The Atlanta City Council approved legislation for more than $55 million in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport safety and operational initiatives.
The legislation includes funding for Concourse A and B improvements, including fire and safety upgrades; a renewal of the airport’s security operations contract for perimeter gates, inspections, and exits; and additional funding to support ongoing construction and maintenance.
Other items approved by council:
- Accepted $24 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant funding for four programs increasing access to housing opportunities.
- A resolution requesting HUD revise Area Median Income calculations to make housing more affordable.
- A legislative series enhancing roadway safety across Atlanta including the Habersham Road at Valley Road Roundabout Project, traffic calming devices on Faith Avenue, SE, and the Vulnerable Road User Improvements Project at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at West Lake Avenue.
- A resolution helping the City transition to 100% clean energy by executing a Service and Interconnection Agreement for Behind-the-Meter Solar with Georgia Power.
- A resolution authorizing $1.2 million to purchase battery-electric trucks and heavy-duty vehicles.
- An ordinance helping ensure the development of a grocery store on Cascade Road, a historically underserved neighborhood.
- An ordinance adding the $582,199 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant to the Atlanta Police Department budget.
- An ordinance extending the moratorium on applications for building permits for self-storage facilities for an additional 60 days.
- A resolution requesting that the Atlanta Urban Design Commission designate the property located at 811 Ponce De Leon Place, NE, in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood as a landmark building or site for its connection to the history of LGBTQ+ civil rights.
Items introduced for consideration:
- A resolution establishing a 15-member Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board to the City regarding applications of AI and AI-enabled technologies that the city uses and producing an annual report on those uses.
- A resolution requesting that the Mayor’s Office establish an Office of Veterans and Military Affairs or comparable dedicated function within the Executive Branch to serve as the City’s central point of contact for all related matters.
- A resolution seeking to expedite replacement of the Moores Mill Road bridge over Peachtree Creek. The 102-year-old historic bridge closed in October after it was struck by a heavy equipment vehicle.
- A resolution asking for a comprehensive engineering assessment of City bridges to identify and rank the 15 most in need of replacement.
- An ordinance establishing a dedicated funding mechanism to support the preservation, restoration, and expansion of Atlanta’s urban tree canopy, similar to the allocation of public art funding.
- An ordinance to increase the amount of the Tree Trust Fund which may be used to provide tree assessment, pruning, removal, replacement, and other assistance to low-income or senior-citizen homeowners from $400,000 to $1 million.
The council also presented proclamations and recognitions to trailblazing civil rights activist and humanitarian Henrietta Antoinin, the 100th anniversary of Atlanta’s second-oldest restaurant The Colonnade, and the 35th anniversary of the engineering firm Brindley Peters & Associates, Inc.
