Fresh Loaf

Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver’s unexpected exit from the District 6 race yesterday took nearly everyone in the politically active and tight-knit neighborhoods she serves by surprise.

In a Tuesday interview with CL, Fauver said the decision, which she’s wrestled with for the last two months, largely came down to two things: frustration with city politics and the desire to try something new.

“[Atlanta] once had a strong council and a weak mayor,” Fauver said. “That’s been reversed. That can be very frustrating because council is supposed to determine policy…As of now, we don’t.”

Fauver added that it’s difficult to juggle a career and serve in City Hall. The job of a councilmember, which pays $39,000 a year and is supposed to be a part-time gig, is more like a round-the-clock position.

“It’s four years,” she said, referring to another term. “Four years on top of eight years is a little bit longer than I want to do it. I’m frankly looking forward to a new challenge and I don’t know what that will be.”

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Atlanta City Councilmember Anne Fauver says she won’t seek a third term.

Fauver represents the Morningside, Midtown, Virginia-Highland and Druid Hills neighborhoods, among others.

In an unexpected email blast to constituents and supporters she says:

After eight years you begin to be part of the system, and you find yourself with less energy to pursue better ideas and, frankly, with less faith in the ability of the system to be responsive to them. It’s time for me to pass the baton to a successor; to someone with the energy and vision I had eight years ago.

As of this writing, Midtown business consultant Steve Brodie is the only candidate running for her seat. In 2005, he narrowly lost to Fauver by five votes.

Fauver’s full letter, in which she outlines her proudest accomplishments on council, is after the jump. We placed a call to Fauver’s office and will update when we hear back.

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State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta

State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, is leaning against running for Atlanta City Council President, a source very close to the lawmaker tells CL. He’s expected to make a decision tomorrow.

If Fort opts not to run, that leaves Atlanta City Councilmembers Clair Muller and Ceasar Mitchell vying for the top spot. As of right now, at least.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Steve Brodie’s in the race to represent Midtown on the Atlanta City Council.

According to press release from his campaign, the Midtown business consultant this morning filed his paperwork to run for the District 6 seat currently held by Councilmember Anne Fauver.

“Over the past eight years, City Council has not shown the skills, or delivered the measurable results, that we so desperately need,” Brodie said in the press release. “I intend to introduce progressive ideas and build coalitions to give serious consideration to all the change that needs to come.”

The race will be the second time Brodie’s faced off against Fauver. In 2005, she won a hotly contested race against Brodie by five votes. As it looks right now, it’s just the two of them again — the Southern Voice reports Charlie Stadtlander, who announced his candidacy late last year, has dropped out of the race and endorsed Brodie.

Brodie, who is openly gay, is a decorated Vietnam veteran and business consultant. He’s served on numerous public organizations including NPU E, the Midtown Neighbors’ Association and the Beltline Subarea 6 Steering Committee. His full bio is available here. His campaign website is here.

(Courtesy Steve Brodie Campaign)

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Lovers of gourmet food and booze rejoice: That quaint store where you could buy luxurious-sounding grub — but not wine — may soon be able to legally stock booze.

Yesterday, the Atlanta City Council passed legislation that would allow such gourmet food shops as the Cabbagetown Market and the Mercantile on DeKalb Avenue to stock beer, wine and malt beverages. The legislation, which essentially now gives those and similar stores a legal classification in the city’s code, was penned by Councilmember Natalyn Archibong and passed 8-2. Such stores won’t be allowed to sell lotto tickets or “other games of chance,” gasoline or tobacco. They also can’t operate drive-thru windows or cash checks. But bring on the booze!

If she chooses, Mayor Shirley Franklin has eight days to veto the bill.

To peruse Archibong’s bill, laden with good ole fashioned legalese and multiple uses of “whereas,” click here. Keep in mind that an amendment — supposedly a minor tweak — was added to the legislation. I’m waiting on Archibong’s staff to return a call and clarify what in entails.

UPDATE: Here’s the “specialty food store” legislation as passed in Monday’s council meeting. I received some emails from folks who said they had problems opening the file I posted yesterday. If this one fails to open, shoot me an email and I’ll send it to you directly.

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Beltline, Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak officials have until tomorrow afternoon to update the U.S. Surface Transportation Board about the fate of the Decatur Belt, a strip of abandoned rail in Northeast Atlanta which all sides say they need to control for very different rail projects. (Here are some maps of the project and area in question.)

