Neighborhoods

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Portion of Krog Street to close for nearly two months (Update)

Posted by on Thu, Jun 13, 2013 at 1:07 PM

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  • Department of Public Works

Traffic will get a little bit worse starting next week for motorists traveling through Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward.

Krog Street between Edgewood and DeKalb Avenues will be closed from June 17 to August 3 as AT&T conducts some much-needed utility work. City officials planned for this round of repairs to coincide with the rebuilding of the Edgewood Avenue bridge, which was demolished back in April.

"Our goal is to maintain the existing detour route as much as possible in order to have this work completed before the Atlanta Public Schools reopen in August," Valerie Bell-Smith, a Department of Public Works spokeswoman, said in a statement. "Once AT&T has completed their work the original detour route will resume."

Smith says that local business will keep their doors open and that additional detail signs will be placed to promote more foot traffic.

So expect delays throughout the area. We've included several different detours after the jump:

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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Do Good Campaign Update: Oakland Cemetery Revival

Posted by on Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 4:09 PM

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  • Sara Henderson/Historic Oakland Foundation
Three months after the launch of Creative Loafing's Do Good Campaign, Oakland Cemetery visitors can now enjoy a bit more green in the greenspace known as South Public, a gathering area that had been ravaged by the 2008 tornado that touched down in Grant Park and nearby neighborhoods.

Thanks to 1,000 hours of volunteer work, a CL-hosted online fundraiser, and a $2,500 matching donation from the Home Depot Foundation, the seating areas, headstones, and other memorials are now surrounded by newly planted grass, shrubs, trees, flowers, and marked by tidy walking paths - all in keeping with the original Victorian design of the city park and sanctuary.

Minutes before last weekend's Tunes From the Tombs event started, around two dozen volunteers patted down the last sod patches and hauled off wheelbarrows full of well-worn tools to the cemetery garden shed. Later on Saturday afternoon, when CL met up with the cemetery's landscape manager, Sara Henderson, families and some children were already making good use of the restored space, taking photos of flowers and markers, sitting on donated benches, and running in the grass or sitting in shady spots under trees.

On Sunday, Henderson sent out a thank-you note to all her volunteers, saying in part:

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Monday, June 10, 2013

Group raises concerns over treatment of Downtown carriage horses

Posted by on Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 11:12 AM

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  • AAHDC video screenshot
An Atlanta group has started a petition to raise awareness over what they consider to be the continued unethical treatment of horses used to pull Downtown carriage rides.

Against Atlanta Horse Drawn Carriages says that Atlanta's laws created to protect horses from cruel living and working conditions aren't currently being enforced. They want the Atlanta Police Department, which is responsible for enforcing the laws, to crack down on carriage operators - or even end the practice altogether if the city's laws aren't followed.

"We ask that you take measures to [ensure] the law in regards to the horses, their living conditions and their working conditions, are enforced," the petition, which has more than 4,000 signatures, says. "If the laws cannot be enforced, then the horse drawn carriages in Atlanta should be shut down."

Kathy Burke, a Gwinnett County activist leading AAHDC's efforts, thinks that two horse-drawn carriage companies, Fantasy Carriages and Nottingham Shire & Carriage for Hire, have failed to properly care for the horses over the years.

Atlanta's codes require that horse-drawn carriage companies must "provide humane care and treatment" and not "impair the good health and physical condition" of carriage horses. The group, however, claims that many horses are not given proper access to water and are occasionally neglected. Burke says that the two companies provide "unacceptable" living conditions and its carriage operators don't properly care for the horses while they're on-the-job. "They're clearly not horse people," she says.

Amanda Araim, owner of Nottingham Shire & Carriage for Hire for the past 13 years, says she has worked with horses her entire life and goes above and beyond what's required for her horses, which includes shorter shifts, stricter stable regulations, and increased attention to their horses' health. She also says she had Burke arrested for "assaulting" her in Downtown, and overall thinks that most protesters aren't willing to hear her side of the issue. They simply want horse carriages removed from the city's streets.

"We have never received a single citation from the city, the county, or the state's agriculture department - all three entities come and inspect our horses and carriages on a regular basis," Araim tells CL. "They come out all the time, and actually more than they're supposed to, because every time those groups come out and file a complaint, they have to come out and inspect."

According to Burke, animal right activists have fought on behalf of Atlanta's carriage-drawn horses as far back as 1988. But the cause hasn't seen much progress. In recent years, similar efforts have gained steam in New York City, where several mayoral candidates are now vowing to ban the practice if elected.

Burke says that Atlanta's horse-drawn carriage operators are allowed to continue operating due to an "astounding" lack of regulation. "There's no oversight or real-time administration of the law," she tells CL.

"The city's not designed to accommodate horse-drawn carriages," adds Burke. "They don't really have the space set aside for carriage stands like they should. They don't have shelter or water for the horses at the carriage stands. If they insist on having horse-drawn carriages in the city, they need to put money into facilities to have the right facilities."

