Atlanta News

From WABE Politics News:

Nearly 44 years after Jimmy Carter left the nation’s capital in humbling defeat, the 39th president returns to Washington for three days of state funeral rites starting on Tuesday.

From WABE Local News:

Former President Jimmy Carter’s legacy of giving back endures in several nonprofits he and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, supported for almost 50 years after they left the White House. In […]

From WABE Politics News:

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said Tuesday it’s scrapping its third-party fact-checking program and replacing it with Community Notes written by users similar to the model used by Elon Musk’s […]

Arts Atlanta:

Professional musician Alexandra Shatalova Prior guides readers through the nuances of some of the world’s best-known classical music. Antonio Vivaldi was a busy and prolific Baroque composer, one who many musicians joke wrote the same concerto 50 times, which is of course an unfair characterization of the talented and enduring artist. His best-known work is...

From the Atlanta Daily World:

In what should have been a moment where politics were put aside, the nation was, again, reminded of the ugliness of MAGA supporters. During a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, VP Kamala Harris swore in several newly-elected members. Moments before Nebraska’s Sen. Deb Fischer was sworn in by Harris, Fischer’s husband, Bruce Fischer, … Continued

The post Op-Ed: GOP Senator’s Husband Refuses To Shake Kamala Harris’ Hand, Proves Classless Mindset Of MAGA Supporters appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

On the newest episode of the Allison Interviews podcast with host and entertainment journalist, Allison Kugel, sits down with actor Todd Bridges. During the interview Todd discusses maintaining his sobriety for 32 years, fighting with producers to get Black crew members and a Black director on the Diff’rent Strokes set, threatening to quit Diff’rent Strokes over Muhammad Ali, LA racism in the … Continued

The post Todd Bridges Talks Sobriety, Surviving Sexual Abuse, Muhammad Ali, Gary Coleman appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Photo: Getty Images Zoe Saldaña nabbed her first win at the Golden Globes. On Sunday (January 5), the 82nd annual Golden Globes, hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, recognized the best in film and television at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Several Black stars were nominated for awards ahead of the ceremony, inclduing Wicked star … Continued

The post Zoe Saldaña Wins First Golden Globe, Only Black Winner Of The Night appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Metropolitan Parkway housing, retail development officially a go Josh Green Tue, 01/07/2025 - 08:25 Fresh housing aimed at boosting a southside corridor between downtown and Atlanta’s airport is scheduled to officially move forward this month.

Paces Preservation Partners, a partnership between affordable housing development firms, plans to host a Jan. 14 groundbreaking alongside Mayor Andre Dickens and other local dignitaries for a project called Metropolitan Place.

The 176-unit venture with an affordable rental and retail component will take shape at 2333 Metropolitan Parkway, just south of Langford Parkway and west of the downtown Connector in the Perkerson neighborhood.

For years, the corridor has grappled with disinvestment and blight, but development officials say Metropolitan Place is indicative of projects that are starting to turn the tide.

The site's location just south of Langford Parkway and west of the Interstate 75/85 Connector. Google Maps

According to Invest Atlanta, which is helping to fund Metropolitan Place, the majority of units, or 144 total, will be reserved at rates for people earning 60 percent of the area median income or less. That means 750-square-foot, one-bedroom apartments are expected to rent for $972 monthly.

Seventy two-bedroom units—the most prevalent option in the project—will rent for $1,164 for 850 square feet. And three-bedroom apartments (35 total) with 1,200 square feet will cost $1,331 monthly.

Amenities are listed as an onsite fitness center, clubhouse, picnic area, and security cameras.

The expected look of Metropolitan Parkway (top) and Avery Road frontages. The Paces Foundation, Inc., Soho Housing Partners; via Invest Atlanta

Elsewhere, 32 apartments are expected to rent for market rate, ranging from $1,653 to $2,052 per month.  

At the ground level, roughly 1,000 square feet of commercial retail space will also be built, according to project plans.

The development is a team effort from Soho Housing Partners and Smyrna-based The Paces Foundation. The latter is a local nonprofit striving to develop more than 3,000 affordable housing units.

According to an Invest Atlanta project summary last year, Metropolitan Place aims to continue investments in the north-south corridor that include a new Atlanta Police Department Zone 3 precinct next door and Goodwill's Metropolitan Parkway Career Center a few blocks north.