Late last week, residents of several at-risk neighborhood organizations — including Poncey-Highland, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward — asked Amtrak and GDOT to scrap their plans for commuter or intercity rail running along the Decatur Belt. (Click here to read their Word Document press release.) While all the agencies promised to work together to try and resolve the issue, they’re keeping mum on how things have progressed. On Tuesday, Mayor Shirley Franklin told U.S. Congressman John Lewis the sides are still negotiating. Nonetheless, keep checking back for updates about the story.

In other Beltline news, some areas of the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit that would require rezoning are scheduled to be discussed — and possibly voted on — by the Atlanta City Council’s Community Development and Human Resources Committee on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m.. Included are project areas near Old Fourth Ward, Grant Park, Northwest Atlanta, and others.

A full list of the areas follows after the jump. If you want to get involved, stop by City Hall or contact your councilmember.

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First come the slots. Then come the men cavorting with white tigers and the true artistes! But until then…baby steps.

And today, the Atlanta City Council voiced its support  for a plan that could drastically change Underground Atlanta and bring gambling — well, video lottery terminals — to the long suffering downtown attraction. Council voted 11-0 to approve a resolution supporting the proposal and form a committee to study the project.

Underground Atlanta leaseholders Dan O’Leary and John Aderhold say a remake of the area could bring jobs and much-needed revenue to the city. The two recently proposed a $500 million redevelopment plan that would convert Underground Atlanta’s 12 acres into a complex featuring a 29-story hotel, restaurants, shops and lottery terminals.

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The killing of John Henderson sparked Atlanta resident awareness about crime.

Kyle Keyser is a founder of Atlantans Together Against Crime, a grassroots citizen group that raises awareness about the city’s growing crime problem. In an open letter to Mayor Shirley Franklin and City Council that Keyser asked CL to publish, he says the community is fully engaged, but residents’ trust in their elected officials is slipping. On Feb. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m., ATAC will hold its second monthly rally at the corner of Martin Luther King and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevards.

An Open Letter to the Mayor and Council of Atlanta:

Lately, it seems, when you can’t fight crime with police officers you fight it with numbers.

“Things are better today,” you insist, and you reach back over the years to compare crime rates. Never mind the property crime increase here or another senseless murder there. You act as if this is all in our heads, perhaps being exacerbated by neighbors – and neighborhoods – too quick to react.

Madam Mayor & Council members – with all due respect – stop patronizing us. We are not children who are scared of the dark for no other reason than its darkness. Criminals are lurking in our streets and perpetrating horrible crimes on all sides of Atlanta. Maybe they are not killing or assaulting us as much as they did in your comparison years but they are breaking into our homes and our cars, they are robbing us of hard-earned possessions, and they are stealing our privacy, our peace, and our sense of safety with alarming frequency.

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If you’ve attended or watched an Atlanta City Council committee meeting, you’ve witnessed the blunt opinions and insight of Dave Walker, a 63-year-old Vietnam veteran and street vendor who says he’s attended nearly every meeting since 1984.

How did you end up in Atlanta?

I was hitchhiking around the country back in the ’70s and I went to Los Angeles. And then I went from LA to New York. And I was standing in my sister’s front yard in New York, and I asked the almighty God “Where do I go now?” And clearly he said to me, “Atlanta.” And that’s how I got here. I came hitchhiking with two pennies.

How does God manifest himself to you?

He can talk. God talks to man’s conscience.

Do you still hitchhike?

No, I am afraid now. And a little too old. (laughs).

Do you like Atlanta?

The thing that I used to like about Atlanta is that Atlanta was a wholesome town. But it’s no longer wholesome. If I left Atlanta, I would starve to death. So I stay here. No other city could I have gone to and become famous. I am famous now, so I like it.

When you say that you are famous, what do you think you are famous for?

I am famous for my quick wit. I am famous for my knowledge of world events, etc. I don’t think there is no council member, no government official, in this state or in this country, who is as qualified to talk about government as I am.

Why do you wear hospital scrubs? [Ed. Walker often wears scrubs to meetings.]

