Fresh Loaf

Not exactly a blog, but it deserves a shout out. Staffers at UGA’s student-run newspaper the Red and Black worked overtime to provide coverage of Saturday’s shootings. Read their follow-ups here, here and here.

Ben at Terminal Station rips into state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine’s idea to consider privatizing MARTA.

Jim Walls of Atlanta Unfiltered uses the words “Tyler Perry,” “Tupac Shakur,” and “comp time” all in the same blog post as he delves deeper into the firing of former DeKalb Police Chief Terrell Bolton.

Christa at Pecanne Log spots the hottest trend in spring fashions during historic economic collapses! Recycled ethernet cables! Yay!

Garrett Vonk fires back at Twitta-hatas.

Jason Pye, who says he’s never taken a puff, says decriminalizing marijuana should be on the table. Also: Legalizing marijuana is now more popular than the Republican Party.

Veteran TV journalist and Live Apartment Fire blogger Doug Richards today will pull the tarp off the magical news van to pull a one-day shift in the 11 Alive newsroom. Here’s exclusive video of him training for the adventure.

Travis Fain at Lucid Idiocy wonders if lawmakers have already been forgiven for failing to make progress on transportation funding this year.

Decatur Metro. Leon’s Full Service. And late-night drunken bocce. Discuss.

FlackAttack bids adieu at Tondee’s Tavern.

Other exciting links feel free to post them in the comments.

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Decatur Metro spots an interesting tidbit in the city’s publication. The hamlet he calls home is working with business owners to help them through the economic maelstrom.

We will be focusing our efforts and our marketing and advertising budget on business retention in the coming year. We are working with our local business owners to document current rental rates and contact landlords to negotiate rent concessions to help our local business owners survive.

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Jim Galloway, proving yet again that he knows the true secrets of Georgia politics, reveals the identities of the mysterious “8 to 10 industry and government officials” who handpicked a Gold Dome transportation bill’s laundry list of people-moving projects. Damn road elves.

Decatur Metro reports on community gardens in his hamlet and annexation concerns. Also, is Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd thinking about a run for governor?

If you’re a card-carrying Young Republican, Shep at Peach Pundit recommends you not vote for Rachel Hoff to lead your organization. Also, Erick the Editor is jousting via email with one of his fellow Macon City Councilmembers.

Griftdrift gives us the rundown on the most recent episode of GPB’s “Lawmakers.” He reports that Sen. John Wiles, R-Marietta, wants to crack down on novelty ID suppliers who alter the completely innocent and never-used-for-illicit-purposes cards. (Those guys can alter the ID? I had to use nail polish remover.)

Veteran journalist Jim Walls, a 28-year veteran of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — and the editor behind some of the paper’s finest investigative work — rolls out his new investigative journalism website. Today he’s got more details about a sealed court case involving unfortunately named Gwinnett County businessman Richard Tucker. There’s also some questions about campaign contributions to state Rep. Pam Stephenson, D-Decatur.

There’s much more on the Internetz, buckos. If you came across something local that’s worth scoping out, post it below in the comments.

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Decatur Metro has the news!

On Thursday April 16th, New Urbanist extraordinare, Andres Duany, will open his three day SmartCode workshop in Decatur with a free talk about Smart Growth principles from 5:30p-8p at Holy Trinity Parish (515 E. Ponce de Leon Ave).

A book signing will follow the event.

Duany never disappoints, so come see what’s sure to be an entertaining romp through the principles and benefits of smart growth.

Entertaining, indeed. Duany recently envisioned five “senior living” sites in metro Atlanta as part of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Lifelong Communities Initiative. In typical Duany fashion, the acclaimed New Urbanist ended up re-imagining not just the sites, but the surrounding areas, as well. (He even threw a gentle jab at the walkable wonderland east of Atlanta.)

If you can attend this event, it’s worth it. All the details are at Decatur Metro’s site.

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Decatur Metro has a great conversation about my colleague Scott Henry’s news that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newsroom is bracing for yet another round of job cuts.

Commenters weigh in on what’s to blame for the quickening, whether it’s the Internet, liberal bias, or other factors. (For what it’s worth, Whet Moser, an excellent writer at CL’s sister paper The Chicago Reader, has an excellent piece that nails the various factors at play in journalism.)