Other housing developments in the area have contributed to an ongoing revitalization, per Invest Atlanta officials.

The vacant plot in January 2023, with the new APD precinct shown at left. Google Maps

Invest Atlanta leadership has said the mixed-use project will take 18 months to build. Records indicate the 6-acre property in question sold in early 2023 for $2.75 million. 

About half of Metropolitan Place's $77.1 million cost will be paid for with a tax-exempt loan from Atlanta’s Urban Residential Finance Authority, alongside federal and state tax credit equities aimed at helping spur development.

Invest Atlanta officials agreed last spring to provide $2.9 million via Housing Opportunity Bonds.

The 2333 Metropolitan Parkway site in relation to downtown and the airport. Google Maps

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• Southside news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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2333 Metropolitan Parkway Metropolitan Place Perkerson Avery Road Mixed-Use Development Atlanta Development Invest Atlanta Atlanta Police Department Metropolitan Parkway The Paces Foundation Soho Housing Partners Atlanta Affordable Housing Langford Parkway affordable housing affordable apartments Paces Preservation Partners

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The 2333 Metropolitan Parkway site in relation to downtown and the airport. Google Maps

The vacant plot in January 2023, with the new APD precinct shown at left. Google Maps

Invest Atlanta

The expected look of Metropolitan Parkway (top) and Avery Road frontages. The Paces Foundation, Inc., Soho Housing Partners; via Invest Atlanta

The site's location just south of Langford Parkway and west of the Interstate 75/85 Connector. Google Maps

Subtitle Perkerson project will join new Goodwill training center, police facility nearby

Neighborhood Southside

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Associated Project

Metropolitan Place

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From the Atlanta Daily World:

Photo: Getty Images President-Elect Donald Trump could issue mass pardons for rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, USA Today reports. Four years ago, a mob of over a thousand insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop election certification after Trump unsuccessfully ran for reelection. Now, after Trump won his … Continued

The post Here’s What We Know About Trump Pardoning January 6 Rioters appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

Nearly 44 years after Jimmy Carter left the nation’s capital in humbling defeat, the 39th president returns to Washington for three days of state funeral rites starting on Tuesday. Carter’s […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Getty Images Stock Photo Lame duck: an elected official continuing to hold political office during the period between the election and the inauguration of a successor One-upmanship: a situation in which someone does something in order to prove they are better than someone else *** In the early 1990s, Democratic Senator Joe Biden called Republican … Continued

The post J. Pharoah Doss: Biden’s lame duck death penalty one-upmanship appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the New York Times:

The police arrested the person they believe opened fire outside the entrance to the consulate, which is near Atlanta.

From WABE Local News:

A shooting Monday at the Honduran consulate just outside Atlanta left one person dead and another injured, and a suspect was in custody, authorities said. Doraville police responded to a report of […]

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Atlanta’s cocktail culture is expanding beyond traditional spirits, with the rise of zero-proof beverages and non-alcoholic drinks. In this month’s Beverage Beat segment on “City Lights,” Beth McKibben, Senior Editor […]

From the Saporta Report:

There’s Jimmy Carter,” the guy behind me in the barbecue line said, gesturing with a joint toward a man with a singularly toothy smile, standing a few feet away beside the host of this outdoor bash near Macon, Capricorn Records co-founder Phil Walden.

The post The many things Jimmy Carter meant to us appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Local News:

Rudy Giuliani was found in contempt of court Monday for failing to properly respond to requests for information as he turned over assets to satisfy a $148 million defamation judgment […]

From WABE Local News:

For the last two days, the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta has been open at all hours while former President Jimmy Carter lies in repose.  In the first 24 hours, […]

From the Saporta Report:

During the early days of America’s founding, having access to water was one of the primary prerequisites in choosing a location for a community. It’s not a difficult concept to understand. In addition to the obvious health benefits, having access to water provided a source of power for industry and, for many, water equaled mobility, […]

The post Why Atlanta? appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Local News:

The year 2025 continues to kick off with low temperatures expected throughout North and Central Georgia, according to National Weather Service Atlanta. A wind advisory was expanded to include the […]

New mixed-use Buford Highway district takes step forward Josh Green Mon, 01/06/2025 - 15:21 Back in November, developers behind a long-planned shopping, dining, and residential district at a vast, vacant Buford Highway site vowed to finally get the wheels of development moving in the new year.