Every great man has to have their notch in history, their notch in the community; the scrubs are part of my notch, part of my identity. Most doctors, nurses, they have on scrubs and I view myself as somewhat of a doctor. And scrubs secondarily are very comfortable. They are versatile and you can wear them anywhere, anytime. And the reason I don’t have them on now is it’s too damn cold. But I tell you, I miss them. (laughs)

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Tom Coffin, former Atlanta arborist

Tom Coffin, the Atlanta senior field arborist whose firing last summer sparked a firestorm of controversy, says he’s mulling legal options if the city doesn’t rehire him.

In mid-December, his attorney told the city — in the form of an ante litum notice — that he planned to sue to under the city’s “whistleblower” statute. Coffin has maintained he was fired because he alerted superiors about alleged lax enforcement by his colleagues of the tree ordinance — an eco-minded yet controversial law that forces homeowners or businesses to meet criteria before cutting down trees. Coffin, whom we cheekily referred to as a real-life Lorax, helped write the ordinance, and has earned both praise and scorn from residents and developers for keeping a watchful eye on its enforcement.

In an open letter last week to the city council and residents, Coffin said he’d prefer to be rehired and get back to enforcing the tree ordinance rather than head to court to argue a case he thinks he can win.

Coffin writes:

“…I seek reinstatement to the Sr. Arborist position that I won through merit and lost through deceit. I wish to continue my nearly 12 years of service to the city in formulating, implementing and enforcing one of its signature environmental laws. I seek my job back. I ask for compensation for lost salary and benefits, and for the legal costs incurred by me since my firing in July 2008. These demands are reasonable and minimal. I ask that the [city's Public Safety] Committee recommend this result to Council in the interest of justice, fairness and economy.”

Beth Chandler, the city’s attorney, says the law department is reviewing Coffin’s claim. There is no timeline for when a decision will be made, she says.

In an earlier open letter to city council and residents, Coffin said the city’s tree ordinance, in his absence, has become a “dead letter.” Coffin, who travels around the city on a recumbent bicycle, told CL on Friday that even months after he was sacked by the city he still finds himself surveying trees and reporting possible violations to the arborist’s office.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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This afternoon, the Atlanta City Council will take up three proposals dealing with police resources — two are fairly interesting, the third fairly pointless. All three are resolutions, so they can be ignored by Mayor Franklin if she sees fit — and in one case she will.

The two most promising measures call for the city to establish mini-precincts at Crawford Long Hospital and Greenbriar Mall. Greenbriar, in Southwest ATL, is a no-brainer, but why Crawford Long? Because it’s across the street from the Peachtree-Pine shelter operated by the Task Force for the Homeless. As I noted in a recent cover story, the shelter already sucks up a large chunk of police resources in the surrounding Zone 5, including a patrol car stationed on Pine Street for 16 hours a day.

In both cases, the property owners — the mall and the hospital — are apparently so desperate for additional security that they’ve offered to lease the APD the mini-precinct space for $1 a year.

The third resolution requests the termination of employee furloughs for police officers and firefighters. It’s a fine idea — to increase police man-hours to combat the apparent rise in violent crime — and the Council is expected to approve it unanimously, but it’s a non-starter.

With the city in a serious revenue slump, Franklin has argued the city can’t afford to keep police on the job every day without slashing other programs and services. Privately, many Council members agree, but they’re unwilling to suggest in an election year what else should go on the chopping block instead. So they’ve left the tough decisions to an outgoing mayor, who — for good or ill — hasn’t backed down from making them.

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A Jan. 7 killing and armed robbery at the Standard Food and Spirits sparked community outcry — and questions over who’s to blame for a rise in Atlanta crime.

“The idea that we have a city where this kind of violence can happen is completely unacceptable. … What we have seen is cuts [in police hours] made [by Mayor Shirley Franklin] without consultation and collaboration.”

— Atlanta Councilmember Mary Norwood, who attended a Thursday morning vigil for victim John Henderson, in a Jan. 8 AJC article.

“I proposed a modest tax increase [in early 2008] dedicated to public safety and the Council chose to roll back taxes in spite of our warnings. … [Norwood] has never sought to discuss the budget recommendations with me and I find her remarks today to be ludicrous and irresponsible.”

— Franklin’s response to Norwood, in a Jan. 8 press release.

“i would be happy to pay more taxes for a safer community. but our family can and will leave if the city doesn’t address this problem.”

— Adam Bartolett, in a post on the Atlantans Together Against Crime and Cutbacks’ Facebook page.

