While many Atlanta residents and transit-ites celebrated the recent $5 million donation to build the Beltline’s northeast segment bike trail, Andisheh remained unimpressed.  For him, the donation was just another reminder of how far the project hasn’t come in 11 years. 

From Fresh Loaf…

Viewed within the bigger picture of Beltline history though, the [donation] announcement was a big let down. It’s dispiriting that the city has made so little progress with the Beltline project that a short bike trail is considered huge breakthrough.

A thumbnail history — the Beltline was conceived in 1999 as a comprehensive urban re-development project, including parks, mass transit and new private construction. Embraced by city residents as soon as they began hearing about it, it was promoted first by the City Council President, then by a powerful and popular mayor. She helped give it an organizational structure and (controversial) funding mechanism in 2005 and 2006.

That’s a lot of time. A lot of money. A lot of public discussion. A lot of political capital.

And for what? So far, just a couple of short trails.

 And then, just this morning, the news fates decided to throw the CL cynic an “I told you so” bone.  From the AJC’s Ariel Hart… Read the rest of this entry »

From the Atlanta Magazine website…

*Department of Corrections

Readers have enjoyed our Real Estate issue—that is, except for citizens in the city of Decatur, who expressed their displeasure when they noticed that the depressed sales prices we listed for their area were representative of all Decatur addresses, not just the city as we had mistakenly indicated. We’re sorry for that error, and with the help of a Decatur real estate agent, Sean Dammann, and the City of Alpharetta (whose sales prices we’d also listed as representing solely the city), we have some new numbers to share.

In fact, the city of Decatur’s citizens have reason to be proud. Median sales prices have held relatively steady over the past three years, dropping by only 0.6 percent since 2007 to around $350,000 (although the number of homes sold in the city was down 29.6 percent in 2009 to 178). Dammann culled his numbers from the Sandy Springs–based First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS).

Need a recap of the original issue?  CLICK HERE.

Hat-tip to the city’s Linda Harris over on the Decatur Minute who also notes that the magazine will post a correction in its June issue.

P.S.  While you’re over on the Atlanta Magazine website, you may also want to check out why Andisheh is in dire need of a marine biologist.

I guess its a “power of words” sorta day.

In yet another documented instance of Atlanta news orgs referring to incorporated DeKalb as “Decatur”, thanks to a Decatur mailing address, the AJC first reported this DeKalb motel shooting as “Decatur motel shooting victim now in critical condition”, according to Andisheh.

Not the first time this has happened.

The location was reported as Decatur. An hour later, it’s changed to DeKalb without any note.

As we’ve noted before, it might not matter to most, but countless shootings and other illicit acts reported as “Decatur” but really in DeKalb, aren’t all that great for the city’s image.

Maybe a specialized “Decatur: We’re incorporated!” ad campaign would help.

In a recent Atlanta Magazine spread asking “dozens of Atlantans” for advice for new Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Decatur’s Own  Lain Shakespeare and Andisheh Nouraee inadvertently showed the broad spectrum of expectation for Atlanta’s massive BeltLine project.

Mr. Shakespeare has great hope…

Atlanta’s best idea is already at work: the BeltLine. The BeltLine’s potential addresses many of Atlanta’s problems so effectively, there’s no reason not to follow its lead. By focusing on what people need to thrive instead of exclusively on what cars need to thrive, Atlanta will become safer, healthier, and more competitive. Expanded transit, connected neighborhoods, affordable housing, and complete streets will foster denser and more vibrant communities.

Mr. Nouraee?  Eh, not so much…

Admit the BeltLine is a park with a bike path, not a mass transit project.

Hat-tip honors go to Mr. Nouraee

Andisheh sends us a photo of this year’s post-Christmas Agnes Scott pine tree gathering.

But where he sees a place where “Christmas trees in Decatur go to die”, I see a lively Christmas tree pig pile. (Someone must have left a bottle of water in the parking lot.)

And speaking of dispensing of your tree, Cate writes in…

Please Decaturites, don’t leave your be-tinseled tree on the curb for the trash guys to pick up. All sorts of small animals love to chew on tinsel and can get seriously ill.