CL: Streetcar funding update, etc.
Filed under: Cityscape, POLITICS, SMART GROWTH, transportation
The adorable Thomas Wheatley, as we call him here at Atlanta Unsheltered, has a great update on the city’s plans to apply again for streetcar federal funding.
The twist is that the Beltline, the 22-mile rails-to-trails corridor, will not also apply for the funding, even though it, too, has considered streetcars for the transit portion of the loop.
You can find all the details here at Creative Loafing.
It’s not the only interesting nugget Wheatley has shared in the last week. He also linked to an article in the Economist about MARTA. Yes, our MARTA in, yes, THE Economist.
It’s a brilliant article. Here’s how it starts:
“FROM downtown Atlanta, the 113 bus trundles past many of the city’s most prominent attractions: the Martin Luther King memorial, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park. It serves residential neighbourhoods in Sweet Auburn, Candler Park and Inman Park; students at Georgia Tech; and tourists heading to the city’s museum and arts district. It does, in short, precisely what a city bus is supposed to do—make it feasible for people to get around without a car. On September 25th, it will cease operating.”
Here’s the link from CL.
Your weekend away: the Beltline’s Southwest side
Please don’t tell me you have Beltline fatigue, kind readers, because I’ve finally made it over to the temporary trails on the West and Southwest side and I’m eager to sell you a travel package on it!
Of course all you have to do is bike across town, or take MARTA to the Ashby station. From there, it’s an easy half-mile ride to the start of the temporary wooded trail. And once there, you really won’t believe you’re still in the city.
I’ve covered this territory already, having walked part of this trail a year ago. But now, instead of a three-hour walk, you can take an hour-long bike ride (or less, depending on how far you go).
Just as on the Northeast side, which I’ve covered quite a bit, there is art to see. How about this piece?
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Building has new life, and new address, too
I’ve been meaning to post a story I produced about the old Macy’s building in downtown Atlanta since last week. And a story in yesterday’s AJC reminded me to get going.
My piece was for WABE 90.1, and focused on one aspect of this building’s renewal: it now has two addresses. The upper floors of the building will remain 180 Peachtree Street, but the lower three floors, which are being converted to event and conference space, have been “re-addressed” to 200 Peachtree because the owners think that has more cachet.
You can find my piece here, and the AJC piece here. The AJC piece is very interesting, and goes into much more detail about the history of the building.
Addresses can be an interesting thing for companies. There are companies off of Powers Ferry Road in COBB COUNTY that have an Atlanta mailing address. I always find that one funny because the companies didn’t see fit to locate in Atlanta, but they know that around the country and around the world, no one knows Marietta but everyone knows Atlanta.
I hope the investors succeed in turning 200 Peachtree into a grand space. As I told one of the investors, even if I have a natural skepticism about any real estate development now and especially in downtown Atlanta, I am at the same time naturally excited by the idea of restoring a grand old building like the Macy’s building.
Even Phoenix, Ariz. has light rail
Maria Saporta reports on a delegation of Atlanta leaders who visited Phoenix, Ariz. recently as part of a regular outreach series of trips to other cities organized by the Atlanta Regional Commission.
And she tells us and shows us that yes, even Phoenix, Ariz., — yes THAT Arizona! — has a light rail system. You can read her piece here at SaportaReport.
What’s significant is that the light rail links university campuses in downtown Phoenix and downtown Tempe.
Running to stand still. Feels that way sometimes, despite recent legislative wins.
Abandoned in Midtown
Photo credit: Johnny Urban via Flickr
If you read this blog, you may know that Johnny Urban is a frequent commenter. Well he’s also a prolific taker of photos around town!
Here’s one he took of a house in Midtown in February. And below is the description he added on Flickr. What I like about the photo is it captures the crazy mish mash of building styles in our city.
“Abandoned and forlorn after serving as a restaurant, this modest bungalow on a backstreet in Midtown was at one time the home of Celestine Sibley, a very popular writer in Atlanta. Although she is most remembered for the stories she wrote about her ancient farmhouse named Sweet Apple in Crabapple (near Roswell, GA), she raised her children in this home. I remember reading somewhere that she found joy in being an urban mother, as she wasn’t obliged like her suburban counterparts in having to play the role of chaffeur. They could simply walk out the door to stores, entertainment, the park. Who knows how much longer this place will still be around….”
