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Walk around Castleberry Hill these days and you can see it’s a neighborhood in transition.  Galleries are closing and Nightclubs are moving in.

The influx in restaurants is not a bad thing, but the squeeze on the galleries is.  A thriving art scene helps the city and downtown in particular.  That it was a 5 minute walk from MARTA was even better.

Some galleries moved.  Some, such as Romo, are gone forever.   The question is where the artists and galleries will go now?  What’s the next recoverable neighborhood?

Moreover, is there a mechanism to assure that artists who are renting and help a neighborhood don’t then become the victims of their own success?

Is there anyone who is not tired of the homeless and others begging money downtown?  It’s impacting tourist visits, willingness to live downtown, and the ability to improve the quality of life.   Moreover, it’s illegal.

Perhaps, however, there is a solution.  We all know we should not give money directly to these folks.  Law enforcement heavily discourages it.  On the other hand, anyone with an ounce of compassion can feel for some of these folks, especially if they have holes in their shoes.

Perhaps, however, we can cure two birds with one stone.   Professional sociologists recommend that the best use of our money in helping the homeless is to give to support organizations such as The Atlanta Union Mission and the Gateway Center.  They get our support, we provide tools to help actually improve the lives of those having trouble, and we get a receipt.

Institutions such as AUM should then send a laminated receipt which we can flash whenever someone asks for money.

“Yo, can you spare any change?”   “Sorry, I gave at the office, you should visit.  Go to the Gateway Center.  The address is here… on my receipt!”

That will stop at least some of the beggars dead in their tracks.

So, the Dogwood Festival cannot be in Piedmont Park due to the drought.  You’d think they’d go to Centennial Park, right?  Nope.  They’re going to Lenox Square.

Is there anything more Atlantan than having a festival named for a tree in a shopping mall that was paved over them?  Somewhere Joe Winter’s bumper sticker grins through the tears.

Worse, Bryan Hill, head of the Dogwood festival literally said on WABE, “We’re so glad we could keep the festival in Midtown…” Oy.

Am I glad the festival will continue?  Yes.  Is having it at Lenox a wise idea?  No.  There is no shade.  Nowhere for the the animals to be.  If the weather is even remotely warm, there are no trees for shade and the blacktop will generate a ton of heat.  Further, people are going to try to drive that weekend, despite having two MARTA stations walking distance from the mall.

They are having a record number of artists, but in a much smaller space…  You have to wonder what they’re giving up… Music?  the Dog Show?

It could be a huge mess, we hope not, but wouldn’t bet on it.

Ever wonder why downtown isn’t teaming with clubs despite the hotel presence?  Ever wonder why no club survives very long in town?

The lack of places to play have been a big discussion among Jazz musicians in the Atlanta Jazz Forum and now a theory has been proposed.

Dan Turner is a local developer, builder, and piano man.  When presented with the scene of a woman who came downtown to hear Jazz and had a terrible experience, he began to delve into what went wrong: (These are editted excerpts from his post, which, in it’s original form is a little bit spicier)

“My time playing Atlanta started in  the very early 60’s when I was 9….playing in a few of the nightclubs that my father owned. I got into the circuit and hit his clubs as well as some of the joints that were within walking distance of each other. Sure…they were strip clubs; however for the 3 years that I played each weekend …jazzers were passed around from the Zebra, Domino, Club Peachtree and a host of others within a block or two of  each other. Going from one club to another, I saw a lot of familiar faces that were simply walking back and forth.

“In my opinion…and it extends back to those years playing with  really good players (and GREAT LOOKING EXOTIC DANCERS!!); now coupled with my role as a land planner…there are a few folks to blame for the fiasco in Atlanta:  Sam Massell, John Portman, & Tom Cousins.

“Massell picked up from his predecessor to “clean up Atlanta” by  closing down clubs by raising the dispensing fees. The Chamber of  Commerce gathered together with the powers to be and decided on John  Portman to devise a way to circumvent the sidewalks with the tunnels and tubes that deliver you away from the clubs on the street and right into the propietary clubs of the hotels. Ditto with Tom Cousins who was just the most fortunate guy to have MARTA wind up at his major complexes, and everyone else that went into the same mode of “cleaning up Atlanta” took something away from the night clubs that kept them alive …making a buck selling liquor.

