Roswell Roads, Density Battle 2, Buckhead and the Beltline

Roswell News

Norcross-Grimes Roundabout Update - The roundabout is finally functional.  I’ve used it about 10 times in the past few weeks and so far I love it.  I have seen a couple of confused drivers and I’ve heard one honk at someone who wasn’t paying attention.  I’d love to see some stats on how many accidents there have been since it opened.  If there have been any, they surely can’t have been too bad as the speed within the roundabout has been low as predicted.  

Midtown Streetscape Project - The finishing touches are being put on the landscaped islands on Alpharetta Hwy.  The first one is just north of the Norcross St intersection and the last on is at the Hog Creek Bridge.  This one will be the largest.  I’m still concerned about the lighting and overhead wires.  To spend all of this money on streetscape improvements and overlook the most unsightly piece of the streetscape (aside from the crappy buildings along the corridor) is a disappointment.  

Historic Gateway Project - This project was included on the final list of projects submitted to the regional transportation roundtable.  It will be reviewed for potential inclusion in the list of projects that will be included in the regional sales tax initiative that is going to be on the ballot next year.  

Comp Plan Undergoes Changes After Residents Sound Off - Roswell Neighbor

There was a vocal contingent that voiced its concern over the types of uses the Roswell Comp Plan (Roswell 2030) was proposing for the Holcomb Bridge and GA400 interchange.  There are still thoughts of Charlie Brown in everyone’s minds.  I’m in favor of a massive revitalization of that area for many reasons, not the least of which is that it is a dysfunctional area in our city that has the potential to be a major jobs, residential and transportation center that Roswell and North Fulton can use.  Here’s a quote from the Roswell Neighbor article that outlines the types of changes that were made after the ‘sound off:’

Among the changes sought, according to Tolleson, is shifting density from the southeast quadrant of Ga. 400/Holcomb Bridge to the northwest quadrant. And instead of designating Holcomb Bridge Road as a commercial corridor, it would be the lower impact designation of neighborhood commercial, which would allow businesses “that support people who already live here, not the people passing through,” he said.

You can take that for what it’s worth but I think it’s a classic case of ‘we don’t want that type of people getting any closer to our space here in East Roswell.’  Also, what in the world is ‘lower impact’ ‘neighborhood commercial?’  If that is another way to say, ‘exactly what we already have,’ then I’m 100% against it because it’s not going to work in the years ahead.  

Regional News

Regional Light Rail All About Jobs North Fulton Chamber CEO Says - Alpharetta-Milton Patch

image: Metro Atlanta Northern Crescent Transit

Brandon Beach has been lobbying pretty actively to get transit into the northern burbs of late.  Most recently a public/private consortium of regional leaders met at the Cobb Galleria Centre to discuss the prospects of transit in the burbs.  It seems to have been an optimistic meeting with a caveat that most of the people there stand to benefit financially from transit development especially if it is primarily publicly funded.  Here’s a quote that I found interesting:

A survey conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2008 found that by investing $26 billion to $46 billion in transportation infrastructure, including light rail, Georgia could increase its gross domestic product by $114 billion and create 230,000 jobs over the next 20 years.

35% of Atlanta Homes Underwater - Atlanta Business Chronicle

YIKES!  This is well above the national average of 22.7% according to CoreLogic.

Stalled Alpharetta Project to Get New Life - AJC

Prospect Park is about to have a new owner.  North American Properties plans to purchase the land and build a more realistic and less grandiose mixed-use center on the 106 acre property.  They will begin community outreach in the coming months.  You may recognize North American Properties as the company that purchased the retail and some of the office space in Atlantic Station last year.  I believe they have done a good job engaging that community thus far to find out what they want to see at Atlantic Station.

MARTA Takes A $14M Step Toward Linking its Buckhead Station With Adjacent Developments - Saporta Report

image: Atlanta Business ChronicleBidding will open at the end of this month to improve linking the Buckhead station with developments on the north side of the station.  This is a great step to making MARTA more functional within neighborhoods (albeit wealthy a wealthy neighborhood) and job centers.