CL also reached out to Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall, who represents much of Downtown, and Fantasy Carriage for this story. If we hear back from either, we'll post an update.

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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Inserection owner Michael Morrison might launch City Council bid against Alex Wan

Posted by on Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 5:27 PM

Michael Morrison
Atlanta City Councilman Alex Wan, fresh off a brutal battle over the future of Cheshire Bridge Road, just might have picked up a challenger for the municipal election in November. And lo and behold, it's someone from the adult businesses community he recently tried to boot from what's considered Atlanta's red-light district.

According to Georgia Voice, Inserection owner Michael Morrison is planning to launch a campaign against the councilman who represents much of northeast Atlanta. An official announcement, he says, could come sometime next week.

Morrison admits that have he "may not be electable" because of his past record. In 2005, he spent two-and-a-half years behind bars for tax evasion. He was also forced to pay $1.4 million back to the Internal Revenue Service. But he's already made his campaign message loud and clear: "a vote for me is a vote against Alex Wan."

Former CL staff writer Scott Henry spoke to Morrison as part of a 2003 cover story on Fulton Industrial Boulevard's then-burgeoning red-light district:

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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Wan's attempt to boot adult businesses from Cheshire Bridge falls short

Posted by on Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 12:42 PM

Cheshire Bridge Road's adult businesses will remain a part of the northeast Atlanta commercial strip for the foreseeable future.

The Atlanta City Council voted yesterday against two ordinances proposed by Councilman Alex Wan that would have forced adult video stores, strip clubs, and sex shops to find a new home.

In a statement, Wan said he was disappointed after spending months championing the legislation, which would have required adult businesses to comply with special zoning restrictions or move by 2018. Despite taking his fair share of flak in the process, he said he would "remain committed" to improving Cheshire Bridge Road in other ways.

"The two rezoning papers I introduced would have made it easier for the residents, businesses and other stakeholders along Cheshire Bridge Road to further revitalize the business corridor," Wan said in a statement. "The changes would have allowed for businesses more compatible with the needs of the community, and restrict those that are incompatible with the surrounding neighborhoods."

Wan had received support from several neighborhood associations, the area's Neighborhood Planning Unit, the city's law department, and the city's planning department. But he couldn't overcome growing concerns over the bad precedent the legislation would possibly set.

During yesterday's packed Council meeting, Wan boiled all the arguments down to his fellow councilmembers and asked:

At the end of the day, the question before you is simple: are we community people who support the efforts a community takes to improve our city through planning and visioning? The business owners and neighborhoods have done exactly what we've asked them to. They did a study, created a plan, enacted zoning, they looked for tools to realize that vision...They have done their part. The question is: will we?

Nevertheless, his pleas fell short in a 6 to 9 vote. Those who voted against the Cheshire Bridge ordinances were Councilmembers Kwanza Hall, Ivory Lee Young, Jr., Cleta Winslow, Natalyn Archibong, Howard Shook, Yolanda Adrean, Felicia Moore, C.T. Martin and Joyce Sheperd. Project Q Atlanta nicely explained the rationale behind Martin and Moore's votes:

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Saturday, June 1, 2013

East Atlanta, family remembers Patrick Cotrona; 'there must be action'

Posted by on Sat, Jun 1, 2013 at 2:20 PM

Kate Cotrona Krumm, Patricks sister, urges crowd to hold city, courts accountable and demand action
  • Thomas Wheatley
  • Kate Cotrona Krumm, Patrick's sister, urges crowd to hold city, courts accountable and demand action
Approximately 200 people gathered on Friday evening in East Atlanta to rally against crime and remember Patrick Cotrona, a well-liked neighborhood resident who was shot on May 25 while walking with two friends to the community's bustling nightlife and retail strip and later died from his wound.

Family members, friends, civic and business leaders, and elected officials placed votive candles in paper bags decorated with messages to the 33-year-old video game programmer and the community. Some attendees donned yellow, a nod to the color of the game piece that Cotrona often picked when he played board games.

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Friday, May 31, 2013

Police release sketch of Reynoldstown robbery suspect

Posted by on Fri, May 31, 2013 at 3:49 PM

Atlanta Police are asking for the community's help in finding the suspect involved in a May 25 robbery on Kirkwood Avenue in Reynoldstown, one of several crimes that have rattled southeast Atlanta over the last month.

According to an APD spokeswoman, witnesses and victims described the suspect as a young African-American male between the age of 16 and 18, 5'8 to 5'10 in height, with a thin build, medium-brown complexion and little to no facial hair.

"The suspect was wearing a dark-colored hat with a red POLO emblem on it, a red-and-blue vertical stripped/checkered short sleeve button up shirt with a collar, khaki shorts and white high top shoes," an APD spokeswoman says.

