Candler Park, Atlanta GA (pic submitted by Al)
“Panoramic of Candler Park, the edge of the golf course closest to the playground. An elderly woman drove her car off the road, through 20 yards of cattails, and into the creek. She seemed fine, but this is another strong argument for periodic driving exams.”
Click the pic to enlarge.
It’s always nice when Decatur gets good press but there’s really nothing better than the sweet love of a piece that not only sings our praises but does so while contrasting us with other DeKalb towns choking on Decatur’s leading-edge dust.
Such was the case in Saturday’s AJC as local commentator (and retired furrier!) Bill York, in this op-ed, waxed fawningly over our little ‘burg:
“Decatur has been a runaway success. Others waited too long and moved too slowly.”
The real point of the piece is that, in these times of scaled back consumer spending, it’s the towns that previously invested in their commercial districts that are best surviving. Even thriving. He goes on to detail faltering efforts around the county and concludes with the assertion that, to be competitive, towns need to be prettied up and rents need to be jimmied down.
I don’t suppose I disagree with any of that, and it’s nice to see Decatur get some much-deserved props, but I do think a bit more ink could have been applied to just how difficult such ideas are to implement.
Bottom line, every city thinks they deserve to be great but few cities actually are. That’s because saying you’re great is easy. Being great isn’t.
Wow. That didn’t take long.
Multiple outlets posted this note from Atlantic Station owners on Friday…
“We are listening to our local community and neighbors’ feedback, suggestions and concerns regarding the new Atlantic Station parking program,” the statement said. “We recognize there are areas we would like to further evaluate and more clearly communicate to ensure this new transition will be as smooth as possible for our retailers and guests.
“A revised plan for the new parking program, which will offer two hours of free parking with validation from shops restaurants, gyms, food trucks and Regal Cinemas, will be shared pending further review.”
I’m not shocked by the general public’s reaction. Take away anything free and you’ll hear about it. I’m just a bit surprised that the owners weren’t confident enough in their original plan to stick to their guns on this issue.
Easy for me to say, I guess. I don’t have bajillions on the line.