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CBS 46 (”We ask the tough questions! Eat that, liars!”) reports Atlanta City Council President Lisa Border’s Southwest Atlanta home  was burglarized a few hours after Mayor Shirley Franklin’s Monday speech in which she said crime in the city had gone down. The robbers, who kicked in Borders’ front door, made off with a 26″ flat-screen television. (Click the link above to view the report.)

Another tip of the hat to Grayson for sending the link.

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Mayor Shirley Franklin (CL file photo)

Shirley Franklin didn’t need to say a word before finding out how Atlanta’s business/civic leadership feel about her tenure as mayor. Even as she stepped to the podium in an Omni Hotel ballroom to deliver her State of the City address this morning, she was greeted with a long, enthusiastic standing ovation by the near-overflow crowd.

It may have helped that the audience had been primed by a slick, 15-minute video produced by Coke extolling Franklin’s accomplishments: the sewer overhaul, the purchase of the King papers, the completion of the fifth runway. But even some of Shirley’s detractors later told me they were surprised by how warmly she was received by the business community. It was not polite applause heard this morning; it was genuine affection for a mayor who – whether or not you appreciate her style or the results of her efforts – hasn’t backed away from tackling some very formidable challenges since coming into office.

Thankfully, Franklin didn’t give the same speech she delivered to the City Council on Monday, which was simply a disjointed litany of statistics and trivia designed to tout her accomplishments as mayor, with little real acknowledgment of the city’s recent setbacks

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Those who came to City Hall on Monday hoping to hear a revealing, or perhaps even forward-looking, State of the City address likely were disappointed. Firstly, the mayor read only a brief portion of her speech at the top of the Council meeting. But a full transcript of the speech, available online, isn’t much more satisfying or illuminating.

Watching Franklin over the past year has been interesting. At the beginning of her tenure, she seemed self-effacing and upbeat. But ever since the city budget troubles were revealed last January, she has used about half her time at the podium to defend her administration’s legacy.

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The Atlanta City Council may decide Monday whether to scrap the accounting devise known as the “cash carry-forward.” Readers of my May cover story about the city’s budget debacle will recall that the cash carry-forward was a practice by which city bean-counters would roll the previous year’s surplus into the following year’s budget, providing a reliable revenue cushion.

Or not. The problem was that the city’s outdated accounting methods did not provide an accurate picture of how much money was actually available.

According to an April report by city auditor Leslie Ward, the Franklin administration had consistently overestimated its annual cash carry-forward since the 2003 budget year. This meant the government started out each year thinking it had more money to spend – tens of millions more – than it actually did.

Oops. I blamed the cash carry-forward snafu as a big part of how a seemingly well-managed city had managed to dig itself into a financial hole. The council will consider an ordinance to repeal the section of city code that provides for the cash carry-forward. I don’t claim to be a whiz at accounting, but it seems like a good idea.

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Forget the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Atlanta’s cantankerous Councilman C.T. Martin wants to start the Brotherhood of the Unsaggy Britches.

Nearly a year after a citizens’ task force on droopy trousers (we only wish we were making this up) decided that his proposed city-wide ban on visible knickers was one bone-headed idea, Martin is bouncing back with a new resolution commending Morehouse College for discouraging the “wearing of exposed underwear.”

Here’s a bit of the language of Martin’s measure:

WHEREAS, the Atlanta City Council established a task force to recommend whether the City of Atlanta, Georgia should amend its indecency code to make it illegal for exposure of one’s undergarments in a public place; and

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Consider, for instance, recent negotiations to purchase the northeast quadrant of the Beltline, a 22-mile loop of transit and trails that will one day circle the city.

That deal — and the history of the controversial plot of land — has resulted in the city parting ways with two developers and paying millions of dollars that critics say was squandered.

Mike Dobbins, a Georgia Tech professor and Atlanta’s former planning commissioner, says the city rushed to pay Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason and his son Keith $65 million for land that could have been had for much, much less.

“Buying out Mason was a flawed proposition,” Dobbins says. “I mean, name me anyone who wouldn’t love to make a 300 percent profit in three years on a $25 million investment. It’s crazy.”

Says Keith Mason: “I’m pleased with the outcome.”

Read the rest of this story.

(Photo by Jim Stawniak)

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If you’ve been wondering what you could give the Atlanta City Council to make them happy, wonder no more – they’ve issued a list. Unfortunately, unless you’re a state lawmaker, you won’t be able to provide any of the items on the list.

