Now’s your chance to provide feedback on the proposed changes to the Atlanta City Council district maps.
After months of behind-the-scenes meetings, officials recently released the proposed redistricting plans for the city’s legislative body. The process will result in thousands of residents having new representation at City Hall, since the council district lines have to shift every 10 years to ensure each district has the same population.
Last weeks, officials announced two public hearings on Sept. 29, at noon and 6 p.m. The hearings will be held in the council chambers at City Hall.
We got a hold of neighborhood-specific maps of the new districts if you want to see how you could be affected. Don’t know what council district you’re in now? You can look that up online too.
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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other local officials came together Saturday to celebrate the city’s purchase of a 75-acre swath of land that was once home to a brick company that utilized horrific convict labor practices.
The weekend’s ceremony also recognized the historical atrocities that occurred at the Chattahoochee Brick site and heralded the future use of the land as a public park and memorial. The city envisions it as its first-ever park with direct access to the Chattahoochee River.
The city paid $27 million to buy the land from Lincoln Energy Solutions, a South Carolina-based company had previously planned to lease the land to rail giant Norfolk Southern to build a fuel terminal there. (The Kendeda Fund contributed $4 million for the purchase.)
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Atlanta City Council last week unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the administration to apply for a $10.5 million federal grant to support engineering for the city’s ambitious “stitch” project.
The Stitch is a proposal for three-quarter miles of greenspace on top of the I-75/I-85 Downtown Atlanta Connector, from the Civic Center MARTA station on West Peachtree Street to past Piedmont Avenue. This would create a 14-acre “park deck” in the heart of the city.
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U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said in a statement that the stitch would reconnect divided communities and promote new equitable-development through affordable housing and transportation.
If awarded, the federal $10.5 million would match the $10 million allocation from the city and the $500,000 investment from the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID), according to City Hall.
The bill now goes to the mayor’s desk for final approval. It will then be up to the administration and ADID to submit the application to the U.S. Department of Transportation by its Oct. 13th deadline.
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It’s committee week for the City Council, meaning newly introduced legislation will have hearings.
Some measures we’re watching: An ordinance to require City Council approval of any changes to the existing boundaries of the neighborhood planning units. Plus, a resolution to publicly denounce the proposed reconfiguration of NPU boundaries in southwest Atlanta submitted by the Department of City Planning, and to request the chief operating officer to halt any proposed reconfigurations.
We’re also keeping our eyes on an ordinance authorizing the mayor to accept $16.4 million from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (“RAISE”) grant program.
Send us tips and feedback at Wilborn.Nobles@ajc.com and Joseph.Capelouto@ajc.com.