City Hall East Deal Could be Derailed by Feds - Creative Loafing

image: Creative LoafingThis is complicated and I find that generally when things get complicated, we’re doing something wrong.  My understanding is that the deal is being held up because the US Parks Department of the Dept of the Interior is not comfortable with what potential owner/devolper Jamestown Properties wants to do with the long vacant building.  Jamestown is applying for some $15M in tax credits???  Do they really need $15M in tax credits to make this thing work?  It’s a gem in an area that is revitalizing.  I think both sides need to give a little here.  I’d love to see this building get put to good use.  It’s a great pice of historic architecture in our region.

Go East, Young Beltline Fanatic - Creative Loafing

image: Historic 4th Ward Park ConservancyThe loaf has a good quick update on what is going on with the parks and trails along the Beltline.  The park in Old Fourth Ward was recently ‘officially’ opened and it has been getting rave reviews.  Just from the images I’ve seen, it looks incredible.  One of these days, I’ll make my way down to check it out.

Streets of Buckhead now Buckhead Atlanta - Atlanta Business Chronicle

image: Oliver McMillanSay what you will about the name of the project but I am certainly glad to see new ownership and the potential for progress.  The eyesore in Buckhead has been a horrible scar on our region’s most prosperous area.  You personally may never buy something from the shops that will be at ‘Buckhead Atlanta’ but the county’s tax base will reap benefits.  The new developer said this about the project:

One of the highest profile developments in the country halted by the economic downturn and financing drought. The new name signifies a departure from the concept of a single destination development and a move toward a mixed-use community that will fit seamlessly within the existing Buckhead Village

Atlanta Grants Siemens Contract for 4 Atlanta Streetcars - Green Building Chronicle

image: SiemensThis is a $17M+ contract with Siemens.  The city is expecting delivery of the first car in September 2012 with revenue service starting up in early 2013.  The Siemens facility in Alpharetta will be doing much of the work on the propulsion systems for the new cars.  

Bike Trails Proposed along GA 400 - Reporter Newspapers

image: Reporter NewspapersThis is a win in the Buckhead area.  Buckhead is great but it does have Atlanta’s lowest acreage of parks per capita.  The trail system is a partnership between several organizations including the PATH foundation, Buckhead CIT, Atlanta City Council and others.  The trail will begin at Loridans Drive just south of the toll booth and will continue 4.5 miles into Midtown also connecting with the Beltline trail system.  

GA400/I-85 Interchange Work Set to Start - Atlanta Business Chronicle

image: GDOTWill we finally be able to go northbound on I-85 from GA400 South?  Will those traveling south on I-85 be able to get on to GA400?  Looks like it’s happening.  You can thank the GA400 toll for this one.  

Plans for Upscale Apartment Tower at 12th & Midtown

image: Midtown PatchThis looks like a nice project.  It’s interesting to see another tower going up in Midtown in this environment.  The economics of apartments are definitely different than those of condos/lofts right now.  I’ll be interested to see how this one pans out.  Midtown is obviously doing well but I’m not sure it needs another tower right now.  However, it’s definitely better than a surface parking lot.  

Regulator Calls for 20-30MW Solar Projects - Atlanta Business Chronicle

The Georgia Public Service Commission would like to see plans in place to significantly increase the state’s renewable capacity given the increasing volatility in traditional energy markets.

Number 91!!!

The only memorable 91 I can remember is Dennis Rodman when he was with the Bulls.  He was mostly memorable for the wrong reasons.  I think Atlanta is in the same category here.

The Brookings Institute recently released its study 'Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America.'  I wish I had better news for everyone but I don't.  Those of us up here in N.Fulton who would love to see better transit in our area know this all too well already.  The Atlanta region ranked 91st out of the top 100 metropolitan areas in the transit accessibility profile.  The most shameful statistic was that only 38% of metro residents live in a neighborhood that is 3/4 of a mile or less from a transit stop.  This compares to a national average of 69%.  

