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Lawsuit to stop lithium-ion plant in College Park dismissed, residents consider appeal
(saportareport.com)
From the Saporta Report:
A Fulton County Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by three residents who are fighting the building of a lithium-ion battery storage facility project that abuts their neighborhood. The residents are considering an appeal. Attorney Linda Dunlavy filed the lawsuit last October on behalf of South Fulton residents Carmen Miller, Steven Mack and […]
The post Lawsuit to stop lithium-ion plant in College Park dismissed, residents consider appeal appeared first on SaportaReport.
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From the Saporta Report:
Atlanta’s kava enthusiasts present the drink to first-timers with plenty of disclaimers: Yes, it’s ancient. No, it won’t get you drunk. Yes, it can make your tongue numb. Yeah, sometimes it tastes like dirt. You’re going to love it. It’s a necessary hurdle for the newly opened kava bar Tea’z Social in Little Five Points, […]
The post Tea’z Social brings kava cocktail bar to Little Five Points appeared first on SaportaReport.
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MARTA declares audit results ‘clear win’ in tussle with city Josh Green Wed, 03/12/2025 - 15:12 Atlanta’s transit agency says the results of a second audit into More MARTA sales tax spending are a victory that should green-light the delayed overhaul of MARTA’s largest and busiest transit hub.
The MARTA Oversight Committee on Tuesday released the findings of global accounting firm KPMG’s independent audit of the More MARTA Atlanta Program.
That vetting of half-penny More MARTA sales tax spending—approved by Atlanta voters in 2016—shows that MARTA “operated ethically, transparently, and above board,” reads a MARTA media statement issued today.
It doesn’t show that no More MARTA mistakes were made.
MARTA shortchanged the program’s capital fund and overcharged operating expenses by $865,000, but that’s far less than City of Atlanta’s auditors claimed MARTA shorted the program ($70 million) in a separate audit last summer, which stoked heated tensions between the city and its transit authority.
Back in August, MARTA blasted the city’s auditors for using a “flawed methodology,” and KPMG’s findings show they were correct, especially as it pertains to bus service calculations between 2017 and 2019, according to MARTA.
Some Atlanta City Council members in March 2023 had demanded an audit of the More MARTA program for more transparency on spending, claiming taxpayers were being shorted on transit expansions they were paying for. Three months later, the city hired the Mauldin & Jenkins firm, an independent auditor, to perform an operational review of the program—eventually with MARTA’s blessing.
MARTA called the second audit’s results “a clear win for MARTA, our customers, and the future of transit improvement and expansion.”
A refined preview depicting how the opened-up transit hub could look and function. Courtesy of MARTA
MARTA also reaffirmed its stance that the Intergovernmental Agreement between MARTA and the city that governs the More MARTA program should be restructured to establish clear deadlines and decision makers, along with other changes, that would make the process of starting construction on new transit projects less burdensome.
“In that spirit,” reads MARTA’s statement, “we would like to use this opportunity to urge [city officials] to expedite the approval of permits for the Five Points Station Transformation Project so that we can begin deconstruction.”
MARTA has claimed the city intentionally delayed the permitting process for Five Points station’s $230 million overhaul to roadblock progress following last year’s audit; city officials, meanwhile, have blamed delays on flaws in MARTA’s applications to begin work downtown, per the AJC's reporting.
MARTA says the Five Points delays have put the project behind schedule.
“It is critical,” per MARTA, “that we begin work to deliver this transformational project for our riders, our system, and the downtown area.”
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MARTA City of Atlanta Five Points MARTA Transit MARTA Audit Mauldin & Jenkins Atlanta Transit Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Atlanta City Council More MARTA More MARTA Atlanta Program MARTA Oversight Committee KPMG
Subtitle Results should green-light transformation of Five Points station, transit agency contends
Neighborhood Downtown
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For reborn CNN Center, new visuals, promo video paint vivid picture Josh Green Wed, 03/12/2025 - 10:22 South Downtown streets and Centennial Yards aren’t the only places brewing redevelopment plans downtown as 2026 FIFA World Cup matches inch closer.
The former CNN Center—or downtown’s “repositioned commercial beacon” now called simply The Center—has signed a sizable restaurant, inked a partnership with Savannah College of Art and Design, and put together a fresh promotional package as redevelopment moves forward, officials announced today.
The project, stylized in fresh visuals as “The CTR ATL,” will include a large interactive digital sculpture where the recognizable CNN letters once stood at street level, a variety of custom murals, and other installations within The Center's atrium—all facets moving forward with SCAD input. (A sizzle reel was also released today by owners CP Group that helps bring new and previously released renderings to life.)
