location in the future plans to develop an east-west corridor in downtown Atlanta. Credit: Google Earth, David Pendered Cooper’s paper views private ownership as a logical step for the revitalization of Underground. Now his report joins those on the Atlanta BeltLine and Atlantic Station for ...more
Buckhead trail results from GDOT, Atlanta agreement on green space
- The first segment of the PATH400 trail is officially open, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony that recognized an historic city-state agreement to create green space in Buckhead. Eventually, the trail will wind beneath and alongside Ga. 400 because the Georgia Department of Transportation granted unprecedented access to unused right of way. The trail will begin near a cemetery and is to connect near Piedmont Hospital with the Atlanta BeltLine. The wind chill took temperatures to 24 degrees at the ribbon cutting of ...more
Brookhaven’s plans for park, green space continue to advance
- Brookhaven is continuing its effort to improve parks and greenways in metro Atlanta’s newest city. Brookhaven residents have identified walking trails and rest rooms in parks as their top priorities in parks development, according to the master parks plan completed in September. The next step is to review three specific parks. Brookhaven has scheduled visioning sessions this month and next for Ashford, Skyland and Georgian Hills parks. The goal is to create development plans for each park that can be presented for ...more
Fixing state’s roads, rails to handle freight could cost up to $20 billion
- The Georgia Legislature’s new report on transportation funding recognizes the need to improve the state’s freight handling systems, but goes into little detail. The report does observe that freight must be accommodated. The report does not note that up to $20 billion is needed to improve roads and rail for the exclusive purpose of moving freight on rails and roads, according to a consultant’s report released in 2011 by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The new report created by the Legislature’s joint ...more
Transportation report omits P3 option despite its use on I-75, Ga. 400
- The Georgia Legislature’s committee report on transportation funding does not appear to acknowledge the one financing method being employed to ease two major bottlenecks in metro Atlanta. The words, “public private partnership,” seem to appear nowhere in 12 potential solutions named in the report. It’s as if the P3 approach that’s successfully underway in the Northwest Corridor, and planned for the I-285/Ga. 400 area, didn’t warrant mention in the final report. That said, P3 is still at the top-of-mind at the Georgia ...more
Dallas-Fort Worth stakes claim as a place with a shared civic vision
- A full-page ad that ran last week in The Wall Street Journal promotes the Dallas-Fort Worth region as a “well-oiled machine” that’s becoming known as “the DFW.” This type of ad is about more than regional bragging rights. It speaks to the very real economic competition between two mega regions anchored by Dallas-Fort Worth and metro Atlanta, the later being a place where many are careful not to refer to the region as the ATL. DFW has been trying to brand itself ...more