One commenter who claims to be an AJC journalist added some firsthand experience to the discussion. This part stood out:

You print lovers need to brace yourself. I think there’s a real possibility that the print version of the AJC may be gone by the end of next year. Yes, I’m serious.

Not good.

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Christa at Pecanne Log says I say someone else says Bill Murray is loose in Atlanta. One night he’s at Loca Luna buying drinks for strangers. Another night he’s watching the Hawks play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Supposedly, he’s filming this flick. I’m still waiting for him to get a pedicure with me.

Buzz Brockway at Peach Pundit says the site’s bloggers won’t retaliate against state lawmakers who voted for Senate Bill 31, a controversial piece of legislation they adamantly opposed. The complex bill would allow Georgia Power to recover financing costs in advance for two proposed nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle. The Punditeers got into a tiff with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a free-market think tank, about the issue. No hard feelings, the bloggers say, but they’d still like a clear explanation of the foundation’s stance on the issue. (Just one more: Jason Shepard at the site finds Georgia’s facebook page shows an unexpected “friend.”

Remember #atlgas? Grift links to a Nightline report in which the Twitter hashtag that saved Atlanta’s ass is mentioned.

Decatur’s wi-fi cloud is “complete,” Decatur Metro reports.

Jim Galloway at the AJC’s Political Insider sneaks a peek at preliminary numbers which show Georgia’s rush of newcomers — aka the growth industry, the state’s bread and butter — might be slowing. He writes a powerful post about the subject.

Want solid political commentary recorded here in Atlanta? The new Kudzu Vine podcast is posted and available for download.

Doug at Live Apartment Fire points us to a recent piece by Tom Jones, the WSB-TV reporter who won’t work for nobody but you. Jones covered the search for a man who’s allegedly been flashing children in the Grant Park area. The suspect’s ripped a page from afterschool specials and is offering candy to the tykes.

Travis Fain wants the old Speaker Glenn Richardson back. I second that.

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Juliana at Blog For Democracy points out that U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Springfield, need not kvetch that the stimulus plan includes $30 million to save some mice. After his theatrics, which included waving around what looks like a cat toy, it turns out the stimulus, in fact, does not earmark money for the rodents.

Decaturite wonders how blogs can be robust tools to connect communities as newspapers continue to dwindle in size and shape.

Sara agrees that “video lottery terminals” are not what a casino make. Griftdrift brings the thunder on the issue and wins 10 points for best blog post title of the day. Two points for great art, too.

Atlanta Business Chronicle columnist and blogger Maria Saporta says not to believe the Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak’s assertion that much-needed commuter rail running into a still-unbuilt downtown train terminal doesn’t have to run along tracks for the Beltline near Piedmont Park.

Ben at Terminal Station has a bunch of good posts. Most recent: He’s not too upbeat about the fact that Atlanta City Councilmember Mary Norwood leads in a poll for the next mayor.

A giant bowl of strawberries in your bathroom. Style, indeed!

Jim Galloway posts a moving account of Freddie Norman, a Cobb County police whose patrol car was struck by a drunk driver 21 years ago. Norman, who was left nearly comatose from the accident, died this weekend.

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Decatur Metro reports that the developer of 315 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue, a mixed-use project that’s caused some nearby residents to question its size and potential impact, has altered its plans for the project. A building that was proposed along Ponce de Leon Avenue has been scuttled, Decaturite says.

Well, the developer made [a reduction in units] by eliminating the building that originally was to be squeezed in along Ponce between the existing office building and the street, while retaining the rear building that would be built within the existing parking lot, with a parking deck situated behind Fairview and courtyards along Montgomery (view above is along Ponce Place). Livable Growth has the full plans here [pdf available at Decatur Metro].

…

Next step is for this new plan to go before the Planning Commission this Thursday at 7:30p.   If all goes according to schedule, they will make a recommendation to the city commission, which will vote yea or nay on the project next Monday (Dec 15th) at 7:30p, along with some other issue regarding annexation.

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Decatur Metro notes yesterday’s AJC article about Nadege Adam and Jude Valles, a couple who’ve overextended themselves when it comes to home ownership. With credit now tight and the housing market in disarray, the couple now faces skyhigh payments.