Elsewhere on the property, CP Group has “secured a confidential high-end restaurant tenant” that will claim nearly 10,000 square feet of space, per officials.
On the art front, CP Group is also partnering with local creatives Neda Abghari and Bem Joiner to help curate Atlanta-specific artworks for the property, to boost its sense of place.
Plans for The Center's revised Marietta Street facade.Courtesy of CP Group
Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo
We’ve asked project officials for more specifics regarding construction timelines and delivery of any aspects of The Center (the World Cup is just 460 days away, after all), and we’ll post any additional information that comes.
Officials did say additional updates will be released later this year. CP Group is working with architecture and interior design firm TVS, general contractor Holder Construction, and marketing firm Core Twelve for branding of The Center.
CNN departed the 1.2-million-square-foot building last year and stripped off its branding as its offices were moved to Midtown’s Techwood, ending a four-decade era of the media company being headquartered downtown.
CP Group announced plans in April to remake the 1970s landmark known for its soaring atrium into a modernized hub of dining, retail, entertainment, and content creation.
Building permit paperwork filed with the city last year indicates the first phase of renovations would see exterior façade improvements at the former CNN Center’s north and south entries.
Courtesy of CP Group
Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo
Elsewhere, a new social area called “Hawks Plaza” is in the works for the building’s southernmost entry, nearest to State Farm Arena’s main entrance, according to marketing materials. Connected to that would be a remade atrium and reimagined retail corridors leading to arenas, the recently renovated Omni hotel, and downtown lynchpin Georgia World Congress Center.
CP Group’s renovations call for 130,000 square feet of retail space, alongside 920,000 square feet of creative office and media production spaces, officials said last year. It’s all part of a massive portfolio the Boca Raton, Fla.-based company has amassed in Atlanta in recent years.
Find a sneak peek at the latest visuals in the gallery above.
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CNN Center The Center Downtown Atlanta CP Group World Cup 2026 Healey Weatherholtz Properties Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Development Omni Atlanta Hotel Atlanta Hotels Atlanta Landmarks ASD|SKY CBRE Kimley Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates Kimley-Horn The CTR ATL Core Twelve Neda Abghari Bem Joiner SCAD Savannah College of Art and Design
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CNN Center's vast interiors, as seen in 2018. Shutterstock
Plans for The Center's revised Marietta Street facade.Courtesy of CP Group
Courtesy of CP Group
Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo
Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo
Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo
Courtesy of CP Group; via Vimeo
Shutterstock
CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties
CP Group; Healey Weatherholtz Properties
Subtitle Downtown’s “repositioned commercial beacon” now called The Center inks restaurant, SCAD partnership
Neighborhood Downtown
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From the Saporta Report:
Mourners from metro Atlanta and beyond paid their final respects to businesswoman Alice White Bussey, 78, Saturday at Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church. The congregation nodded in agreement as those close to Bussey described her as being filled with hope, resilience, and perseverance. “Alice was always going to tell you how she felt about the […]
The post Saying goodbye to entrepreneur, community leader Alice White Bussey appeared first on SaportaReport.
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H. J. Russell and Company Honored With ‘Engineering Impact Award’ from ACEC Georgia
(atlantatribune.com)
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Name, fresh details emerge for large-scale Marietta Boulevard project Josh Green Wed, 03/12/2025 - 08:06 A multifaceted project that could reshape three lots in an industrial, growing section of northwest Atlanta continues to move forward, with a groundbreaking potentially on the horizon.
Atlanta-based Vida, a multifamily and build-to-rent real estate development firm, has coined the 2085 Marietta Boulevard project “GuildHouse at Upper Westside.”
The mixed-use venture in the Bolton neighborhood would rise on a 6.68-acre assemblage of three properties, replacing lots used for bus and truck storage, a café building, and a one-story NAPA Auto Parts store with a range of residential and retail development.
The properties are situated across the street from Crest Lawn Memorial Park and around the corner from popular Mexican restaurant Nuevo Laredo Cantina on Chattahoochee Avenue.
The GuildHouse site plan calls for a blend of BTR townhomes, traditional apartments, and commercial space for the neighborhood, all situated around a pocket park.
How retail and apartment facades would look along Marietta Boulevard.Courtesy of Vida
Approximate location of the three parcels in question, totaling about 7 acres. Google Maps
According to Vida president Joe Martinez, the project has completed its seed funding round for what’s called Vida Opportunities Fund I. The $47-million fund—which is seeking qualified investors—would pay for construction of GuildHouse and another multifamily project Vida is putting together in Buford. (The latter project, Carrena at Mall of Georgia, would see 332 apartments take shape at 3172 Financial Center Way.)
