Fresh Loaf

Borders reacts to the shocker

Probably the biggest surprise of Tuesday’s elections was Lisa Borders’ poor showing. Granted, various polls had showed her support waning and Kasim Reed’s numbers growing. But no one I talked to had expected Borders to net only 14 percent in what was widely perceived as a three-way race. I mean, City Hall shouter Dave Walker got nearly 10 percent in the Council president’s race and he didn’t raise a dime!

So how did the former runoff hopeful become an also-ran? A few thoughts:

1. She didn’t define herself — Easy for us to say, but it’s true. Mary Norwood positioned herself as the throw-the-bums-out, anti-City Hall candidate, a spokesperson for everyone sick of business as usual. Reed cast himself as the determined outsider, criticizing those on whose watch the city had faltered and promising to restore hope to inner-city neighborhoods. Quick — what did Borders claim to represent?

(more…)

Bookmark It

Estimated number of metro Atlanta office jobs lost in the last three years: 50,000

Number of square feet of vacant commercial office space in metro Atlanta: 24 million

Number of years real-estate experts estimate it might take to fill the region’s empty office space: 12

Estimated cost of two full-page Wall Street Journal ads purchased by the Buckhead Coalition to market vacant condos and commercial spaces: $554,000

Number of years since Atlanta’s annual population growth was as small as it was over the past year: 19

Number of single-family building permits issued in 2009 in Atlanta, as of September: 114

Number of single-family building permits issued in Atlanta in October 2006 alone: 178

Number of years real-estate experts estimate it could take to fill vacant condos in such intown areas as Midtown and Atlantic Station: 4

Number of floors proposed for a new Midtown office tower that law firm Alston & Bird may build: 30

Sources: Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bookmark It

Buck Man, we don't need your vote

In the final days before next Tuesday’s mayoral election, it seems both Lisa Borders and Kasim Reed have ceded Buckhead to Mary Norwood and are focusing their remaining efforts on Southside Atlanta.

What makes us say this? Consider the evidence:

Last night, both were no-shows at a candidate forum hosted by the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, a group that includes residents who live south of Lenox Square between Lenox and Roxboro roads.

Also, both have gotten into a war of words over who makes the better choice for Democratic voters, an argument that is unlikely to resonate with a good percentage of Northsiders.

Borders is now taking every opportunity to say she’s a Democrat, from her latest TV ad to ongoing phone solicitations in which callers ask the called to “Vote for Lisa Borders, Democrat.” And those calls are going out to Buckhead.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Paul Donsky of the AJC reports that Wachovia Bank has filed a lawsuit against Wayne Mason, the Gwinnett County developer who in 2008 made a windfall off Beltline property in Northeast Atlanta. The lawsuit stems from a $7.5 million loan that Mason took out in 2004 to buy three units in Buckhead medical office building.

According to the lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Mason failed to pay $7.07 million remaining on the loan that came due in February. The lawsuit names both Mason and a company he controls, Lone Pine, as defendants.

In a statement issued through a spokeswoman, Mason said he received a copy of the complaint Wednesday afternoon.

“Our lawyers will be reviewing its allegations and we’ll respond accordingly,” he said.

Documents included in the lawsuit say Mason and Lone Pine borrowed the money to buy three units at the Palisades at West Paces, a medical office building near I-75 and Northside Parkway. The lawsuit did not say what Mason did with the property.

Bookmark It

Jesus. Courtesy of the City of Atlanta.

West Conway Drive

Many more photos of Northwest Atlanta’s damage after the jump.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Shoppers, there's a blue light special on Buckhead…

Over its  20-year history, the Buckhead Coalition has advocated for earlier bar closings, weighed in on road projects and published a coffee-table book touting its namesake neighborhood.

But tomorrow, the Coalition will do something seemingly out of character for an organization of its rarefied influence and prestige. Typically, the group is content to promote Buckhead as a luxury brand, but on Saturday, a full-page ad will run in the Wall Street Journal offering a piece of Buckhead at bargain-basement prices.

Sam Massell, the Coalition’s president and a former Atlanta mayor, says the move was deemed necessary because Buckhead — which is on the tail end of a building boom — will soon have more than 2 million square feet of vacant office space, 1,000 unoccupied condos and 600,000 square feet of retail space to fill. Prices are now at an historic low.

“Even though we’re a luxury market, we’ve been affected by the economy,” he explains. “The ad will let folks know we’ve got a surplus of inventory, so make us an offer, don’t be shy.”