Our lack of redundancy in our transportation system coupled with our sprawled out living arrangement is threatening our quality of life and it could cause talent and business to look elsewhere.  At least we have one thing going for us... We'll all be able to read the billboards.  

See the Atlanta breakdown here. 

image: FailBlog.org

Roundabouts, Porsche, Mixed Use and Transit

It seems like I’m only able to get around to this on a monthly basis.  Good thing this isn’t my full time job.  I wanted to be sure to get this up since there have been a ton of newsworthy events in the past several weeks that I want to comment on.

Roswell News

Norcross-Grimes Roundabout - Our Roundabout is almost complete.  I’m looking forward to testing it out one of these days.

Midtown Streetscape Project - We’re beginning to see this take shape with the sidewalks almost complete, the bridge finished and historic lighting going up.  This is very exciting.  I’m sure the street paving will be coming soon.  

Regional News

Incentives Help Win Race for Porsche - AJC

This one has been a big story this week.  Porsche will be vacating its Sandy Springs offices off Hammond Dr to move their North American HQ to the Aerotropolis development in Hapeville.  The proposed development is exciting with a Porsche Experience Center along with a test track.  Development is expected to be complete in 2013 (we’ll see about that)

Tunnell-Spangler & Walsh Master Plans Unanimously Approved Doraville & Decatur - Green Building Chronicle

These two plans have definite New Urbanist DNA with Tunnel-Spangler & Walsh being a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism.  So, Doraville has finally moved forward with a plan for the former GM plant and Decatur approved its 2010 strategic plan.  This is great news for the region and another win for the ARC’s Livable Centers Initiative.

OliverMcMillan Closes on Streets of Buckhead - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Thank goodness!  They expect construction to resume in late 2011.

Streets of Buckhead Sidewalks Restored - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Another win around the SoB.  People need to walk in that area.  

$300M Project Approved - Marietta Daily Journal

More good news for logical mixed-use development.  The vote rezoned 82 acres west of the Hooch from heavy industrial to planned village community.  The neighborhood is approved for 155 single-family homes, 332 town homes, 165 condos, 200 senior units, 850 apartment units, and potential retail, restaurant and other commercial space.  There is still some concern over the proximity to heavy industrial business and that will need to be resolved somehow.

Young Professionals Lead Surge of Intown Living - AJC

The walkable urban vibe is attracting the young professionals intown.  There are affordable places with great amenities.  Had this type of atmosphere existed in 1999, I doubt I would have ended up in Sandy Springs.

Metro Atlanta Requests a Transit Future - AJC

No surprise here.  There is a bit of everything on this list.  However the tide has really turned toward transit in the last couple of years.  Atlantans have seen what other regions such as Denver, Dallas, DC and Charlotte are doing with transit systems and they want in.  Now, how does the list get pared down?  That will determine how much support we have.

Mass Transit System Proposal On Table - WSBTV

This is a really interesting vision for the transit system in the northern burbs.  It's just a vision.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center Announces Walk Friendly Communities - WalkFriendly.org

Decatur made this list which isn’t really a surprise.  They have a number of high profile programs that encourage walkability in the heart of the city.  Also, it helps that there is a MARTA rail station right in the center of the square.

Atlanta No. 3 Gas Guzzler - Atlanta Business Chronicle

We lost out on the top spot to those pesky NC cities Raleigh and Charlotte.  The ranking was done by Forbes Magazine.  They say that the average Atlanta household drives 21,300 miles a year consuming 1,050  gallons of gas eating up about $4,200 at today’s prices.  Start factoring in car payments, insurance, maintenance and depreciation and you’re talking real money. 

Atlanta Commuters Seek Alternatives to Help Beat Gas Prices - MyFoxAtlanta

.........Newsflash.........  There aren’t many alternatives.  NIMBYs, politicians and others others are convinced that transit is a boondoggle that should never be considered when we could just build more roads.  