“Peak supply of apartments in Atlanta hit in the third quarter of last year, and there is a lack of new deliveries in the next three years to handle the absorption we’ve historically had,” Martinez noted in a release provided to Urbanize Atlanta. “We think this presents a tremendous investment opportunity.”
Vida’s goal is to break ground on the GuildHouse project in Atlanta this year, as CoStar first reported.
Plans call for 39 BTR townhomes, each standing three stories with three bedroom and two-car garages. Adjacent to that would be 354 apartments, ranging from 550 to 1,350 square feet, with a parking deck. Amenities call for a saltwater pool, coffee bar, sky lounge, pet spa, and two courtyards, according to Vida.
The project’s 7,200 square feet of commercial space would face the pocket park. Another perk, as Vida notes, is the next phase of PATH Foundation’s Silver Comet Connector project, which will link the property to adaptive-reuse hub The Works.
Plans for an interior amenities space at GuildHouse at Upper Westside. Courtesy of Vida
How the three facets of new development would be arranged on combined parcels in the 2000 block of Marietta Boulevard. Courtesy of Proxima Residential/Vida Companies; designs, Geheber Lewis Associates/2023
Atlanta-based commercial advisory firm Terra Alma has been brought on to lead retail leasing at the GuildHouse project. According to Martinez, that could include a restaurant and other retail in commercial spaces.
The sales price for the three parcels in 2023 was $13.05 million, according to the Marcus and Millichap real estate investment firm, the deal's brokers.
Coined “Upper Westside,” the area in question has evolved in recent years from an industrial zone into a brewery and loft-office district with a wave of new housing, located between Atlantic Station and Interstate 285.
Newer residential developments within a few blocks of the GuildHouse site include Broadstone Upper Westside, Altus at the Quarter, and a more recent mixed-use project called BRYKS Upper Westside, which is delivering 600 more apartments in two buildings.
Across Georgia, Vida’s other current projects include Verona in Fairburn and Solara in Powder Springs. Previously the company was part of a team working to build a village-like mix of commercial and residential structures on a 7-acre Oakland City site about a block from the Beltline’s Westside Trail.
Planned internal functionality between townhomes, apartments, and retail. Courtesy of Proxima Residential/Vida Companies; designs, Geheber Lewis Associates/2023
Along with large-scale retail and office projects, Vida’s leadership team has developed more than 7,000 housing units worth more than $1.7 billion over the past two decades, according to Martinez.
Swing up to the gallery for more context and visuals for what could be in store along Marietta Boulevard.
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• Bolton news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
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2085 Marietta Boulevard 2051 Marietta Boulevard NW Marcus & Millichap Development sites Atlanta apartments Upper Westside Chattahoochee Avenue Atlanta Development Rental Townhomes Rental Trends Marietta Boulevard Infill Development Proxima Residential Vida Companies terra alma GLA Geheber Lewis Associates Vida Carrena Apartments Buford Mall of Georgia
Images
Courtesy of Marcus & Millichap
Approximate location of the three parcels in question, totaling about 7 acres. Google Maps
The sites in question in 2023, along the eastern side of Marietta Boulevard. Google Maps
Plans for an interior amenities space at GuildHouse at Upper Westside. Courtesy of Vida
How retail and apartment facades would look along Marietta Boulevard.Courtesy of Vida
Courtesy of Vida
How the three facets of new development would be arranged on combined parcels in the 2000 block of Marietta Boulevard. Courtesy of Proxima Residential/Vida Companies; designs, Geheber Lewis Associates/2023
Planned internal functionality between townhomes, apartments, and retail. Courtesy of Proxima Residential/Vida Companies; designs, Geheber Lewis Associates/2023
Subtitle Multifaceted "GuildHouse at Upper Westside" calls for covering 7 acres
Neighborhood Bolton
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From the Atlanta Daily World:
Let’s be real—managing your money in today’s economy feels like trying to juggle flaming torches while riding a unicycle. Paychecks might be going up, but so are prices, layoffs and financial uncertainty. The latest news in personal finance is a mixed bag—some wins, some losses, and a lot of changes that could affect your wallet. … Continued
The post The Carr Report: Top trending personal finance stories this week appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.
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Knocking down abandoned buildings has a lot of benefits for Detroit − but it’s costly for cities
(atlantadailyworld.com)
From the Atlanta Daily World:
Detroit has knocked down more than 20,000 homes since 2014. The process continues. Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images by Mark Skidmore, Michigan State University; Camila Alvayay Torrejon, Universidad Católica del Norte, and Dusan Paredes Araya, Michigan State University Few cities have experienced a sharper economic change of fortune than Detroit. It was one of the … Continued
The post Knocking down abandoned buildings has a lot of benefits for Detroit − but it’s costly for cities appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.
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