“There was a lot to be said for a bar with a great band that all of a sudden had to be able to cook food. That ordinance wiped out the little hole in the wall joints….the same set up that thrives in New Orleans. There were ordinances enacted against Neon lighting. The distance between the bar stools and the stage. The decibel rating. Smoking/non-smoking designated square footage. Restrooms that had to meet a minimum square footage and then the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) that although a great thing…was not allowed to be grandfathered in for established businesses.

“It got to be too expensive to be in a business that the City wanted to see leave in order to make the place hospitable to Conventions.  The city [departments] were shaking down club owners and the Bud Turners, Chic Hendrix’s and Sam Jensen’s just closed shoppe.

“It’s still not a hospitable city… with the panhandlling and the blocks of no-mans land at night. The clubs and bars are found inside the complexes or within a $30 taxi ride from the center of the action…it’s just spread out and too thin.

“What little bit of fire that was there went away with a purpose. The jazz clubs have no competition…and sometimes human nature takes over with regards to how they would treat a customer since they were the only show in town…or walking distance to another Atlanta attraction. Or they’re not making enough to pay the help, talent, and nightly nut…so you’re getting anyone barely breathing to wait your table for minimums. Without the competition, there’s not much reason to improve…or if they’re already into the failure mode (which happens much too often), they’ve just given up.

“Atlanta had a great little complex at one time….Underground Atlanta…before Rouse. There were a half dozen player joints within sound of each other….I can remember many a tawdry Saturday AFTERNOON at the Apothecary watching Paul Mitchell and Neal Starkey, et all wailing away to a pretty full house. Tired of that? Walk across the street to Dante’s and then on over to Reds and a few other joints that the names don’t come apparent right now…and then start that circuit over again.

“Underground wasn’t a threat to Atlanta during the 60s and 70s..but they (whoever THEY were) decided to “fix it” anyway.  It’s a brave step every time someone opens a club to sponsor jazz players…but, foremost in mind, in order to keep that door open, they have to sell enough liquor. The players are almost always way down the food chain as to priorities, but it’s a huge investment to open a joint to meet all the codes and ordinances; pay the fees; get the final permit and then try to market with the leftover cash. Some places are doomed on opening night and everything that you described doesn’t make it that appealing for a return visit.

“Until a chosen few decided to “Clean Up Atlanta” and when they got rid of the clubs….they got rid of the talent and the incentives for future clubs.”
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It should be pointed out that to some degree, Massell did this same thing again a few years ago in Buckhead.  He wanted to chase the club owners out to make the area more attractive for the big condo towers that now dominate what was one of America’s best known party spots.  With the help of the City Council, he again succeeded in killing off lots of Atlanta nightlife.  Maybe, Massell likes money better than fun… Or at least he thinks if everyone has money they can afford to go have fun somewhere else.

Pick which one of the following statements is true:

1. The City Council is considering an ordinance which limits the size of the pet you can have to 1 pound per 15 square feet of dwelling.
2. The Virginia Highlands Starbucks is closing.
3. Tyler Perry’s ‘House of Payne‘ is so popular that he has hired Jermaine Dupris to write “Payne! The Musical!” .

All of them seem so impossible that any reader should be skeptical.  However, the answer is that number two is true and the others are false.  Sources say that the Virginia Highlands Starbucks store is closing!

Who’d have thought that a Starbucks, one of the oldest in Atlanta, would not be able to maintain enough business in Virginia Highlands?   There are two different ways to look at this.  One way is ‘Hooray!  defeat for chain stores!  Booyah the independent little guy!  San Francisco Coffee Roasters Up Up and Away!”