Johns Creek Plans Roundabout - AJC

Now that we have ours, everyone is going to jump on the roundabout bandwagon.

MARTA Starts $10.8M Solar Project - Atlanta Business Chronicle

City Hall East Transfer from City to Jamestown Delayed - Again - Green Building Chronicle

Jamestown’s City Hall East Deal Held Up Over Historic Tax Credits - Green Building Chronicle

Atlanta Could be Home to Prince of Wales Sustainability Program - Saporta Report

Beltline Officials Ink Sweet Deal for Reynoldstown, Southwest Atlanta Segments - Creative Loafing

New Atlanta Airport Terminal on Track for LEED Silver - Green Building Chronicle

Trails Proposed along GA400 - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Atlanta Home Values Drop to 1999 Level - Atlanta Business Chronicle

What's Another Billion Amongst Friends? - The NUR Transportation Wish List

With the HB277 regional transportation referendum coming up in 2012 and the wish list of regional transportation projects starting to take form, I thought it would be fun to put a regional wishlist of my own together.  Below are the eight projects that I would like to see prioritized: 

1. Beltline - Prioritization of the BeltLine transit component should be a top consideration.  This project will do more to reign in the traffic inducing sprawl than any other in the metro area by bringing development closer to the regional core.  If done right, new residents who would normally consider the outlying suburbs as well as some of the existing residents of the burbs will consider moving closer into town.

2. Cover the Connector - There is an incredible amount of downtown real estate that is not being used.  Where is it?  Aside from all the surface parking lots.... I'm talking about the space above the connector from 17th street south to the Capitol.  Although I too use the term connector, it's actually not correct.  The road is a major divider of the downtown core.  I would envision a system of parks and boulevards on top of the connector that would bring the east and the west sides of the city together.  

Here's a picture of the interstate under construction at Ga Tech and the Varsity.  Yes, where we have divided the city, there used to actually be neighborhoods.  Covering the connector will do nothing for traffic but it will to an incredible amount for the city and region.

3. Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal - The rail and transit infrastructure in Atlanta has suffered for some time.  The multi-modal passenger terminal that has been proposed by the city will do a lot to change that.  It would accommodate subway, commuter rail, buses and future high speed rail (if that ever happens).  The city recently selected the proposal by Cousins Properties.  Their vision outlined in the proposal is as follows:

"Below the street" is a central transit hub, a connecting point. "Above" is a vibrant, mixed-use urban environment, driven by the market, linking downtown Atlanta neighborhoods and activity centers with reconnected street grids and green spaces.  The transportation connectivity below drives the Region and the State, while the development above creates new linkages that reconnect the City.

Man, that was a lot of buzzword planning jargon du-jour.  I'm not opposed to any of it and I'd love to see it realized.  Unfortunately, they did not provide any renderings but one of the competing bids from Perkins+Will did.  Here's a rough image of their proposal which probably isn't too different from the Cousins vision.

4. Put Rail in the Center Lanes - So, you want to figure out how to run transit through our cities without having to pay insane amounts for right of way?  Take the center lanes away and turn them into rail.  It would look something like the center lane down 400 just north of the Buckhead business district.

5. Create a Truly Regional Transit System & Rebranding MARTA - If we are going to create a regional transportation system, we need a regional governing body to manage that system.  MARTA sucks.. let's face it.  There is a stigma that isn't going away... ever.  We need to bring Fulton, Dekalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, et al. together and act like a region.  I believe Atlanta's image will suffer until we can coalesce into a coherent region.  

I've floated the name ARTSY in a previous post.  Since then, I heard that some folks are pushing the name "The ATL" for a new regional system.  I'm okay with that as it is a reference that many people use and identify with the region and it would constantly remind people of the fact that they are part of a larger region 'The ATL.'

