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President Jimmy Carter Was Related To Black Music Legend: Here’s What You Should Know
(atlantadailyworld.com)
From the Atlanta Daily World:
Photo: Getty Images Former President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 at age 100, had a surprising connection to a Black music legend. In his 2017 book, “Ancestors of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter,” Carter’s son, Jeff, traced his family’s roots to legendary producer and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. Their family ties reportedly date … Continued
The post President Jimmy Carter Was Related To Black Music Legend: Here’s What You Should Know appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.
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10 wish list items for Atlanta development in 2025 Josh Green Tue, 01/07/2025 - 14:39 In Atlanta, we're somewhere between COVID-19 malaise and uncertainty and the Olympics-like hoopla that's being promised for the World Cup summer of 2026. What a time to be alive in the South's capitol city.
Below are 10 wishlist items (with one candid, hopeless entry) for this brand new year across the City of Atlanta, presented in no particular order:
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1. Transparency, commitment to Beltline rail
One of the most divisive projects of any type in recent Atlanta history is expected to have a monumental year in 2025, per the construction timeline MARTA has long been committed to. Meanwhile, expect the conversation about Beltline rail to only heat up.
Last year saw no shortage of editorials, rallies, and public discourse over what’s been coined the Streetcar East Extension to the Beltline, a light rail project MARTA has repeatedly said will start construction this year and cost $230 million. After Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens floated the idea that bus rapid transit or driverless “pods” could be viable alternatives to Beltline rail in a WABE interview, BeltLine Rail Now advocates and other city leaders staged an August rally calling for MARTA and Beltline planners to stick to their guns and see light rail through—on a bed of grass instead of concrete.
Vocal Beltline rail detractors Better Atlanta Transit more recently conducted research that paints the initial streetcar extension segment as a poor use of resources and planning energies—and the full, 22.8-mile Beltline light rail proposal as a $2.8 billion (by their estimates) disaster of low ridership waiting to happen.
Transit-rich future for the Beltline's Southside Trail? Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
Whatever path MARTA takes this year could irrevocably shape the city for generations. Yes, it’s a complex, thorny issue, but it’s tough to argue with the Beltline’s original purpose as a corridor for fixed, permanent, equitable transportation. Less arguing and more doing in 2025, please.
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2. Amtrak!
Pick an intown site, as you’ve vowed to be doing. Make it a wise choice, beneficial for all involved. Make the design terrific. Start the process of beefing up regional connectivity, despite any perceived federal headwinds. Give us options for getting out of town—and for getting visitors here.
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3. More Westside, Southwest ATL love
For better or worse, seven years after it debuted, the Beltline’s Westside Trail has yet to deliver the sort of Eastside Trail-esque development that many Atlantans had encouraged (or feared) as the multi-use trail project came together. Could that start to change—in monumental ways, no less—in 2025? And if so, isn’t it about time?
Three potential game-changing projects jump to mind:
In Oakland City, the uniquely dense remake of 20-acre Murphy Crossing could break ground as soon as September, project leaders have said.
North of there, Star Metals District developer Allen Morris Company completed rezoning in late 2024 for a 15.5-acre site in Bankhead the company says could become a “new nexus point for the Westside.” Tentative plans call for 1,600 residential units and some 700,000 square feet of commercial space eventually.
Full scope of plans for the 15.5-acre parcel at 1060 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Royal Byckovas; courtesy of The Allen Morris Company
Roughly a mile away, Beltline leaders detailed plans in November for creating up to 1,100 residences (nearly 1/3 reserved as affordable housing) and a much smaller amount of commercial space (5,000 square feet) at the largest developable site the agency owns: a 31-acre parcel at 425 Chappell Road, also in Bankhead. That, it should be noted, would be just the initial phase.
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4. Continued vibrancy for inimitable South Downtown blocks
It doesn’t take a CRE analyst to know Atlanta’s historic South Downtown has been an economic dead zone for far too long, relatively speaking. But just over the horizon, hope abounds.