The second way to look at it is with concern.  Rent here is clearly an issue and if rents are becoming so high that Starbucks cannot maintain one of its stalwart locations in a very prosperous neighborhood, what pressure must that be putting on other businesses?  Might Starbucks be a canary in a coal mine?   If they cannot afford the rent, who will go next?  I’d hate to see Neighbors or Atkins Park unable to afford the location in which they have long been.

It might be a good idea to stop by the Starbucks.  Has anyone ever seen a coffee going out of business sale?

MARTA did not win customers this weekend.  On one of the busiest weekends of the year, MARTA decided to single track.  Further, they ran a number of trains on the opposite site of where they usually arrive confusing tons of out of towners.

Here’s what happened this weekend:

• The Braves were in town
• Falcons played
• Georgia Tech Played
• African American Gay Pride
• Oh, Yeah, the 60,000 people that went to some part of DragonCon!

All of these events meant that trains were packed.  Often they were so full, that if you tried to get on at a station south of Lindbergh you couldn’t.  Moreover, during the day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, they did not run all the trains to the airport, doubling the demand for southbound trains.

People griped.  Worse, Klingons griped!  You don’t want to be stuck in a MARTA car between an angry Klingon, a Wookie, and a Mets Fan.

Of course MARTA has to do maintenance, but events such as DragonCon are high profile events that bring lots of tourists to town.  Those folks will go back to work Tuesday and help determine whether more conventions come to here.  Their negative MARTA experience will not help.  Surely, MARTA management, the local sports teams, and the ACVB can coordinate events so that maintenance is done at night and on weekends when nothing is happening in town.

Moreover, MARTA needs to make a guarantee.  If you wait more than 20 minutes for a train ever, that ride is free.  How can they do this?  Tap out.  The system knows where you got on.  They know how long it takes to travel on MARTA to your destination.  They know when you tap out.  Hence if your time traveled plus twenty minutes is greater than your tap in and out, the system can credit you.

Such a guarantee would encourage MARTA use and put pressure on operations staff to keep things well maintained.  It can also go into the Union goals as a benchmark for them to hit and that will also please the MARTOC committee.  When the customers win, the politicians are satiated and efforts are made to increase the economy of the product, we’ll get better results both in transit and in economic development terms.

Clearly College Park’s community wants to keep growing.  With the lull in the development market, College Park is growing more slowly than 3 or 4 years ago and downtown has some vacant spaces.
The City, however, has made some smart choices.  They’re using the vacant store fronts as Art Galleries.  While this is not a new idea, it is something not seen inside the perimeter much, and having the art in the windows helps in three positive ways:

1. It keeps the street scape from looking vacant and keeps traffic interested in the life of the town rather than just passing through on the way to the car rental returns.
2. It brings attention to the fact that the space is available.  That helps the Realtors and hence the value of the taxes
3. It keeps local artists engaged in the community.

It’s a shame that shopping malls, town councils, and other retailers do not see the benefit of creating inducements to let vacant space be used for art.  If you have a run down area, nothing will bring traffic in like creating a theater and gallery space.  Just look at how vital ART Station is to keeping Stone Mountain afloat and see that East Atlanta has suffered after Echo Lounge closed.

Heck, look at Underground.  It’s never recovered from Dante moving out.  Further, with no Gallery Space or theatrical performance down there, the space continues o suffer.  Now, ACPA is working with with Underground to develop some theater space on Upper Alabama.  That’s guaranteed to bring traffic in and as long as the rent is affordable, performances by emerging groups can bring those with the spirit of the adventure and the finances to afford it back to Underground to help make it alive.

Theater is the next step for the south side as well.  East Point, Hapeville, and College Park are all missing theaters in their downtown.  When they get established those town will really kick it in to the next level.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley must be really thirsty, because he wants 18 billion gallons of water from us.  He has threatened to sue the Army Corps of Engineers to get them to essentially drain Lake Acworth, Lake Allatoona, and Carter’s Lake.

Riley wants the water for Alabama and believes that the Army Corps has broken its promises.  For their part, the Army disagrees.  Riley has said that there are uses for the water kept in those lakes and that “It’s not for recreation”.  Riley complains that Alabama towns are in deep trouble and may lose access to water if they don’t get some of ours.