The planning efforts should follow the Concept 3 plan and work to spread rail and light rail to the suburban city centers.  The map below is a great place to start.  Unfortunately, the work detailed in the map would cost upwards of $100B and our region isn't going to have that type of cash.. ever.  So, we should take the best pieces and make them work.

 

  
6. Tell Art Blank NO NEW STADIUM - This isn't really transportation related but do we really need a new stadium? Right next to the existing stadium? When that stadium isn't going to be torn down?  I don't think so.  Plus, I think the several hundred million of taxpayer dollars that will undoubtedly go into a new stadium could be better allocated to some of the projects that will be on the HB277 list.  Plus, the Georgia Dome just makes more sense.  It's located right in between two MARTA stations and it's only 20 years old!

7. 200 miles of dedicated bike/pedestrian paths connecting the region - I know this seems a bit ridiculous but I personally think we could make huge strides in health, community and energy consumption if more people felt like they could safely bike around their town.  I'm not talking bike lanes.  I'm talking dedicated trails such as the Alpharetta Greenway, Silver Comet Trail and the Beltline trail system.

8. Road Work - Take the rest and dedicate to road repair, maintenance and bottleneck reduction on our roads.  It's going to cost a lot to maintain this monstrosity which was one of GDOT's 'highlights' of 2009.

That's it. There isn't much directly for Roswell itself on my list but many of the items incorporate expansion of transit alternatives into the suburbs and I would prioritize the extension of the North Springs line to Windward Parkway.  If you want to drive jobs and development to our city and region in this day and age, the best way to do it is to invest in our city centers and regional center and provide high quality mobility choices.  The days of the American love affair with the car are numbered.  We need to get used to the idea that mobility won't be as cheap or easy and start thinking about ways to mitigate that.  

Images: The BeltLine Partnership | Atlanta Time Machine | Perkins+Will | marklarson Flickr | Citizens for Progressive Transit | Populous | Path Foundation | GDOT

Dirt Lots, Economic Development and Holcomb Bridge

Roswell

Roswell OKs Economic Development Contract - AJC

City Council voted recetly to approve a $103,775 contract to develop a strategic economic plan. The plan has been signed with RKG Associates. RKG is based out of New Hampshire but has consulted many local and regional muicipalities. One of the most notable to me is Greenville, SC which has done a fantastic job rejuvinating its downtown.

New Study will Pinpoint Ways to Improve Traffic on Holcomb Bridge - Alpharetta Neighbor

The study will look at the 1.5 miles between Warsaw Rd and Holcomb Woods Pkwy. The total cost of the study should not exceed $463k and Roswell's share will be just under $100k. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of this.

Big Creek Wetlands Workday - RoswellGov.com

The city is holding a work day for wetlants restoration, plantings, and litter removal at Big Creek on March 5th.

Region

Developer Promises No Dirt Lot at Mixed-Use Site Near GA 400 - Alpharetta-Milton Patch

There has been a lot of talk about the proposed development at the MetLife/Peridot campus in Alpharetta. Naysayers complain that Alpharetta doesn't need more mixed-use and are requesting a moratorium on approvals of proposals. Proponents say there is nothing even close to similar in N Fulton and that Alpharetta should encourage this type of development because demographic trends show that it is becoming more ad more desirable. We can all agree that another dirt lot similar to Prospect Park is undesirable.

Public Concerns Spur Alpharetta to Reconsider MetLife Project - AJC

The city council has tabled this until the February meeting. I hope they are not persuaded by the naysayers who are using faulty statistics and clinging to a 1990's land development model.

Tough Questions for Mayor of Johns Creek - CBS Atlanta

My only question is this: $400k for 9 Electric Bikes???

MARTA to Spend $117M on Train Control Technology - AJC

At first glance, this seems staggering but according to MARTA has been planned for some time. However, it was plainly obvious after the DC Metro crash in 2009 that MARTA would be spending some money since our systems are essentially identical (except that DC decided to build neighborhoods around their stations and we decided to build parking lots, that's another story though)

Beyond

Miami21 Wins National Planning Excellence Award - CEOs for Cities The form based code that has been adopted in Miami is a model for the 21st century. I would love to see something like this adopted here in Roswell and in the larger metro area. We're a long way off.