Here’s a selection of wish-list items:

• Amend State law to allow local governments the ability to restrict guns in city parks.
• Amend State law to allow local governments the ability to restrict ownership of assault weapons within the city limits.
• Amend State law to allow municipal courts the ability to suspend drivers’ licenses for failure to pay fines.
• Amend State law to authorize municipalities to require vacant property registration.
• Amend State law to permit photo speed detection devices in school zones.
• Amend the City of Atlanta charter to allow the City to impose a wholesale alcohol tax increase.
• Amend the City of Atlanta charter to allow the City to increase the tax-by-the-drink tax on alcohol.
• Amend the City of Atlanta charter to allow the City to impose a by-the-glass tax for beer and wine.
• Amend State law to permit a local option real estate transfer tax to fund greenspace acquisition and  maintenance.
• Amend State election code to require independent school districts to compensate municipalities for the costs of conducting their elections.
• Amend State law to allow cities with a development authority to negotiate for the sale of city surplus  property, as an additional tool in marketing property.
• Amend the City charter to allow the municipal court to add a 10% surcharge to any criminal or traffic fine imposed to fund court programs.
• Amend State law to permit the use of liens to collect water/sewer bills.

As for the first two, it ain’t gonna happen; we’ve got us one gun-lovin’ Legislature.

As for raising local liquor taxes: Drunks, unite! We need to fight back this latest assault on intemperance!

And the rest of the suggestions seem to be focused on squeezing a few more shekels out of us, the public – through speeding fines, a court surcharge, a real estate transfer taxes and added leverage on drivers and water-users to pay our bills and fines.

Fellow turnips, prepare to be squeezed.

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Shirley Franklin finally used the “F word” today in the face of a bleak city revenue forecast.

Unfortunately for municipal employees, that word is “furloughs.”

Starting next month, through the end of the current fiscal year next June 30, all city workers – including police officers and firefighters – will have their work weeks trimmed by four hours. Department heads and managers will be responsible for determining how to reduce staff hours by 10 percent without slashing city services, Franklin announced at a hastily called afternoon press conference.

Still, the mayor conceded, the cutbacks likely will have “some implications” for services.

Franklin’s actions came in reaction to financial reports showing city revenues have been steadily falling for months. Through the first quarter of the fiscal year, she said, collections of sales taxes, property taxes and license fees – the city’s largest revenue sources – have all declined, pulling general fund revenues down by 12 percent.

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Congratulations, fellow citizen! If things go according to plan, come Friday at 10 a.m. you’ll be a co-owner of 66 acres of prime property in Northeast Atlanta.

The Atlanta City Council today approved 9-1 the issuance of $64.5 million of Beltline TAD bonds. Councilmember Felicia Moore was the lone vote against the deal.

Atlanta Beltline Inc. Finance Director Richard Lutch says the project will meet the Oct. 31 deadline set by Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason and settle the $45 million debt Mason is owed for property near Piedmont Park.

Beltline leaders will also use $3.5 million of the bond funds to buy out the remaining stake in the property held by Barry Real Estate and Ben Rainey, its private partners in a joint venture that was created to purchase the land from Mason late last year. Beltline leaders must then must transfer the property to the Atlanta Development Authority. (The land must be owned by a public agency to meet tax-exempt bond regulations.)

After the vote, Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee Chair Eugene Bowens, Sr. said that the citizens’ group — while supportive of the deal — still feels it’s not being involved enough in how funds from the TAD bonds are used. By law, the committee is charged with ensuring those public funds are spent in a “fair and equitable manner.” Numerous times in the past — most notably when Beltline leaders decided to spend a large chunk of funds to pay off the Mason property in affluent Northeast Atlanta — the committee has said they have been kept out of the loop. He said TADAC members were only notified of today’s bond deal at a meeting last night with Beltline leaders.

This development raises many questions, such as what direction the project takes now and where it will focus its energy, how the city plans to act on property that it must rezone if it plans to sell, and how future allocations and deals will be handled. Feel free to chime in below if you have any thoughts.

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Sources tell CL that Atlanta City Councilmembers were given notice that a special-called meeting will be held at City Hall tomorrow at 3 p.m. Details are vague, but the event could mean developments are underway for the 22-mile loop of parks, trails, transit.