Last year, the Atlanta Ventures team purchased 53 buildings along streets with architecture that’s in far too short of supply in this city—and then set to work getting real results, as they’ve recently chronicled in year-end summaries.
Just to the west, Centennial Yards topped out two high-rises in 2024 and now counts six buildings actively under construction (albeit lacking affordable housing components so far), all in the shadow of Atlanta’s pro sports coliseums. Imagine telling someone that’s happening in the Gulch a decade ago.
Invest Atlanta
Last but certainly not least, Underground Atlanta owners and partner developers lifted the veil last year on plans for a $160-million project standing 30 stories that would inject the oldest blocks of downtown with more than 400 residences (and minimal parking). Timelines call for opening the bold, mixed-use statement sometime in 2027, which according to traditional development wisdom means work had better begin in earnest this year.
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5. Old Fourth Ward’s “selfie mecca” redo
The revised Jackson Street placemaking plan that was once expected to move forward in 2021, per city officials.Department of City Planning; Atlanta City Studio
Not to rain on this parade, but the people-friendly makeover of Jackson Street Bridge was also a wish list item on these pages at the beginning of 2022. That’s because project leaders indicated construction was all but a sure bet, way back then.
Thankfully, it hasn’t been all crickets over the past three years.
In March, the Atlanta City Council earmarked $300,000 for the remake of Old Fourth Ward's “selfie mecca,” as Atlanta Downtown Improvement District kicked off the bidding process for a construction company to implement changes on the bridge and nearby streets. Still, the miniature park on current vehicle lanes—or “parklet”—hasn’t broken ground.
The Jackson Street Bridge has emerged as one of Atlanta’s most popular destinations for wedding photos, Insta posts, The Walking Dead tourism, and anything else involving skyline photography. Let’s hope it becomes a more pleasant experience for anyone on foot, bike, scooter, et cetera in 2025.
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6. Continued condo development in Buckhead
Yes, for most hardworking Atlantans, projects such as The Dillion Buckhead and The Charles are the antithesis of affordable housing, with prices for remaining unsold homes sniffing a million bucks—and way up.
But they stand as proof of concept that stacks of for-sale condominiums—as opposed to apartments exclusively for rent—can still be viable in Atlanta. Especially if the location, amenities, and other factors are right.
The 18-story project in August, as landscaping was being prepped for the amenity level. The Dillon Buckhead/Kolter Urban; Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby's International Realty
Condos can be a sound way for first-time Atlanta buyers to build equity. For neighborhoods to infuse themselves with pedestrian vibrancy. And to quickly build a base of people with real financial stakes in the city. So win, win, win.
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7. Link between Georgia State University and Beltline
Imagine hopping on a bike or e-scooter at Georgia State University and zipping off southward to the Beltline in just under three miles, without fear of being crushed by cars. As part of a windfall of federal grants in February, the U.S. Transportation Department awarded the City of Atlanta $30 million to make that a reality, though no timeline for construction was specified.
The safe streets initiative calls for transforming two traffic corridors where vehicle accidents are common, Pryor Street and Central Avenue, to act as connections between downtown and the Beltline’s Southside Trail.
Heading south, the safety improvements would start near Woodruff Park and numerous GSU buildings, cross over Memorial Drive, and head under interstates before meeting the Beltline at Milton Avenue—near a recent explosion of residential development. Safety upgrades along that route call for bike lanes, crosswalk lighting, roadway reconfigurations, medians, safer speed limits, and rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, among other changes.
For the sake of alternate transportation and recreation, let’s do that ASAP.
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8. Falcons undefeated season
Sorry, that’s the leftover NYE bourbon talking.
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9. More street life in Midtown
Yes, Midtown is a shinning beacon of hope for urbanists far and wide. Cranes have long filled the skies as small-scale greenspace projects such as the 10th Street Temporary Park, Commercial Row Commons, and the new Art Walk segment provide respite from the urban grind for a district that packed on 2,200 more residences last year alone.