(more…)

Bookmark It

That’s how bad the economy is!

According to the AJC:

Smash-and-grab burglars struck a Buckhead clothing store before daybreak Friday.

The burglars broke out a window at the T.J. Maxx store on the Buckhead Loop shortly after 4 a.m., Atlanta police spokesman Eric Schwartz said.

Schwartz said the store manager told investigators that the suspects stole 30 pair of blue jeans and 50 Polo shirts.

Geez, smash-and-grabbers. You could at least leave the affordable designer jeans alone. Thanks alot.

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Bookmark It

Tennis moms, mall shoppers, and squatters in empty buildings have been given the OK from the Atlanta Department of Watershed to drink water from the tap.

Here’s what the department says caused yesterday’s advisory, the first Atlanta’s experienced in 21 months:

Yesterday’s incident resulted from a battery failure. According to Georgia Power, the initial incident started with a tree falling on one of Georgia Power’s 115,000 volt electrical lines, resulting in electrical power loss at the Northside Pump Station. When utility power was lost from Georgia Power, the emergency generator started as designed. However, when the control system attempted to close the switchgear circuit breaker to utilize the generator power, the battery failed and the Pump Station was not able to switch over to the emergency generator power.

Bookmark It

1. Mayor’s rebuttal of Atlanta crime rankings misleading and incomplete (How’s that for a thorough headline! No wonder this post was so popular.)

2. Suspected Holocaust museum shooter identified as Holocaust denier James Von Brunn (Octogenarian authored idiotic prose, including the book, Kill The Best Gentiles!)

3. Ga. drought ‘is over,’ water restrictions eased (Environmentalists hope residents will continue conserving water. Unfortunately, Georgians have very short memories.)

4. Atlanta schools, ADA strike deal over TAD funds (Atlanta Development Authority will return $18 million to the cash-strapped school system.)

5. Buckhead coalition pushing for end to Ga. 400 toll (Two-decade-old promise vowed to shut down the cash-cow toll booth in 2011.)

Bookmark It

The CEOS and muckety-mucks behind the Buckhead Coalition have decided to use their considerable civic clout in demanding that the state honor its two-decade-old pledge to dismantle the toll plaza on Ga. 400 when the road construction bonds are paid off in July 2011.

“We’d all promised — the City Council, the state, the Buckhead Coalition — that if voters approved Georgia’s first toll road, then the toll would go away once the debt was retired,” explains BC president Sam Massell, whose group helped lobby for the toll as a funding mechanism for the then-proposed Ga. 400 extension, which runs from I-285 through Buckhead to I-85.

“Just once, I’d like to see politicians keep their word,” the former Atlanta mayor says.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Excitement builds for Mike Huckabee's April visit to Atlanta.

Former presidential candidate and rodent chef Mike Huckabee will visit Atlanta next month to speak as part of the Urban Land Institute’s 2009 Spring Council Forum.

The former governor of Arkansas, who now hosts a bizarre television show on a comedy network, will be the event’s keynote speaker. Other notables scheduled to speak at the forum include Mayor Shirley Franklin, Charlie Rose and some guy I’ve never heard of but who looks very, very smart.

Jokes aside, ULI organizes thought-provoking events, and this forum’s schedule is worth a look if you’re a lover of urban environments. On the agenda are a variety of seminars and break-out sessions, as well as mobile sessions where attendees can learn about the Beltline, Atlantic Station and Buckhead. Thursday promises a presentation about the current economic crisis.

For more information, visit ULI’s event website. Any welcome gifts of sautéed teriyaki opossum will be immediately incinerated, so don’t even try it!

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

Yes, that’s what the voices on the Internet are saying. Minor flurries that probably won’t last.

Commence runs on grocery stores in 3…2…1…now!

Bookmark It

The venerable Buckhead nightclub Tongue & Groove is holding a grand re-opening tonight, as noted in today’s Peach Buzz. But the AJC item makes it sound as if T&G is just opening its doors. Actually, the club opened last spring in the space formerly occupied by Lotus Lounge in the Lindbergh City Center complex.

As owner Michael Krohngold explains, he sold his leasehold for T&G’s original location at the corner of Peachtree Road and Buckhead Avenue earlier this year, but had planned to re-open the club within the rapidly redeveloping Buckhead Village. He considered several sites in and around the planned Streets of Buckhead retail district, but ran into zoning and licensing issues, so he instead opted to take over Lotus’ lease.