Why? Well, as we’ve been reporting, the Oct. 31 deadline for Beltline leaders to settle the debt on property purchased from Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason is drawing near. The property — a 66-acre parcel of land and transit right-of-way located near Piedmont Park in the project’s northeast quadrant — generated controversy this summer when Beltline leaders decided to allocate nearly half the TAD bond funding to settle the debt. If it’s not repaid, the Mason property could enter foreclosure.

Because of the virtually shutdown bond market, those TAD bonds have been delayed until the project’s financial wizards could secure the best possible deal. Beltline leaders would most likely have to brief City Council on their progress.

Regardless, we’ll be there and update once we hear word.

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Anne Fauver readily concedes her proposals for bringing in new city revenue amount to rummaging for change between the municipal couch cushions.

The Atlanta councilwoman estimates her two suggestions could raise upwards of $3 million. That’s not much compared to the half-billion-dollar city budget, but until someone comes up with a better idea, Council will take what it can get.

Fauver has proposed legislation to allow the city to expand its 911 tax to include users Voice-over-Internet phone service. The monthly tax, which currently applies to cell and land-line phones, is used to fund the city’s 911 system. Closing the Internet-phone loophole could net the city an additional $1.5 million, Fauver says.

Her other proposal is aimed at reclaiming costs for false burglar and fire alarms, which most folks likely assume the city already collecting. Though police collected false-alarm fines totaling about $1.4 million in 2000, Fauver was surprised to discover that number has tapered off. Since 2005, almost no fines have been collected, even though 90 percent of all 911 calls reporting possible break-ins and fires are caused by faulty home-alarm systems or homeowner error.

“We just basically stopped collecting,” says Fauver, whose legislation would shift collection duties from the cops to the city court. Under her proposal, the 911 system would report false alarms to the city Solicitor’s Office, which would issue warnings and citations.

Homeowners would get one free false alarm a year; fines would start at $100 for the second alarm and go up from there. Unpaid fines would be turned over to the same private collection agency that hounds people for delinquent water bills and license fees.

Fauver’s confident the effort could bring in $1.5 million a year. “Gradually, we could reduce the number of false alarms because people would learn to be more careful,” she says.

If approved by Council, the new programs would kick in Jan. 1.

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BACKS AGAINST THE WALL STREET: The Dow is suffering its worst loss since 2001 following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and the buyout of Merrill Lynch, with AIG possibly next, despite recently borrowing $20 billion from its subsidiaries. The Fed today infused $50 billion into financial markets to stem the freefall.

MCCAIN: Reconfigures his recent statement that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.”

PALIN: Won’t cooperate with the ongoing ethics probe because she says Obama’s campaign has infiltrated it. Actually, she didn’t say that. Despite the probe being into her conduct as governor, the announcement that Palin won’t be cooperating was made by the McCain campagin.

JUST THE TICKET: Atlanta scofflaws will have two months, starting Oct. 1, to pay old parking tickets and have all late fees waived, a measure approved by City Council in hopes of collecting at least some money they otherwise might never have seen.

GASOLINE: Prices in Georgia are the second-highest in the country, although analysts say they should settle somewhere around $4 soon.

NATURAL GAS: Prices in Georgia may rise 25 percent this winter.

BARR VS. BLOOMBERG: The Libertarian presidential candidate will appear in federal appeals court in Atlanta today to defend his defamation suit against the New York City mayor, which alleges Bloomberg libeled Barr’s client, Adventure Outdoors Sporting Goods, by calling the Smyrna store a rogue gun dealer in his famous 2006 lawsuit.

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The Old Fourth Ward, which has coped with prostitutes, drug dealers and gentrification, is on tap for a facelift.

The Atlanta City Council is set to adopt a master plan this month for the historic intown neighborhood, which includes Auburn Avenue and Boulevard. It served before desegregration as the business district for black Atlantans.

But city planners also are trying to fend off a potential traffic mess and other problems that could come with the renewed interest in intown living. The Bureau of Planning predicts the neighborhood’s population will rise over the next two decades from 6,000 to 20,000 — approximately the same number of people who lived there before the Civil Rights Movement. The redevelopment vision could create more walkable streets lined with energy-efficient buildings.

To view the plan, click here. (PDF file)

(Screenshot courtesy of City of Atlanta)

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