Atlanta City Councilmembers Mary Norwood and Andre Dickens plan to introduce a resolution at Monday’s city council meeting to green light the sale of the vacant Adair Elementary School, according to the Saporta Report. Norwood said the resolution was not part of the larger dispute between the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Public Schools over how much money is owed in back-payments that are part of the BeltLine Tax Allocation District funding. Mayor Kasim Reed said he would not release the deed to APS, which would allow the school system to sell the southwest Atlanta property for redevelopment into residences.
More than 800 business and civic leaders attended the Midtown Alliance annual meeting on Feb. 10 at the Fox Theatre. The meeting touted the eight major mixed-use projects under construction with 14 more in the pipeline. “The opportunities for Midtown have never been more compelling,” said Kevin Green, President and CEO of the Midtown Alliance. “Our job is to make sure that as Midtown grows, it gets even better in every dimension.” Keynote speaker, Jeff Speck, author of Walkable City and noted urban designer, outlined ideas on walkability and transportation, including potential enhancements to the street network design that have been successfully accomplished in other urban areas. He challenged Midtown to explore two-way conversions of one-way streets where feasible, and to further prioritize walking and biking. For more about the meeting and to read the Midtown Year in Review for 2014, visit this link.
Fulton County is seeking permission from the United States District Court to terminate the Fulton County Jail Consent Decree. The request comes after extensive efforts on the county’s part to alleviate overcrowding, increase staffing, and improve overall conditions in the facility. “While I cannot comment on the legal issues involved in the filing, I know the county has worked tirelessly to address all of the issues which led to the case being filed,” said John H. Eaves, Fulton County Commission Chairman. “We now have some of the most successful programs aimed at reducing recidivism and providing alternatives to incarceration.”