How outdoor seating and new plantings coexist with what's still a functioning, two-way street, Peachtree Place. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Nonetheless, far too many streets are still pockmarked with vacant retail, parking lots, and cleared but idle development sites for a place that strives to be the benchmark for Atlanta’s walkable, cosmopolitan growth.
Maybe these gaps will start to noticeably fill in 2025. (Here’s looking at you, the 4-acre tomb of failed No. 2 Opus Place.)
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10. Better connectivity to Westside Park
While the Beltline’s completed Westside Trail segments and its downtown spur trail are glorious additions in terms of off-street connectivity, they still leave something to be desired when it comes to accessing the city’s largest greenspace. Maybe that’ll start to change this year.
During a bike tour four years ago, PATH Foundation officials said discussions were underway with owners of active railroad property adjacent to Westside Park about potentially building a bridge over rail lines. Doing so would create a direct link between the greenspace jewel, the Beltline, and downtown. And it would help keep bicyclists in the area out of busy roadways. Unfortunately, not much about those bridge ambitions has been shared publicly since.
Westside Park's marquee attraction, a reservoir overlook toward the city. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
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• 6 Atlanta development stories to watch in 2025 (Urbanize Atlanta)
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BeltLine Rail BeltLine Rail Now! Better Atlanta Transit Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail The Allen Morris Company Allen Morris Company Midtown Development Downtown Atlanta Development Atlanta Ventures Centennial Yards Centennial Yards Company PATH Foundation Atlanta BeltLine Inc. Georgia State University GSU Alternative Transportation Alternate Transportation Atlanta Bike Lanes Westside Westside Park Westside BeltLine Connector Murphy Crossing Oakland City Bankhead
Subtitle The case for South Downtown vibrancy, Beltline rail commitments, Buckhead condos, more
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From the Saporta Report:
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change kicked off the annual King Holiday Observance roster with a Jan. 7 press conference announcing a lineup for “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365.” Through Jan. 20, the King Center and its partners will host a series of events […]
The post King Center launches MLK holiday schedule focused on youth and AI appeared first on SaportaReport.
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From the Atlanta Daily World:
Rod Wave continues to serve as a leader of the Trap Soul movement. The 26-year-old Florida native recently brought his “Last Lap Tour” to State Farm Arena in Atlanta where thousands of fans witnessed him share his soulful story. Rod Wave delves into multiple subjects that include sharing intricate feelings of heartbreak, love, and tribulations … Continued
The post Rod Wave Brings Trap Soul Movement To Atlanta With The ‘Last Lap Tour’ appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.
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250 more residences are full speed ahead in booming Blandtown Josh Green Tue, 01/07/2025 - 12:33 The end of 2024 signaled new beginnings for large-scale development along Huff Road—and the continued influx of new housing in an Atlanta Beltline-connected neighborhood west of Midtown.
A former showroom for home improvement store PDI Kitchen, Bath, and Lighting has been demolished and infrastructure work is well underway for the city’s latest Novel-branded community in Blandtown.
The project by Charlotte-based Crescent Communities—an active Atlanta builder with multifamily projects dotted from Buckhead to Old Fourth Ward and the southside suburbs—is redeveloping a total of 3.03 acres at 1095 and 1121 Huff Road.
The site is located across the street from AuthenTEAK Furniture, X3 Sports, Anadol Rug Co., and other Blandtown businesses. The scope includes a vacant, triangular lot next door to the former showroom.
The project’s title, Novel Blandtown, echoes other Crescent ventures across the country and embraces the historic neighborhood’s atypical name.
Demolition progress and beginnings of infrastructure work at Novel Blandtown's site in late December. Courtesy of Philip Clinch, @philip_atlanta
The proposal's frontage along Huff Road, with parking lots for AuthenTEAK Furniture and other businesses shown across the street, at bottom.