Are Cities Any Place for Children - Shareable

This is an interesting piece on why cities are percieved (in some cases rightly so) as bad places for children.

Survey Finds "Buy Local" Message Beneffiting Independent Business - NewRules.org

Notable Quote:

For the fourth year in a row, a national survey of independent businesses has found that those in communities with an active "buy local" campaign have experienced markedly stronger revenue growth compared to those located in areas without such a campaign.

I wonder how Roswell's buy local campaign Find it All Roswell is doing.

The Atlanta Streetcar Vision+

For those of you who are interested in the Downtown Streetcar concept, you may want to check out this link from the Revision Cloud blog.  It is a fantastic piece showing how the proposed streetcar could be expanded to better connect neighborhoods, the Beltline and MARTA.  

A Streetcar Named Opportunity - Revision|Cloud

New Urban Roswell Update

We've got a few news items of note this week from Roswell, around town and even outside the country.

Roswell

One large item to report here in Roswell from earlier this month is the groundbreaking of the midtown streetscape improvement project.  We haven't seen anything of note just yet but we can't wait to see the finished product in a year or so.

Milton County: Not This Year - NorthFulton.com - Personally, I'm not in favor of seceding from Fulton county.  I just don't personally feel that it's necessary.  I actually feel that if anything, there should be more county consolidation in the metro area.  The paying more tax for fewer benefits just doesn't resonate with me.  How many states should cut ties with the federal government under that argument. 

Metro

We were happy to see some progress on the Beltline this week.  

Second Portion of Beltline Complete - wsbradio.com - Another segment of the Beltline trail opened this weekend. From what we can tell, it looks very professional and it should be a symbol to people that the Beltline will actually happen.

Dunwoody Envisions Significant Mixed Use Development - Champion Newspaper - This is more of a 20 year vision but it is promising nonetheless.  

MARTA Faces Drastic Cuts - Creative Loafing - Can someone please do something about this?  It's not looking good for a transportation bill under the gold dome for the third consecutive year.  I think we can all agree that cutting MARTA train and bus service on Fridays would be bad for the local economy and bad for everyone's car commutes.  

Beyond

Mindspring Founder Takes New Urbanist Movement to Costa Rica - InsideCostaRica.com - Charles Brewer is nothing short of bold.  His development in south Atlanta, Glenwood Park, has won national acclaim and is truly a great accomplishment.  If you haven't seen it, you should take an opportunity to drive down and grab a bite to eat and walk through the neighborhood.  

Upcoming Events

Alive After Five- 4.15 - This year's Alive After Five season kicks off on tax day.  

Good Urbanism 101 - 4.15 - 5.4 - This is an educational event sponsored by the Georgia Conservancy.  There are six classes on quality urban design.  The course costs $200.

Dogwood Festival - 4.16 - 4.18 - The annual Dogwood Festival will be held in Piedmont Park.  This one is always a safe bet for a good time and you can appreciate Atlanta's largest park.

Inman Park Festival - 4.24 - 4.25 - The Inman Park Festival is Atlanta's largest festival.  We love this festival for many reasons but the fact that it is in the beautiful walkable neighborhood of Inman Park is probably the number one reason.  Inman Park is one of the few neighborhoods in Atlanta that exhibits many of New Urbanist characteristics.  Be sure to take MARTA if you go.

Congress for the New Urbanism - 5.19 - 5.22 - The most influential minds in the new urbanist movement will be here in Atlanta for the 18th congress.  The theme this year is Rx for Healthy Places and is a joint effort with the CDC.

Go Wild in Roswell - 5.20 - 6.6 - This is a citywide celebration of nature that will feature different events on different days.  Check out the link for details.