In the intervening six months, Krohngold and his decorator wife, Patti, completely renovated the interior, hiring graffiti artists to give the space an urban street art motif, and installing digital projectors, new furnishings and other design touches. They also opened a new room with a high-energy dance floor.

Tonight’s grand re-opening kicks off at 9 p.m. and will feature breakdancers, go-go girls and aerialists.

Bookmark It

Darren “Chip” Lumar, who was gunned down in the parking garage outside his Buckhead townhouse last week, might have been killed by a hit man, the AJC reports.

Lumar was married to James Brown’s daughter, Yamma, until their bitter 2007 divorce. But the couple had resolved their differences and were friends at the time of Lumar’s death, Atlanta police homicide Det. Bill Boyd told the newspaper.

As for a motive, the APD didn’t yet have one nailed down:

Boyd said the killing may be related to the victim’s business dealings, but he would not elaborate.

One thing’s for certain — Lumar’s past escapades landed him in the spotlight. He allegedly had a volatile relationship with his then-wife, and an employee of his claimed he raped her.

Bookmark It

By the time Georgia polls close at 7 p.m. tonight, we here at CL will already be snookered on Diet Coke and moonshine, liveblogging in this digital Utopia about all the races up for grabs.

CL Editor Ken Edelstein will hold court at Manuel’s, staff writer Scott Henry will report from Jim Martin’s party at Park Tavern, and senior writers Mara Shalhoup and Andisheh Nouraee will monitor results and send dispatches from undisclosed locations. I’ll be in Stepford — oops, Buckhead — at the Intercontinental Hotel where the Georgia GOP is holding its fete. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask lawmakers, leave ‘em in the comments or send me an e-mail here.

Here’s a good list of key states to watch and what time their polls close. Here’s a neat-o map of the United States that shows where the presidential race stands. Here’s a place where you can win $20 of Andisheh’s money. And here’s a picture of a kitten dressed as a pirate.

Be sure to return and join us in a liveblogging celebration of America and insomnia. And if you haven’t done so already, go vote.

Bookmark It

Estimated cost to turn a once-rowdy nightlife district into the eight-acre, Rodeo Drive-styled “Streets of Buckhead” development: $1.5 billion

Cost of pair of horned-back alligator cowboy boots that will be available at Billy Martin, the Streets’ western-styled shop: $3,750

Cost of lamb’s wool coat for 3-year-old at Bonpoint, the Paris-based children’s store that will open at the Streets (converted from euros): $520

Months between the day that five-star Baccarat Hotel and Residences announced its inclusion in the Streets and the day it indicated it might withdraw: 8

Number of metro Atlantans who sought consumer debt counseling in first eight months of 2007: 27,000

Number who sought debt counseling in first eight months of 2008: 37,000

Average annual salary of metro Atlantan seeking debt counseling last year: $42,000

Average annual salary of metro Atlantan seeking debt counseling this year: $49,300

Number of past years in which average salary of Atlantan seeking debt counseling was higher than $49,300: 0

Sources: Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, BillyMartin.com, www.littlefashiongallery.com, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta.

Bookmark It

A spokesperson for the Buckhead Coalition informed us this afternoon that Buckhead has returned to it original location.

After we reported on September 9 that Google Maps moved Buckhead to the west side of Atlanta, just north of Vine City, the Buckhead Coalition contacted Google and asked them to move Buckhead back to its original location.

Google complied, and today Buckhead appears on Google Maps where it should — over the intersection of Peachtree, West Paces Ferry and Pharr roads.

The Buckhead Coalition is pleased with how quickly Google resolved the issue, but not everyone is happy.

CL Arts & Entertainment Editor Debbie Michaud is sad that Buckhead no longer west of downtown.

“It was so much more convenient [to get to Buckhead] when it only seven blocks from our office,” she said.

Bookmark It

With a belly full of grouper and anger, a Buckhead resident stood before his neighbors at 103 West in the affluent north Atlanta community and unleashed his frustration.

“When is someone going to have them indicted and taken to trial?!?” he barked, eliciting head nods from fellow disgruntled taxpayers picking at their three-course lunches.

The “them” he refers to is the Atlanta municipal government — namely, the public school system, mayor, city council and bean counters who helped dig the $140 million hole in which the city finds itself. The angry man’s audience consists of more than 200  Buckhead residents, a well-to-do group of citizens in the city’s most well-to-do community.

The occasion? The Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation’s luncheon to discuss the controversial — and extremely complex — notion of Buckhead severing ties with Atlanta, a city full of confusion that Glenn Delk, an attorney and 20-year resident of the community, said is subsidized by he and his neighbors’ largesse.