Niles Bolton Associates
According to Crescent officials, Novel Blandtown is scheduled to open in early 2027, with Peachtree Corners-based construction company Fortune-Johnson on board to build it.
Novel Blandtown calls for a seven-story multifamily building with 250 units and a 4,700-square-foot, one-story structure for retail topped with a patio overlooking Huff Road, according to project designers Niles Bolton Associates architects.
Plans also call for roughly 330 parking spaces in a new garage and surface lots, plus about 50 spaces for bicycle parking, according to designs brought before the Beltline Design Review Committee in 2023.
As is, Huff Road includes two traffic lanes (and spotty sidewalks) for most of its length between Howell Mill Road and Marietta Boulevard, where it meets the Beltline corridor. But there’s hope for improvement on the horizon.
Rapid development along the Huff Road corridor is the driving force behind what’s called the Huff Road Multimodal Study.
That initiative is striving to eventually “reimagine [the] industrial freight corridor as an accessible, safe, and multimodal network, in line with the community’s goal of creating a restorative urban environment,” according to the Atlanta Regional Commission, which contributed $200,000 to the effort in 2023.
Proposed look of the stacked apartments, left, and retail component.
Niles Bolton Associates
Shown prior to recent demolition, the properties in question, at left, span about 3 acres collectively. Google Maps
To comply with the Beltline’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, 10 percent of Novel Blandtown apartments will be reserved for tenants earning 60 percent of the area median income or less, per the Beltline DRC.
The newest section of the Beltline’s Westside Trail opened about two blocks away, directly west, in fall 2022. Now, a Northwest Trail segment of the Beltline linking toward Buckhead is under construction just to the north.
Crescent’s investment along Huff Road continues a surge of residential product for the historically industrial neighborhood over the past several years.
Neighboring residential projects that have claimed underused Blandtown parcels include Minerva Homes’ 34-unit Hayden Westside townhomes and Empire Communities’ sprawling Longreen project, which is consuming an area roughly equivalent to three city blocks along Huff Road.
Practically next door to the Novel Blandtown proposal, Crescent Communities also built a 340-apartment community called Novel West Midtown that opened in late 2023 on Fairmont Avenue. Ten percent of those apartments were also reserved as affordable housing, as Beltline inclusionary zoning rules in the area dictate.
Other Huff Road development sites include Empire Communities' Longreen project, shown at right in 2022. Crescent's new Novel West Midtown apartments are at top. Google Maps
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• Blandtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
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1095 Huff Road NW 1121 Huff Road NW Crescent Communities Mixed-Use Development Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Atlanta BeltLine Design Review Committee BeltLine DRC Pickleball 1359 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard NW Atlanta Pickleball Center BeltLine Development Kimley-Horn AuthenTEAK Furniture Novel West Midtown Greystar Niles Bolton Associates Atlanta Construction Atlanta Development Fortune-Johnson Fortune Johnson
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Shown prior to recent demolition, the properties in question, at left, span about 3 acres collectively. Google Maps
Other Huff Road development sites include Empire Communities' Longreen project, shown at right in 2022. Crescent's new Novel West Midtown apartments are at top. Google Maps
Demolition progress and beginnings of infrastructure work at Novel Blandtown's site in late December. Courtesy of Philip Clinch, @philip_atlanta
Proposed look of the stacked apartments, left, and retail component. Crescent Communities/submitted
The proposal's frontage along Huff Road, with parking lots for AuthenTEAK Furniture and other businesses shown across the street, at bottom. Crescent Communities/submitted
The Huff Road properties in question, between Marietta Boulevard and an Atlanta Waterworks reservoir. Google Maps
Subtitle Novel-branded project calls for patio-topped retail space along Huff Road
Neighborhood Blandtown
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January 6: Reflecting on the Four-Year Anniversary of Democracy and Racial Backlash
(atlantatribune.com)
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