Six days into 2025, signs appear to be pointing in a positive direction for nearby residents who’ve grown tired of the “eyesore” property in Doraville.

Atlanta-based real estate investment firm Insignia filed plans with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs on Dec. 30 to have its Lotus Grove project assessed at the state level as a potential Development of Regional Impact, given its large scope.

The state agency concluded today the Doraville project does indeed warrant a review by the Atlanta Regional Commission.

The DRI classification, which applies to projects large enough to effect multiple jurisdictions, is meant to streamline the development process and help gather local input. 

Insignia’s project description for Lotus Grove predicts it will bring urbanization to Buford Highway and help revitalize the popular foodie destination. But it’s been a long time coming.

Updated look at a courtyard and food hall plans for Doraville's Lotus Grove. Courtesy of Insignia

Situated just outside the Interstate 285 loop, a Kmart Big K long operated on the 13-acre Doraville property at 5597 Buford Highway until it shuttered in 2010. The shopping center’s remains were fully cleared more than two years ago. That appeared to set the stage for Lotus Grove—and the continuation of development trends in nearby cities such as Chamblee and Dunwoody that are leaning into urban-style, mixed-use nodes. 

Eti Lazarian, Insignia’s general operations director, told Urbanize Atlanta in November initial Lotus Grove phases were on pace to see vertical construction in summer 2025, with an expected total cost north of $300 million.

Alongside low-rise retail and restaurants (to include a food hall), Lotus Grove’s initial phase calls for a 12-story building—the tallest in Doraville, per project officials—that would include 456 apartments and perks such as a pool and fitness center. Elsewhere, Lazarian said construction schedules call for delivering Lotus Grove’s retail and residential components by sometime in 2027. 

According to the DRI submission, the full project would see 780 multifamily units, a 160-room hotel, and just shy of 67,000 square feet of retail and restaurant development.

The schedule calls for completing it in 2028, per the filing.  

Miami-based developer Resia, the company behind a five-building residential project on Memorial Drive and another in Douglasville, is gearing up to build the first phase of residential, called Resia Lotus Grove, per company officials.

Infrastructure work on the residential tower has begun, and full development is on pace to start this year, per Resia officials.

The latest plans for low-rise retail facades in the 5500 block of Buford Highway. Courtesy of Insignia

The cleared, 13-acre site, as seen along Buford Highway this past summer. Google Maps

According to Insignia’s website, Lotus Grove will eventually see two 12-story residential towers as part of roughly 1 million square feet of new construction. Other facets would include a public park designed to be activated for events.

Three years ago, Doraville’s Downtown Development Authority issued roughly $120 million worth of revenue bonds that Insignia will have to pay back, plus a tax abatement in the ballpark of $40 million.

The Lotus Grove site is less than a mile from the initial phase of Doraville’s Assembly Atlanta TV and film studio and greenspace complex, which has risen from the ashes of a razed General Motors plant. Elsewhere in the city, plans are percolating for a made-from-scratch downtown district that would help lend Doraville identity, while an infill residential project called Camino is under construction on a previously vacant lot.

Find more Lotus Grove context and the latest available imagery in the gallery above.

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• Doraville news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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5597 Buford Highway Insignia Kmart Reside Studios Buford Highway Lotus Grove Mixed-Use Interstate 285 Hilton Chaz Lazarian Joseph Geierman Big K American Subtractors Association Gray Television Gipson Company The Gipson Company Studio City Resia Resia Lotus Grove DRI Development of Regional Impact Georgia Department of Community Affairs

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The 13-acre Doraville site along Buford Highway, looking east, with Interstate 285 at right. Google Maps

The former Doraville Big K site, idle for a decade, as seen in March 2021.Google Maps

The cleared, 13-acre site, as seen along Buford Highway this past summer. Google Maps

Updated look at a courtyard and food hall plans for Doraville's Lotus Grove. Courtesy of Insignia

The latest plans for low-rise retail facades in the 5500 block of Buford Highway. Courtesy of Insignia

Courtesy of Insignia

Subtitle Doraville's Lotus Grove seeks state certification as Development of Regional Impact