Here’s what Decaturite noticed:

But the number that caught my eye in the article wasn’t their $419,000 Smyrna home that costs $100,000 less than it did a few years ago. Suburb declines are well documented at this point. Personally, I was struck by the condo at “Twelve” Atlantic Station, which was purchased for $387,000 in 2005-6 and is now worth $150,000 less.

This is the Atlantic Station that everyone (including the AJC) touted as the new wave of smart growth development. Massive, single developer cities that could do no wrong as long as they threw a bunch of residential and commercial in the same general vicinity. Atlantic Station was so awesome because it had its own zip code and organized mommy stroller walks. Yeah well, the economy may have played a part in exacerbating this problem, but a 39% decline in home values is nothing short of damning market critique of this project, which shows that all smart growth (just like everything else) isn’t created equal. You can’t cut corners, you can’t overestimate demand, and I personally believe you can’t build a town from scratch and expect it to compete with areas that have developed over time.

Well put. Be sure to check out the comments as well. (On Decatur Metro, I mean — the comments on the AJC’s article are, as usual, mostly just displays of ignorance and racism.)

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Remember Decatur Court? The mixed-use development proposed for the Wachovia building near downtown Decatur? The one that concerned nearby residents because they feared it would tower over their properties and not have enough parking to handle the new residents and workers?

Our dear friend Decaturite brings word that a consultant brought in to mediate talks between the developer and residents is giving it another look on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6:30-8:30 at City Hall. The development’s also shrunk a wee bit.

In an e-mail from Otis White of Civic Strategies that Decaturite posted:

We are convening a meeting about the 315 W. Ponce project on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 at Decatur City Hall. The meeting will be in the City Commission Room.

Background: A group of neighbors has been in direct talks with the 315 W. Ponce developer since our Oct. 15 meeting, and these talks are continuing. The developer presented a revised plan to this group in response to issues identified at the Oct. 15 meeting. While neighbors recognized the concessions being made by the developer, they identified problems with the new proposal. In response, the developer revised the original site plan that reduced the number of units from 218 to 160 units and eliminated the need for a parking variance.

Emphasis added. To check out the rest of White’s e-mail, head over to Decatur Metro.

(Screenshot from JLB Partners)

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While I was up in Washington, D.C. and New York City on a fact-finding mission, it looks like y’all had a helluva time. Mayor Shirley Franklin asked the feds for a life preserver, the Georgia Department of Transportation decided years-old e-mails of a lascivious nature weren’t grounds for dismissal (use Gchat, Gena!), Buckhead was — gasp — called overdeveloped, and the DeKalb County Courthouse was visited by Peter, Ray and Egon. Oh yeah, and some guy who lost a presidential election visited. And there was also this news.

Sure, all I have to show for my hedonistic jaunt are a lot of blisters and FedEx receipts because I shipped all my books, DVDs and tiger-taming gear from my old NYC apartment to Decatur. But it’s good to be back. I’m eager to get back into covering the U.S. Senate and Public Service Commission races and all the other sordid beats. And finally getting the pedicure that I, being the “prominent journalist” that I am, promised a lucky lady. Viva Atlanta! Viva Creative Loafing! Viva chaos!

How was your week, Atlanta?

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Decatur Metro’s all over the latest smart-growth shenanigans in his burg.

First, there’s the news that the celebrated Otis White of Civic Strategies will sit down with nearby residents and developers of the controversial 315 W. Ponce project to help the two groups work out the kinks. (The developer recently postponed a requested commission hearing because of an uproar over parking at the proposed mixed-use development. Read the harrowing account of the most recent late-night public hearing here.) The sitdown led by White is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in Decatur City Hall.

Next, one of the groups that help concerned residents rally against the 315 W. Ponce project’s scope has now focused its attention on Trinity Triangle near bustling downtown. There’s an interesting conversation going on there about the debate.

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Decaturite over at Decatur Metro breaks the news that JLB Partners, the developers of the controversial 315 W. Ponce, have requested an “indefinite deferral” from the city and asked the development authority and planning commission to convene public meetings so various kinks and concerns about the project can be ironed out.

