Fresh Loaf

The Atlanta Regional Commission yesterday said that metro Atlanta experienced its slowest year in growth since 1990. Between April 2008 and April 2009, only 24,700 people moved to the 10-county metro area. (That’s after years of averaging more than 77,000 new residents each year.)

Atlanta, which had seen an average of 7,400 residents flock to the city every year since 2000, added only 3,400 new residents.

“We’re definitely seeing the impact of the recession,” Mike Alexander, chief of ARC’s Research Division, said in a press release. “We experienced slower growth in all 10 counties and in the City of Atlanta. Even so, Atlanta continues to lead the region’s growth.”

There’s a little bit of good news, though, something that’ll at least put a smile on the faces of smart-growth aficionados and urban planners. The ARC last week voted to extend its award-winning Livable Centers Initiative program until 2012. Created in 1999, the program offers grants to local governments to plan and design walkable communities where once there had been just cars and congestion.

It was expected to run out of funds and go into limbo late last year, but the $3 million promise of cash means metro residents might have a better chance of seeing blasé suburbanscapes turned into enjoyable places once the economy recovers and development begins anew.

Bookmark It

The Atlanta Regional Commission says metro Atlanta will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace than it enjoyed during the 1990s. Nonetheless, expect to call approximately three million more people neighbors by 2040.

In its latest monthly forecast, which is basically like Christmas for a fact-loving pagan wonk like myself, the commission’s researchers say:

slower growth in population and employment is likely to be the norm across the country, as well as in the Atlanta region. Many of the factors affecting metro Atlanta are nationwide phenomena. For example, the average family continues to shrink, including those of second and third-generation immigrants. Combine fewer births with the decrease in the number of baby boomers over the next 30 years, and it’s clear that natural attrition will play a large part in moderating the Atlanta Region’s growth.

By that time, its residents will also be a lot older and younger, too — which will mean fewer people to fill available jobs.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Even with the Atlanta Regional Commission’s $25 million lifeline, MARTA must still make cost-cutting measures — and revenue-boosting decision — to balance its budget. Proposed measures include a fare hike, parking fee increases and changes to bus and train routes and schedules.

The transit agency’s board is expected to vote on those measures today at 1:30 p.m. Prior to the vote, MARTA board members will weigh public comments and citizen concerns received last week and during the official comment period.

The AJC’s Ariel Hart reports that the service cuts will not be immediately implemented. More on what the MARTA board decides later today.

Bookmark It

Straphangers and transit wonks can breathe easy, as Gov. Sonny Perdue today finalized a $25 million agreement between the Atlanta Regional Commission and MARTA that will help the transit agency avoid drastic service cuts.

Perdue’s action today was largely just red tape. As governor, Perdue must approve all projects paid for by federal stimulus dollars. The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority approved the ARC and MARTA’s agreement on Wednesday. Perdue had hinted he would do the same.

In exchange for funding to keep its trains and buses running, MARTA will spend $25 million on transit-related projects. ARC stepped up to help the cash-strapped transit agency after the Georgia General Assembly failed to pass a bill that would have allowed MARTA more control of its funding.

Perdue today also approved $121 million worth of other stimulus projects, including streetscape improvements in downtown Atlanta, park improvements in DeKalb County, and oodles of roads.

Screenshots of those are after the jump.

(more…)

Bookmark It

The state just doesn’t seem to understand MARTA’s importance to metro Atlanta. The Atlanta Regional Commission, however, just might.

Ariel Hart of the AJC reports:

A committee of the Atlanta Regional Commission on Thursday recommended that ARC divert up to $25 million in stimulus funds to MARTA to meet operating shortfalls. The money had been intended for long-needed metro Atlanta transportation projects.

…

MARTA will still have to follow through with less draconian cuts, General Manager Beverly Scott said Thursday. They will likely include furloughs, raising employee payments for health care and stopping bus and train service at midnight.

An ARC spokesman tells CL that the full board will vote on the recommendation in May. In the meantime, it’s working with MARTA staff to examine its financial situation and to see if the transit agency can use the stimulus funds for operational purposes.

It’ll also be interesting to see what transportation projects might get dropped if the plan goes through.

Bookmark It

The most tangible component of President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan — transportation projects — is starting to take shape in metro Atlanta and Georgia.

Yesterday, the State Transportation Board today approved 135 projects — most of which involve bridge maintenance and road resurfacing — valued at more than $512 million.

And today, the Atlanta Regional Commission approved stimulus projects totaling more than $270 million — $95 million of which will help metro region transit agencies replace aging vehicles, complete maintenance projects, and improve park-and-ride facilities. MARTA has been allocated $55 million. Some pedestrian improvements are included in each agency’s project lists.