Atlanta Streets Alive - 5.23 - This one is still a little while away but it is a really interesting concept.  

Peach Bites

We haven't posted a Peach Bites column in a while so we have built up quite a backlog.  There has been a lot of buzz about water and transit over the past month and we've tried to capture the highlights in today's post.   

 

Georgia to Appeal Water Ruling - Who didn't see this one coming?  We'll see what happens but one thing I know for sure, the federal government will not cut millions of people off from their water source.  Well, I'm not 100% sure about that but politicans want votes and thirsty people don't vote for the politicians who let them go thirsty... - GPB

 

New Reservoir Proposed for North Georgia - I don't know what to think of this one.  On one hand, I say it may be a good idea since it will set aside 8,000 acres of the 10,000 acres of wilderness that the city owns in the Dawson Forest.  However, the other tells me that $650 million to build a dam that will disrupt natural habitat is insane when we haven't exhausted our water conservation efforts.  Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

Clayton County Among Nation's Most 'Water Wise' Counties - American Rivers recently named Clayton County one of the nation's most "water wise" communities.  The wetland filtration system that Clayton County created years ago is integral to its ranking.  While keeping wetlands in tact, Clayton County was able to maintain a 230 day drinking water supply at the height of the drought while Lake Lanier was as low as 90 days.  This is a win for the environment and for the people of Clayton county. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

Half a Penny for Metro Transportation Just Not Worth the Trouble - If you've ever been in sales (or politics), you learn quickly that compromise rarely means mean win-win.  Moving from a penny sales tax to a half-penny sales tax increase is a compromise that panders to political pressure and doesn't follow logic or the spirit of the tax.  It's boring stuff but worth a read if you are interested in the future (or lack thereof) of transit in Georgia. - Saporta Report

 

MARTA Could Run the Beltline - Sure... Let's see if MARTA can run MARTA first...  I have my thoughts on MARTA and it's future but that's not for a Peach Bite comment.  I'm sure it's inevitable and it would make for the most seamless transit experience but MARTA just has so many issues.  There is a better way and I'll touch on that in a later post. -  AJC

 

Atlanta Streetcar Makes Pitch for Public Funding - I'm a huge proponent of the Peachtree Streetcar.  Unfortunately, I get the feeling that the only reason other people are excited about it is because it is really the only 'shovel ready' transit project in Atlanta that affords us the opportunity to get some government cheese.  If we do build it, my prediction is that it will be wildly successful.  Expect to hear something from the Feds by Feb 2010. -  Saporta Report

 

Atlanta-Chattanooga MagLev Rail Gets Dose of Cash - This could be one of the first steps taken in the south to connect the region with a 21st century transit system.  The Federal Transit Administration is providing $14.2 million to pay for environmental and engineering studies on a MagLev train that could connect the two cities.  Imagine zipping to Chattanooga in 30 minutes. This would be good for business, recreation and image. - AJC

 

MagLev Train Shuttle to Braves Stadium? - Okay... Do I really think we need this??  NO.  But, it would be crazy cool.  Stepping back to reality though, let's take that money and move it to the Beltline.  Or just build a regular train service.  MagLev is totally unnecessary for this type of shuttle system.  Let's focus on the Atlanta-Chattanooga MagLev.   - Atlanta Unsheltered

 

Beltline Names New CEO - Brian Leary, vice president of Atlantic Station, was recently named the new CEO of Atlanta Beltline Inc.  This looks to be a good move.  With this though, I am predicting a change of the northwestern path of the Beltline to now cut through Atlantic Station instead of going to the north and west of it.  We shall see.. - Creative Loafing

 

Beltline's Feasibility Rides to Forefront - The worrisome thing about the Beltline is that the financial plan around securing funding is primarily based on increasing property tax revenues.  The plan was devised prior to the real estate market crash back in 2005 and hasn't been changed.  Finding $1.7 billion from property tax revenues might prove impossible in the new environment.  Personally, I believe that the project is integral to the city and the 'leadership' will find a way to make it happen regardless. - AJC