Delk, whose study about Buckhead’s possible cityhood has kickstarted a serious look into the matter, informed the audience right away that he neither intended to run for political office nor owned commercial property in Buckhead. He appears to simply be a person who doesn’t like paying high taxes for what he considers to be subpar services. Plus, he doesn’t trust the money management skills of City Hall. To him, and to many in this room, the time has come to break free.

(more…)

Bookmark It

UPDATE: The date of the sold-out event has been corrected in the post.

On Thursday, the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation will attempt to turn a longtime cocktail party topic into a campaign to sever Buckhead from the city.

The foundation will gather businesspeople, politicians and activists at the posh 103 West restaurant to determine whether they should create a formal coalition, begin raising money and hire a lobbyist.

Both inspired by the recent incorporations of Sandy Springs and John’s Creek and frustrated by Atlanta’s estimated $140 million budget shortfall, secession advocates say the city unfairly leeches off the largesse its wealthiest district. Glenn Delk, an attorney who conducted a study that’s emboldened the movement, claims the move would reduce Buckhead residents’ tax bills by 50 percent.

Secession is an ambitious endeavor to say the least. It not only would be difficult to maneuver through the state Legislature, but it would create a huge hole in Atlanta’s pocketbook. According to Delk’s calculations, Buckhead generates 45.9 percent of the city’s property and sales tax revenues.

If they do push forward with the campaign, the activists are likely to face plenty of opposition from the Buckhead establishment, as well as City Hall. Scotty Greene, executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, says residents would be better served by working with the city to right wrongs.

(Photo by Matthew Miller)

Bookmark It

Buckhead, the north Atlanta community that is home to many of the city’s wealthiest residents, has moved.

According to Google Maps, Buckhead is now located southwest of Georgia Tech, near the intersection of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard.

Buckhead Coalition president and former Atlanta mayor Sam Massell was unavailable for comment this afternoon.

UPDATE: I just spoke with Buckhead Coalition President and former Atlanta mayor Sam Massell.

He assures CL that Buckhead has not moved, and that his office will work to correct what he suggests is a labeling error.

“We will be in touch with Mr. Google so people don’t get lost,” Massell said.

Asked how one goes about getting a Google map changed, Massell said, cryptically,

“We know where the bodies are buried.”

Bookmark It

The Ritz-Carlton has inked a deal with Post Properties and the Novare Group to make 17 floors of 3630 Peachtree into high-priced condos and penthouses priced between $600,000 and $2 million. It’ll be called the Ritz-Carlton Residences.

The commercial and residential building located at the corner of Peachtree and Peachtree-Dunwoody Road will boast Ritz-quality amenities — think private chefs, housekeepers and a concierge — and will act as a perch from which the moneyed Atlanta elite can determine how they will ultimately destroy us all.

After the jump, facts about the project to make you drool and wish you would’ve gone to law school.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Former Atlanta millionaire and international fugitive James Sullivan is appealing his 2006 Fulton County conviction on charges that he ordered the contract killing of his 35-year-old wife, Lita Sullivan.

Nearly two decades passed between Lita Sullivan’s 1987 murder and James Sullivan’s trial. Sullivan faced the death penalty, though jurors instead opted to sentence him to life in prison without parole.

The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on Sept. 9 from Sullivan’s attorneys, who claim certain trial evidence should have been suppressed, several jurors shouldn’t have been excused, the jury should have been given the option of convicting Sullivan of voluntary manslaughter, and there wasn’t enough evidence of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bookmark It

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports City Council member Ceasar Mitchell is proposing bars in the city stay open past 3 a.m. if they pay an “impact fee” to cover additional safety and sanitation services.

So sayeth Mitchell:

“My objective at this point is to find a way to embrace night life as one of those things that makes Atlanta a great city,” he said. “Something that makes Atlanta attractive to visitors and those who live here but at the same time not make it something that is a burden on folks that live and work here.”

Mitchell says the city is losing convention and tourist dollars to other cities who have a more vibrant nightlife.

There’s a little commotion about his proposal. Residents in Buckhead, who fought their own bitter battle to roll back the hours in 2003, and the increasingly popular Castleberry Hill neighborhood who were interviewed for the story think it’s a bad idea.

The article also says Mitchell would like to extend the pouring hours at Underground Atlanta, which already can serve booze until 4 a.m. Now if we can just get going on Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts’ casino idea, we’d be well on our way to a New Orleans lifestyle.

Bookmark It