Decaturite posted a well-written message from Duane Truex, a neighborhood resident with a really cool name, that sums up much of the concern about the proposed mixed-use development at the doorstep of downtown Decatur. These two paragraphs really stood out to me:

We are NOT anti growth, we live in mixed use development and always have in this neighborhood around the 315 project (Ponce place, Montgomery, Fairview etc, etc…). It *is* our backyard so we want growth to be sensible, properly scaled, proper quality and to the benefit of all…as well as something that honors Decatur’s past and future. Yes we are idealists. But we are willing to work with the city and developers on a proper project.

For the record we reached out on several occasions to Hudson Hooks [ed. JLB Partners' Atlanta associate]and company. We drank together and talked and attempted to sit down in a small setting to discuss the project. My guess is that the developers were of the opinion (somehow) that it was so ‘in the bag’ they did not need to listen. Moreover they may have underestimated both the skill set extant in these neighborhoods. We are parents, tradesmen and women, artisans and professionals–engineers, architects or various flavors, scientists, producers of content, lawyers and others who can research, reason, design, problem solve, and if needed, resist.

(Screenshot courtesy of JLB Partners)

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Are you a U.S. Congressman who’s careless with your spending? Gov. Sonny Perdue understands and he wants to help. But if you’re a city or county, well, in that case, you were reckless and had it coming.

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun recently made the news thanks to a congressional report that says the Republican congressman’s office had blown more than 80 percent of its annual budget, mostly on mailings to his constituents. (Broun blamed the spree on a former chief of staff.) Enter normally fiscal-minded Perdue, who’s agreed to attend an fundraiser tomorrow for the cash-strapped representative.

But Perdue’s not so forgiving when it comes to local governments. The governor raised the ire of many — Decatur in particular was aflame on the webz last week — when he criticized them for overspending in light of the state’s estimated $1.6 billion shortfall.

While the state is making spending cuts, Perdue said local governments “have never approached it from the standpoint that they have to tighten their belts.”

Congressman overspending = rest your head on my shoulder. Local governments “overspending” = you should know better.

Does Perdue have time on his schedule to host a bake sale for the estimated 661 county and city governments in Georgia?

(Hat tip to Peach Pundit and Decatur Metro for links, inspiration)

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The diligent Decaturite over at DecaturMetro reminds us the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals will review the requested parking variance proposed by the developers of Decatur Court, a mixed-use project near Watershed and the CVS on West Ponce de Leon Road.

JLB Partners wants to use a shared-parking concept in which residents and workers would swap out most of the parking spots as one group leaves and another arrives. The action starts at 7:30 p.m. in the city hall meeting room. I plan to attend.

I wrote a brief write-up of the development and the concerns neighborhood residents have about it in this week’s CL. I’ve pasted that after the jump. If you want to learn more about the project, visit the city’s website here. For another take on the issues, check out this community website that raises questions about the impact the development may have on the surrounding neighborhoods.

(more…)

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…Decatur’s traffic declines. That’s what Nick at DecaturMetro discovered when he perused the 38-page traffic study completed by the developers of the proposed 315 W. Ponce project in the smart-growth posterchild’s downtown (more on that project, called Decatur Court, later.)

(more…)

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For an organization with such a large recycle center on site, DFM should make reusable bags easy to use. This might require a change to the way things have always been done in the past, either with a Costco-style receipt checker or designated types of bags that can be taken into the store…just thinking out loud here.

— Nicholas at DecaturMetro makes a case for the DeKalb Farmer’s Market to ease its at-times stringent bag policy so shoppers can bring their own.

Of the fourteen paid staff positions listed on the state Democratic Party’s website, four are held by women and none of the female staffers hold any of the “director” positions (i.e., executive director, communications director, field director, finance director, canvass director, or call center director).

— Andre at PeachPundit says the state Democratic Party staff is underrepresented by women and African Americans.

Nobody listens to flackattack. Yes, suspending the tax is a no-brainer, but going through this routine every freaking year is getting a bit tiresome.

— FlackAttack at TondeesTavern bangs his head against the computer about Gov. Sonny Perdue’s suspension of the state gas tax increase. Click on the link above to read how he thinks it should be altered and annual suspensions like this avoided.

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