Here are two steps Riley could have taken, but didn’t.  He did not call the Governor of Georgia and ask for help.  If Alabama towns really, honestly, literally are going to be without water, Georgia can help a little, but the need really has to be there and there needs to be evidence of steps taken to economize the resources that are there.

That includes stopping to flow of water to Golf Courses.  That’s a step Georgia could take as well.  The Environmental Protection Agency already has safety concerns about golf courses and water use.  Limiting the amount of water they use could help all of use dramatically.  Two steps can immediately help here.  Water only the greens and water them only after sunset.  This reduce the amount of water a Golf Course uses by up to 80%.  Also use gray water for this.  The grass is less picky about the kind of water used.  That lets the most expensive, processed water go to the schools and homes that need it.

Until Governor Perdue hears from Governor Riley, he should urge the corps to maintain appropriate reservoir levels at Georgia’s Lakes.  Our citizens have needs as well and our growth rate is higher.  We’re all going to have to conserve and use water more economically, but over time, Georgia is going to keep more of its own water as our population is growing.

Sembler is talking a good game about their mammoth Briarcliff North Druid Hills Development, but talk is cheap… the question is whether the housing will be as well.  They’ve promised 1000 units of lower income housing (BTW, they’ve created a new vocabulary term for these… they’re now ‘workforce’ units).  The question is what does lower income mean in this case?  Who gets it?  Who gets to decide?

With real estate prices soaring, starter homes are in short supply.  In the area around the development 850 square foot houses are being replaced with 5000 square foot  McMansions.   There is little or no  rentable space left from $400 to $750 month left.  Perhaps a means test is in order here.  It would be great to create 300 new home owners all of whom have an income of under $30,000 per household.

The Dekalb County Commission to pass the Atlanta City Council for leadership here.  To make this project work, schools need to be relocated, a major stadium will fall and low income housing will be lost.  This is the time for the commission to require new development meet a public good.  Instead of simply requiring low income housing (which they ought to do), the commission ought also require that 20% of the land be usable greenspace and that 20% of the non housing property go to non-commercial uses such as police stations, libraries, or arts centers.

They also need a traffic mitigation plan that will off-set the added vehicular traffic to the area.  This project will be bigger than Atlantic Station and so perhaps an 18 hour shuttle running every 15 minutes to Lindbergh station might be an answer.

Development is inevitable.  Added tax revenue is great, but when a project of this scale comes along, there needs to be a public good that comes with it.

The next master plan meeting is  July 25 at Kittredge School, 2383 North Druid Hills Road, from 7 to 9 p.m. At the meeting, Alex Garvin & Associates will present their proposal for a master plan and zoning recommendations for the study area.

Places of quiet contemplation in the heart of a city are vital and Atlanta is losing them.  Yes, there are parks, coffee houses, stores, malls, sidewalks, but fewer and fewer non-commercial spaces to simply quietly contemplate.  The saddest example of this is that The Temple of All Faiths at the King Center has been locked for years.  Contemplations of Faith are no longer welcome there.

The same goes for many churches, which are now locked more often than not.  On a recent Sunday afternoon the First Presbyterian Church was locked up tight.  Even Catholic Churches are closing their doors to those who simply wish a quiet moment in a solemn setting.  Right now, only the Airport Chapel and those in Hospitals are available all the time, and even during the day few places are available.  Though, if they’re not in session, the Georgia House Chamber is a beautiful place.

Atlanta needs a space such as the Baha’i Temple in Chicago.  Anyone can go there and meditate on the world.  They will be left in peace to consider as they will.  There is no pressure to participate in their religion, though people are there if you have questions.

What prevents places like this from developing?  A few challenges seem to stand in the way.  The two worst villains are the twins of Security and Insurance Liability.  No one wants the headache.  Second, I fear that the vagrancy problem the city faces has a perceived impact.  Still, it’s sad that there is no respectful non-denomination place for all the city to gather to think, pay respects, or celebrate greatness.  Maybe that’s the next great thing on which Bernie Marcus can invest in the city…