Neighborhood Doraville

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Lotus Grove - 5597 Buford Highway

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From the Atlanta Daily World:

The black security fences are up again. National Guard troops are on standby. Law enforcement is prepared, leaving nothing to chance. Four years after the Capitol was overtaken in a deadly assault, the country braces itself for the certification of another presidential election. The contrast is stark between the peace that should mark the cornerstone … Continued

The post January 6: Reflecting on the Four-Year Anniversary of Democracy and Racial Backlash appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

It’s been four years since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, more than 1,488 have been charged in the deadly […]

From the Saporta Report:

Former President Jimmy Carter defied the odds in life. On Aug. 20, 2015, Carter held a news conference to announce how melanoma had spread to his brain. For ordinary human beings, that would have been a death sentence.  But Carter was no ordinary human being.  Thanks to receiving treatment with a ground-breaking immunotherapy drug, Carter […]

The post Saying goodbye to Jimmy Carter: He left the world — and Atlanta — a better place appeared first on SaportaReport.

High-rise development site in prime downtown location hits market Josh Green Mon, 01/06/2025 - 13:47 A strategically located property that could help continue downtown Atlanta’s development boom leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has hit the open market.

The 314 Luckie St. property, recently listed with commercial real estate firm Bull Realty, totals about .84 acres between two main downtown arteries.

It’s marketed as a “high-rise development site” with a “prime” location, in that Georgia Aquarium is across the street, and major downtown draws such as Centennial Olympic Park, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Arena, and other attractions are minutes away by foot.

Next door to the south is the Hyatt Place Atlanta Centennial Park Hotel, which opened in 2019, and the under-construction, 183-room Moxy by Marriott hotel project.

Bull Realty

The corner site's Luckie Street frontage (and former lounge building) today. Google Maps

Bull Realty brokers have listed the property for $12.5 million and say its SPI-1 SA5 zoning calls for dense development. That could be a hotel, multifamily, or mixed-uses including retail.

One potential plan, as drawn up by Goode Van Slyke Architecture, calls for roughly 200 apartments across 18 stories. Other components would be 10,500 square feet of retail and 240 parking spaces.

Attributes of the site—positioned along Luckie, Marietta, and Simpson streets—include three street frontages, a “Very Walkable” Walk Score of 86, and “Excellent” Transit Score of 75.

The site is used as public parking today. One section was formerly home to Encore Hookah Lounge, an establishment forced to close by the city in 2022 following a security guard’s fatal shooting and what authorities said was 171 calls to police in previous years.

Potential multifamily scheme for the site as seen from Marietta Street. Any development plans would require zoning and permit approval. Goode Van Slyke Architecture/Bull Realty

Overview of the .8-acre site from above Marietta Street, looking north toward Midtown.Bull Realty

As a parking lot today, the site generates $750,000 annually after expenses. According to Bull Realty, the parking use “can be continued to hold for future development.” Or—as ATL urbanists would contend—not.

Head up to the gallery for more 314 Luckie St. context.

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• Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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314 Luckie Street NW Downtown Development Bull Realty Georgia Aquarium Moxy by Marriott Downtown Atlanta Moxy Land for Sale Parking Lots Centennial Olympic Park Bureau of Big Ideas Goode Van Slyke Goode Van Slyke Architecture

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Overview of the .8-acre site from above Marietta Street, looking north toward Midtown.Bull Realty

The corner site's Luckie Street frontage (and former lounge building) today. Google Maps

Potential multifamily scheme for the site as seen from Marietta Street. Any development plans would require zoning and permit approval. Goode Van Slyke Architecture/Bull Realty

Bull Realty

Bull Realty

Bull Realty

Bull Realty

Bull Realty

Goode Van Slyke Architecture/Bull Realty

Subtitle Property currently used as public parking overlooks Georgia Aquarium

Neighborhood Downtown

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From the Saporta Report:

On Jan. 3, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced it is moving forward with a plan to expand the acquisition boundary of one of Georgia’s most precious natural resources — the Okefenokee swamp. The expanded acquisition boundary authorizes the FWS to purchase or conserve additional land around the Okefenokee. However, the decision remains […]

The post U.S. Fish and Wildlife announces plans to expand Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge by 22,000 acres appeared first on SaportaReport.