If Gov. Sonny Perdue approves the projects, bids will be solicited. Work is expected to begin immediately thereafter.

Georgia was allocated $1.1 billion in transportation funding under the plan — $931 million for roads and $144 million for transit projects. GDOT oversees 70 percent of that cash. The remaining funds are distributed among metropolitan planning organizations — i.e. the ARC.

After the jump, screenshots of GDOT’s approved projects in Fulton and DeKalb Counties. To view the entire list and monitor how the agency spends Obamabucks, visit its stimulus projects website. To download a PDF of the ARC’s approved stimulus projects, click here. I’d post screenshots for you, dear reader, but since the projects are all local, it’s best to read the list in full.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Duany

Last week, acclaimed New Urbanist Andres Duany visited metro Atlanta to design several mixed-use sites for the Atlanta Regional Commission. He was deliciously brutal in his criticism.

“If Decatur’s great, it’s only in the absence of anything better.”

— Duany rips into the Atlanta neighborhood that the audience claims to be the most walkable.

“The only reason Atlanta isn’t mortified by its urban sprawl is because of its landscape. This the best-looking urban sprawl in the country.”

— Duany claims the region’s low-rolling hills help mask the dumb-growth.

“You have [massive parking decks] all over Atlanta. Who the hell wants to drive to the 15th floor? You feel like a loser even if you find a parking space.”

— Duany says the city’s parking decks should never be taller than five stories.

“Your streets are fantastically dangerous. And it isn’t the muggers. It’s the motorists used to driving fast.”

— Duany points out that the city isn’t safe for pedestrians.

Note: Now that I’ve been provided with maps and designs, I’ll be writing more later in the week about Duany’s presentation and plans. He’s got a lot of interesting ideas for metro Atlanta — Toco Hills and Grant Park, in particular.

Bookmark It

The Atlanta Regional Commission’s innovative program to help local communities benefit from the spot-planning blunders of their pasts has garnered the organization the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Smart Growth Achievement Award.

Since 1999, the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program has helped local communities design vibrant “town centers” where residents can live, work and play. Local governments apply to the commission for grants that pay for planning studies. To date, more than $141 million has been allocated.

Sounds mundane, but it’s actually cool. The program has sparked the interest of planning organizations across the nation as regions are finally trying to figure out how decades of sprawl can be retrofit to create town centers, increase areas of activity, and rethink transportation corridors. Think of it as making sense of exurban eyesores and annoyances. Or turning jalopies into Jaguars. Alliteration abounds!

The commission says the initiatives also help kickstart economic development while benefiting public health and the environment. The idea: More walkable communities encourage people to drive less and get around on their feet. This in turn reduces congestion and improves air quality while bringing people closer to their shopping needs and workplaces. And it’s been working:

Since the first LCI grants were awarded in 2000, more than 84,500 residential units, 20 million square feet of commercial space, 12,000 hotel units and 40 million square feet of office space are either planned, under construction or complete in these areas.

There’s a problem, however: This year marks the last the funds are committed to the program.

EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson presented the award to Dan Reuter, the commission’s land use division chief and LCI program manager, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

For more info on LCI’s, visit the ARC’s website.

Bookmark It

The Atlanta Regional Commission today launched a program that offers voluntary “green” certification for local governments.

From the ARC, the most badass planning agency in the world (take that, Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Organization!):

The Green Communities Certification is intended to foster greater environmental stewardship by recognizing local governments that invest in programs leading to a more sustainable region. While some statewide programs exist around the U.S. and many individual governments have developed sustainability programs to reduce their environmental footprint, ARC’s Green Communities program is the first regional “green” certification program in the country.

Cities and counties that choose to participate can win points if they implement measures among 10 different categories including green building, green power and water-use reduction and efficiency. Each measure, depending on its difficulty and effectiveness, is worth five to 10 points. The number of points the county or local government racks up determines what level certification it receives.

So what’s it going to take to convince a city or county — many of whom are cash strapped in these tough times — to pursue such an initiative? Maybe just hammering into their brains that the “cost” of these programs is really an investment. And that thinking long-term isn’t just responsible — it also saves cash by slashing energy bills and maintenance costs. Sure, they’ll have to work with the groups or stakeholders who oppose the changes — i.e. the DeKalb County Toilet Wars© — to reach a compromise. But it’s worth it.

The commission begins accepting applications in January 2009. For more information about the program and to view the application, click here.

Bookmark It