 

Metro Atlanta Needs a Metro Solution to Transportation - Jay Bookman gives some very interesting insight on the history of transportation planning in the state and the current and future needs.  A really notable fact is that the state of Georgia ranks 49th in per capita dollars spent on transportation.  The other was that metro Atlanta accounts for ~28% of transportation spending.  I wanted to see if that was proportionate to the population and found that it is significantly below.  Approximately 60% of the residents of GA live in the metro area.  We need to let to politicians know that change is needed. -  Jay Bookman (AJC)

 

MARTA Wins Solar Energy Grant - Marta is planning to use $10.8 million in federal grants to put solar panels on top of bus canopies.  The panels will be installed at the Laredo Bus Maintenance Facility in Decatur. This will be the largest PV system in GA. - Atlanta Business Chronicle

 

Atlanta Bests San Francisco for Green Building - For some reason, Atlanta doesn't seem to get the respect it deserves in this area.  We're good but we could be better.  Right now, we're 5th in the nation in LEED certified buildings at 53.  Chicago has 88, Portland has 73, Seattle has 63 and DC has 57.  San Fran is right behind us at 50. - San Francisco Chronicle via Chicago Tribune

 

Lovett's New Green Middle School - The unfortunate thing is that most Atlantans can't afford to send their kids to Lovett.  But, the school's commitment to sustainability and environmental issues is something to be commended.  The new facility is seeking LEED Gold certification and has a green roof and rainwater harvesting system among other features. - WSBTV

 

Going Green Pays Off - Man, I hate the phrase "going green."  What does it mean?  It seems to me that it's up to anyone's interpretation.  Am I 'going green' because I use CFLs or bring reusable shopping bags to Whole Foods for my groceries??  Well, that's not the point of the article.  The exciting thing that I took from this article is that the Westin downtown will finally be replacing the windows lost during the tornado.  And... those windows will be thicker, darker and better insulating.  There are a few other buildings that are highlighted like 1180 Peachtree and the Emory University Conference Center Hotel. - AJC

 

Don Wells Named Atlanta's 2009 Cox Conserves Hero - Mountain Stewards, Wells' non profit organization, will receive a $5,000 donation from Cox Enterprises. - Trust for Public Land

Recycling Pick-Up Back On in the City of Atlanta - How exciting!  Recycling!  Wow!  How are other cities going to compete with us now that we have recycling again? We are truly 'going green' here in Atlanta. -  The Buckhead Blog

Stay tuned for next week's installment of Peach Bites.  Feel free to send me any articles or stories that you come across at michaeldhadden@gmail.com

MARTA Was a Pioneer.. Was...

This is a very depressing little video from Citizens for Progressive Transit. What it tells me is that Atlanta has been passed by simply by letting the status quo rule the political scene. For too long now, there has been an atmosphere of complacency. Unfortunately, we are now seeing what complacency leads to. It is still unbelievable to me that Cobb and Gwinnett county have never become part of MARTA. Now, we have Oxendine talking about building a parallel connector. When will the politicians understand that building more roads is a 20th century solution to our transportation woes??

Revolutionizing Transit in Atlanta - Wouldn't That be Nice

image courtesy of Citizens for Progressive Transit

We stumbled upon the website for Citizens for Progressive Transit (www.cfpt.org) the other day and their ideas definitely piqued our interest.  They are a grassroots organization that is committed to bringing improvments to public transit in our region by working with MARTA and our regional leaders.  There isn't much substance to the website yet but we really found their transit map very interesting.  It takes the current north/south, east/west MARTA lines and completely revolutionizes them.  Obviously, it is a pie in the sky type vision given that we can't even get movement around how to use existing funds for our transit needs.  However, it is nice to see a vision.  The Beltline was once just a vision too and today we see a great amount of progress on that project. 

Take a few minutes of your time and just imagine how a revolutionary transit system would change the face of the city.