Hey Johnny, where is this exactly? And while I’m at, I love your photo stream on Flickr! You’ve got an eye for what’s great, and not so great, about Atlanta.
No go on the Peachtree Streetcar
Ariel Hart of the AJC reports that Atlanta will not receive federal funds to build a streetcar line here.
As Ariel puts it, “The loss for the streetcar is one more drop in the bucket of metro Atlanta’s mass transit misery.”
She has all the details here.
It’s times like this that I like being a blogger. Because it would have been hard to write the story Ariel had to write.
Streetcar announcement today — I hope!
Photo credit: kevinseanw via Flickr
Good morning!
As you probably know, Atlanta expects to hear word today whether it has been awarded up to $300 million in federal funds to build a streetcar system downtown.
MARTA and several other organizations put together an application for funds, which, if awarded, would help bankroll a six-mile line on Peachtree Street and/or a three-mile, east-west line on Auburn Avenue that would connect the King Center with Centennial Olympic Park.
Officials have said they think Atlanta has a good chance. We’ll see.
Federal regulations recently changed to favor the construction of streetcar systems, and many cities already have a head start (the photo above shows a streetcar in Toronto).
In fact, Charlotte, which already has a light rail line, has begun to explore the possibility of applying for federal funds for a streetcar line.
I think many of you are up to date on the prospects of streetcars in Atlanta but if not, check out this post on SaportaReport and this post from Thomas Wheatley at Creative Loafing.
This train is bound for Charlotte
As a freelancer, I pitch story ideas and sometimes editors bite and sometimes they don’t.
Last week, the global conglomerate Siemens came to Atlanta to show off a light rail car that will be part of Charlotte’s transit expansion. I thought it would make a great story, but I was the only one.
Or was I? Maria Saporta was on it, of course, and from her column I learned that the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce actually laid track to properly display the car, which can also be used as a streetcar.
Laid tracks? You have my attention now.
Maria mentions a lot of great things, so please check out her column.
But I would like to mention one thing former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory said while he was in town.
McCrory, who Maria points out is a Republican, said you need to marry transit with the existing transportation network and expansions need to make economic sense. And he said you can’t build transit without a land-use plan.
“The right is only going to want to build roads. The political left will want to put transit everywhere out of fairness. This is not a fairness issue,” McCrory said. “There needs to be an inter-connected system of sidewalks, bikeways and buses.”
Doors of Inman Park
I did my own personal photo hunt one day in Inman Park, and here’s a glimpse of what I came up with.
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So many good ideas for Mr. Reed!
Do I wish I had thought to write/solicit ideas for a to-do list for the new mayor, as Atlanta magazine did in its January issue, or do I wish I had thought of some of the actual ideas?
Needless to say, both.
It doesn’t look like you can access the whole article online but you can read a taste of it here. (It’s worth getting your hands on a copy of the actual magazine to take a look at the whole piece).
The suggestions were published in conjunction with the proceedings of a roundtable the magazine convened to discuss Atlanta’s problems and what we can do to fix them.
The magazine solicited ideas from people all around Atlanta, and while many of the ideas are a bit self-serving — someone involved in a volunteer organization thinks every Atlantan should start volunteering — all of the suggestions merit consideration.
I think the best single comment comes from Creative Loafing’s Andisheh Nouraee. (You may think we are biased in favor of Creating Loafing folks here since Ken worked there for so long but I never worked there and I don’t even know Andisheh. I just like good ideas).
While I don’t agree with every idea, I love the way he presents his thoughts in a very no-nonsense way that just says, “Let’s get going.”
Here’s his comment:
“Treat critics with respect instead of as enemies. Honor responsible homeowners by cracking down on serial code violators whose derelict properties are magnets for criminals. Create an Office of Transparency and empower citizen watchdogs by putting every new government report and document online in real-time. Admit the BeltLine is a park with a bike path, not a mass transit project. Require large parking lots to install secure bike racks. Mobilize Atlanta business leaders against rural GOP lawmakers who revel in hurting the city. Hire more cops, and tell the ones directing traffic at Hartsfield-Jackson to stop being such dicks.”
Alright so let’s get going!
Our new website!
