OK, let’s do this thing!

In January, we first learned that the Brick Store Pub had been named the #2 beer bar by Beer Advocate, that Mayor Floyd was 1 of 100 most influential Georgians, that APD messed up the details in the Standard shooting, that the DeKalb Farmer’s Market was no longer accepting ANY returns (enjoy that smelly shrimp!), I worried about the end of newsprint, the city gave up on any large-scale annexation plans for at least 3 years, Daren Wang and friends launched Agnes Writes after cutbacks at Margaret Mitchell, and a fire destroyed Trackside and 5th Earl.

In February, Daren Wang proposed an auction of Leon’s first pint to help Trackside and 5th Earl fire victims and it went for a jaw-dropping $2,650, we celebrated Atlanta Time Machine, we worried about an armed robbery in Oakhurst, we worried about Atlanta’s economic future, we smirked as annexation brought neighborhoods outside Decatur together, we talked about how much trash we put out every week, we had our first of many zombie invasions, I implemented threaded comments on DM, we marvelled at 335 W. Ponce’s plastic bag art, Duany dissed Decatur, and Decatur’s Wi-Fi was “completed“.

Read the rest of this entry »

Looking back on it, few should be surprised that preservation efforts, both historic and environmental, were so aggressive prior to 2008.  The construction industry, which single-handedly does more to alter the natural and urban landscape than any other entity, was building at an artificially fast pace, boosted by demand that really wasn’t there.

So it should also be no surprise that in a post-boom era, conservation groups are making up for lost time, buying up land for a fraction of the price it once demanded.

From the New York Times…

The victories [for conservation groups] reveal a green lining of sorts in a credit crisis that has depressed real estate prices, spawned foreclosures and derailed development projects across the nation.

The purchases by conservationists and state and local governments assure that thousands of acres will be put aside in perpetuity for parks, watershed protection or simply preservation of open space.

“We are getting a second bite at properties that never should have been developed in the first place,” said Will Rogers, president of the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit group that buys land for preservation. “We are working on dozens of these deals across the country, and I know other land trusts are as well.”

If it does, I haven’t figured out how to make it work with an iPod Touch yet.

I can get to the Decatur Wi-Fi access page, but then I can’t click any of the buttons.  Has anyone ever had success connecting to Decatur Wi-Fi with ANY mobile device?

Is it just an issue with the free access?  Do I need a monthly subscription?

The “Quick Bites” section in this week’s Atlanta Intown paper whispers…

Rumor has it that Twisted Taco is planning to open a new location in the old Emory University bookstore space in Emory Village in the spring.  Watch its web site at www.twistedtaco.com for updates.

Mandated reflection time!

Anyone want to take a guess at the top 10 DM posts of 2009? (And by “top” I mean, “most clicked on”.)

Hint:  Top posts often times have a lot of comments, because obviously you have to click on a post to see comments, but that isn’t a hard and fast rule.  There are other ways to be #1.

Whatcha got?

Emory announces a cutback in incentives for Emory bike and walk commuters…

The Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association (CCTMA) recently announced they will no longer offer MARTA passes to bike commute program participants after December 29, 2009. The CCTMA, through funding provided by regional partners, provides certain commute option incentives for Emory staff commuters. According to the CCTMA, due to federal and state changes to policies governing how funding can be spent and regional transportation agency budget constraints, the decision was made to cut the MARTA incentive currently offered to Emory and Emory Healthcare staff cycling commuters.

The program provided 20 one-way MARTA rides monthly to bike/walk participants.

h/t: wcdarling (via Twitter)

Not sure what made me think of this, but I’m going to go with it.

Back during the battle over 315 West Ponce, when we agonized for weeks over a potential “Building A” that would sit along the West Ponce sidewalk, I proposed a compromise of allowing a restaurant on the first floor of the existing 315 office building and allowing them to use the existing exterior walkway as an outdoor patio.   My thinking went that this would help rejuvenate the space a bit without having to squeeze a new building into the current pocket park.   Of course, the parking issue would rear its ugly head, but if any lot on that street could accommodate restaurant parking, it’s that one.

Anyway, having had this idea resurface in my head this morning, I wondered what other ideas about renovating an existing Decatur building(s) might be out there floating in the ether.

The only “rule” in this thought experiment is that you can’t “build” any new, freestanding structures to make your dream a reality.

UPDATE: Sara reports that N. Decatur between Scott Blvd and Superior remains closed as of 9:40a.

This sounds pretty ugly…

Traffic was clogged in the Decatur area Wednesday morning after a water main break shut down a major thoroughfare.

The main broke on Tuesday along North Decatur Road near Scott Boulevard.

North Decatur remained closed at daybreak Wednesday while crews worked to repair the pipe.

Anyone out there been near this intersection since “daybreak” and have a more recent report on the status of this intersection?

There’s some really interesting urban farming news tucked deep inside IMCA’s recent case study of Decatur entitled, “Healthy Decatur: A Holistic Approach to Sustainability“.  (h/t: 231 Sycamore)

First up, word of a possible community garden close to public housing…

[Active Living Director Dan] Magee has since contemplated starting a community garden near public housing run by the city’s Housing Authority. He is considering possible locations within the neighborhood or at a recreation center, and has made it a priority to identify champions who can build community support, involvement, and a sense of ownership. “That’s the community that needs it most,” he said, noting these residents’ poor access to healthy foods.

Secondly, a recent agreement with the United Methodist Children’s Home to convert two acres of their land into an urban farm…

Read the rest of this entry »

Avondale writer Patti Ghettzi bursts our bubble with an article recently published in Mother Nature Network, titled “My Year of Shopping Locally”.  In her email to DM she notes “I don’t name the businesses, because I wrote it for a national audience, but it’s pretty obvious whom I’m talking about.”

In the article, Ghettzi recaps the times in the past year when she vowed to “buy local” and ended up disappointed.  Reasons for disappointment ranged from having a bad experience with a shopkeeper to being unable to find items in stock, or just unwilling to pay more for something she could find for less online.

But before we local-devotees jump down Ghettzi’s throat with cries of cherry-picking and not looking at the bigger picture, I think we should first consider the value of such an article.  With its near cult-like status, it’s admittedly pretty easy for advocates to live comfortably inside the local movement vilifying all things big-box and tongue-kissing anything that’s displayed in the quaint corner store.

Of course, life, love and community are never that simple.

Read the rest of this entry »