Police also released video of a possible robbery suspect fleeing the scene and jumping into a four-door dark charcoal Grey Dodge Stratus or Intrepid with a sun roof.

Got any tips? Call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).

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Historic Buckhead mansion slated for demolition to get second life in Ansley Park

Posted by on Fri, May 31, 2013 at 5:01 AM

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  • Chris Schroder
Late last year, preservationists were worried that the historic Randolph-Lucas House, an 89-year-old Georgian-Revival style home along Peachtree Road, would be razed.

The condominium association that owns the building behind the stately home designed by noted Atlanta architect P. Thornton Marye offered to give the house, free of charge, to anyone who could haul it off. Doing so would cost at least $350,000.

Yesterday afternoon, someone took them up on the offer.

This summer, preservationists plan to move the house to a vacant lot in Ansley Park, where it will become a home to Christopher Jones and Roger Smith, the founders of NewTown Partners, an economic development consulting firm that focuses on distressed historic properties.

The firm started working with the condo association, the Buckhead Heritage Society, and the city on the project in January. Jones and Smith closed on the Ansley Park lot on Thursday.

Moving the house won't be an easy task. Project supporters and city and state officials have spent the last four months coordinating the logistics of the move - a process which is expected to continue until June. Talks with utility companies "regarding the temporary relocation of aerial utility lines along the route as the house moves south on Peachtree Road" are in the works, a spokesman says in a statement. Then comes the hard part of jacking up the house, placing it on a rig, and rolling it down Peachtree Road (and Street) and then lugging it across a vacant lot to its future home.

Once the house has been moved, Jones and Smith plan to "sensitively rehabilitate the home according to historic preservation standards." In addition, they'll donate a preservation façade easement to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, guaranteeing the building's longevity.

"This is a watershed moment for historic preservation in Atlanta," Wright Mitchell, president of the Buckhead Heritage Society, said in a statement, "The Randolph-Lucas House project proves that groups with sometimes divergent interests can truly come together to support a creative solution to a difficult historic preservation problem. That has not always been the case in our great city."

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

City Council inches toward booting adult businesses from Cheshire Bridge

Posted by on Wed, May 29, 2013 at 4:07 PM

GOODBYE, FAREWELL: Proposal would force adult businesses along Cheshire Bridge Road to move.
  • Joeff Davis/CL File
  • GOODBYE, FAREWELL: Proposal would force adult businesses along Cheshire Bridge Road to move.
A pair of ordinances threatening adult businesses along Cheshire Bridge Road moved one step closer towards a final decision today.

Despite a negative recommendation from Atlanta's Zoning Review Board, City Council's zoning committee voted 3 to 2 in favor of two proposals that would boot adult video stores, strip clubs, and sex shops from the commercial district. As we've reported on over the past few months, nearby residents, business owners, and developers have tussled over Cheshire Bridge's future.

Councilmembers Alex Wan, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Carla Smith voted for the ordinances; while Howard Shook and Ivory Young went against the measures. Joyce Sheperd abstained.

Wan, who's taken plenty of flak over the ordinances, called the measures "the most significant" legislation he's championed and reiterated that his constituents backed his efforts.

"If we allow fear of litigation to guide our decisions in what we vote for, our city would grind to a halt," Councilman Alex Wan told Project Q. "The only people who oppose it are the adult businesses and the developers."

The two ordinances now will head to a full City Council meeting on June 3 in what could be a decisive meeting for the area. Stay tuned.

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Friday, May 24, 2013

Midtown condos to rise on former site of charming 1920s apartment building

Posted by on Fri, May 24, 2013 at 11:40 AM

Why hello
  • Lord Aeck, & Sargent
  • Welcome to the neighborhood
What's being touted as the newest condo development along the "Midtown Mile" in several years is moving forward. Named "Seventh," the nine-story condo building proposed by Robin Loudermilk and Dwight Bell at the intersection of Seventh and Peachtree streets will rise on land that, until earlier this year, was home to the J.A. McCord Apartments. The charming residential building was designed by J. Neel Reid, a prominent and well-regarded Atlanta architect. The building was razed late last year to make room for the new project. We've asked if Loudermilk and Bell ever considered reusing the former building in the new development's design "We looked at ways to incorporate the apartment building on 7th Street into the design of Seventh," Loudermilk said through a spokesman. "Unfortunately, the building's age and state of disrepair made that impossible. The building had become a fire and life safety hazard."

The developers did manage to preserve the Starbucks. The Atlanta Business Chronicle says the coffee chain's location on the intersection will temporarily move and relocate into the new building's ground floor once construction of the 23-unit condo building is complete.

One upside: The building won't come with a brand new surface parking lot. A spokesman tells us that a bridge will connect the building to the adjacent Viewpoint parking deck, which Loudermilk owns.

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