Comments on: City Council approves Beltline bond issuance

By: Beth Michaels

Beth Michaels — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:17:20 +0000

The City and the Beltline are throwing good money after bad. They paid $66 million for the Wayne Mason land in 2007 even though the real estate and financial crises were already in full swing. (Wayne Mason had bought the land for $24 million just a few years before!) The Beltline had no commitments to finance its purchase. Now the Beltline will have to use almost all of the TAD bond money to pay off the loan. What will the taxpayers get? Transit is fast becoming a distant illusion. Affordable housing is treated as a step-child. Long time residents around the Beltline are being displaced. High density, inappropriate development will soon be crammed down the throats of residential neighborhoods. But well-connected developers are making out like bandits! And the Beltline PR machine is running at full throttle. Why isn’t anyone minding the store? Howard Shook? Mary Norwood? Shirley Franklin? John Woodham?

By: Conerned Citizen

Conerned Citizen — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:11 +0000

Do I have this right? $64.5M in bonds will be issued. Wayne Mason gets $45M, leaving $19.5. Ben Rainey (who failed to do what he was supposed to do) gets $3.5M, leaving $16M. Subtract debt service and few other BeltLine loans, and what-if anything–is left to support the promises of the BeltLine? Are our tax dollars being directed to the highest and best uses? Is a scam going on in plain view and everyone is asleep at the switch? City Council members: Hello?? Are you awake? Are you alive? Are you aware that you are all up for election in November 2009?

By: About that Saxby Chambliss memo … | Fresh Loaf

About that Saxby Chambliss memo … | Fresh Loaf — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:23:22 +0000

[...] a guy goes to City Hall for two hours and a shitstorm erupts. Well, here’s our take on what [...]