The Atlanta City Council passed an ordinance at its Nov. 20 meeting requiring all new residential homes and public parking facilities to accommodate electric vehicles (EV). The ordinance requires 20 percent of the spaces in all new commercial and multifamily parking structures be EV ready; it also requires that all new development of residential homes be equipped with the infrastructure needed to install EV charging stations, such as conduit, wiring and electrical capacity.

The City of Atlanta has announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded the 2017 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program grants. The city was among the recipients for a $1.875 million award, which will fund 15 additional Path Force officers over three years. The Path Force is a dedicated unit of the Atlanta Police Department that patrols the Atlanta BeltLine’s trails, as well as adjacent parks and neighborhoods. The Path Force Unit has patrolled the Atlanta BeltLine’s open trails since 2013, when a $1.8 million COPS grant was announced to fund the unit’s launch.

The Atlanta City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Nov. 20 authorizing the city to acquire nine new pieces of art for a total investment of nearly $4.4 million. The acquisition is funded by the Renew Atlanta Infrastructure bond, and the art will be installed at sites in Downtown, Midtown and Southwest Atlanta. The nine artists chosen are: Alicja Kwade, Willie Cole, Byung Hoon Choi, Ryan Gander, Yinka Shoniebare MBE, Juame Plensa, Ugo Rondinone, Katharina Grosse and Radcliffe Bailey.

Collin Kelley

Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He’s also an award-winning poet and novelist.