Bloglanta

Atlanta still has a strong northside southside split.  Nothing symbolizes this more than the official line of Starbucks Demarcation.  It’s the gulch, right behind CNN Center.  South of there, there are no Starbucks in Atlanta.  Now, I know lots of people hate Starbucks , but that’s not the point.
Many people use the presence of a Starbucks to indicate the growing consumer maturity of a community, and that no Starbucks has made it south of MLK indicates that perhaps perception is running behind or that we Atlantans are buying our own hype, but which is it? 
One would think that the AUC and Castleberry Hill neighborhood could sustain a Starbucks.  Heck, Since Oz closed their coffee house, you’d think that East Point would have recruited them.  Grant Park and East Atlanta are also without the coffee monolith of Seattle.  Either these neighborhoods are not as successful as we think they are or Starbucks is missing an opportunity. 
My guess is the latter.  East Atlantans have shown a penchant for Coffee.  Even when Sacred Grounds when bust, Joe’s coffee house took over the same space and has been there ever since, demonstrating a Market for coffee, but a neighborhood that wants the stuff more than they care where they get it. 
East Point too seems ripe for a coffee house open beyond 7 at night.  With increasing housing and education values in the suburb, it’s amazing that such a place does not enter the market. 
Perhaps this is an opening for Caribou …

Atlantic Station’s official opening may be later this week, but one thing is already clear; this is not primarily about urban improvement, it’s about money, pure and simple.
First, lets talk about some of what they did right.  Having people live on the property is great.  There are apartments, business, retail, and restaurants.  It’s truly mixed use and should be pretty lively all the time.  That’s the good part.  They’ve also set space aside for MAACC to promote culture in the city, there is a supermarket, and plenty of parking.
There are sidewalks and security.  There is even an outdoor stage for some community performances.
There is still a lot of left to do.  First, they will celebrate their grand opening with less than full capacity.  Lots of restaurants and shops have not yet been built.  Underground Atlanta has already made this mistake twice.  It’s a common Atlanta ploy.  Rather than showing the city what Atlantic Station is, the presenters will be showing what it can be.   Atlantans are getting all too accustomed to ‘It’s going to be great!’
There are also some basic structural problems.  There are no water fountains.  Crosswalks do not alert drivers that they Must Yield to pedestrians, and it’s not easy to find your way into the garages.  Also architecturally, if you like the Mall of Georgia, you’re going to love this!  Nothing daring or imaginative.  Nothing revolutionary.  Just a mall masquerading as in-town neighborhood with roads such as 17 & 1/2  street.
Just as with any mall, the chains rule the roost.  Moes, Z Gallery, Old Navy, Limited, Gap, and California Pizza Kitchen all invaded.  There are very few one of a kind stores.  Even the movie theater is a national chain.  You’d have though they could have at least recruited Lefonte.  Bookstore? No.  Concert Hall?  No.  Live theater?  No.  MARTA shelters?  No.  I am glad there is a department store, but it does not even have a bar or restaurant! 
So what should those who support a smart, well urbanized Atlanta do?  First, treat it like any other mall.  It’s new, it will be popular for a while, but a mall’s a mall and in this one, you get wet when it rains.  Second, don’t mistake Atlantic Station for downtown.  It isn’t.  There are no real civic or cultural facilities, and I’ll bet if someone tries to preach the gospel or chess hustle, they will be arrested and kicked to the curb.  Third, ask about things you’d think any in town neighborhood would have, such as a library.  Fourth, when you need mall type stuff or if you live in that neighborhood, shop there. 
Atlantic Station is not perfect and needs improvement, but it sure beats the heck out of Town Center…

Public Broadcasting Atlanta may be headed for trouble.  Recently at a meeting, one of their staffers said that pledge drives had just about capped out and that while they were still necessary evils, there was little room for growth.  The people who are going to pledge do pledge and those who won’t don’t.  Instead, PBA wants to seek more underwriting.
The problem with this strategy is that companies are seeing the demand for their marketing and charitable dollars under ever increasing strain.  According to one local culture leader, “It’s hard to ask for money when you know you have to complete with food, shelter, and clothing!”   Lisa Cremens of the Metro Atlanta Arts Fund says that many cultural groups are going to see their increases through cultivating individuals and not NGOs or comportations. 
With many governmental officials crying for cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, what are we to do?  What can be done?  I’ve an answer for you.
Want to know the true third rail of American politics?  It’s not Social Security.  It’s Sesame Street.  Threaten that and watch the wrath of Americans fall on you like Andruw Jones at batting practice.  This may be the time when we may have to point out that Big Bird is an endangered species.  Whether PBA can navigate the changes it needs to make without crashing is another story. 

Who wants to ride MARTA for free?  Sure!  We all do! 
And now, here’s how!  Go to the Inman Park- Reynoldstown Station!  Why?  Because all the fare gates are broken.  All of them.  Tokens don’t work.  Transcards don’t work.  Change does not work…. & apparently, hasn’t for days. 
The MARTA person on duty did not even take my token.  She just told me to come on through and when I offered my token, she just shook her head. 
Now, I am a big MARTA supporter.  I want the system to succeed and I think people should pay to ride it.  Having a station where all the fare gates don’t work does not help me make my case for a broader funding model.  Even if this is temporary, having people collecting the revenue in person would be a plus twice over.  It would show that MARTA is serious about making people pay and it would bring in revenue the system needs!  Two out of two ain’t bad! 

Last night’s MARTA meeting covered the proposed Beltline and C-Loop plans - the so-called Inner Core. After a lengthy, painful presentation, there was a Q&A session of sorts - during which some good questions were posed, and no real answers were given.

When one guy asked if MARTA had taken into consideration the costs of different sources of power - especially considering how natural gas is projected to skyrocket in the coming months, and of course the usual concerns about oil - when deciding on what types of rapid transit to implement, the consultants’ reaction seemed to be one of, “Hmm, we hadn’t thought of that!” I could be wrong, of course. But the question was quickly brushed aside, which I found strange, since I think it’s one of the most important issues. Seems to me that electric power is a no-brainer; it is viable over the long-term and relatively cheap to maintain once the infrastructure is put into place. One need only look at the 100-year-old New York City subway for evidence. Of course, this requires long-term thinking, and that’s an area where I’m not so confident with MARTA.

Moving on… Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s my undertanding that the Beltline Parternship is independent, but has chosen MARTA to be in charge of implementation. I’m still unclear about how this would affect fare structure; I assume (and this assumption was reinforced last night) that if things proceed as they are now, the Beltline rail will be a part of the MARTA system. However, someone asked the question last night, what if that doesn’t end up being the case? I don’t think bringing another player onto the field would necessarily be the best strategy - it would just introduce more confusion and [potentially] frustration. Would people have to pay separate fares? I know that’s how it currently works with CCT for example; but to me that’s different, since CCT is an OTP system that operates mainly in Cobb, and also serves to bring people into the city - but not transport them around once they’re here.

Having several independent systems all operating in the same city just seems like a bad idea, and one that will ultimately result in consolidation. Just look at New York (again) - there used to be the Manhattan Railway, IRT, BMT, and IND, but they were finally consolidated under the New York City Transit Authority (now MTA) in 1953.

I understand about capitalism, competition, and all that jazz - but it just seems that in such a situation, consolidation is something that’s bound to happen anyway, so why waste taxpayers’ money and time playing around with other kludgy “solutions”?

Perhaps the highlight of the night was watching a bit of vehement back-and-forth between a 90-year-old man and an 18-year-old whippersnapper; for a minute there I thought it might come to fisticuffs. I disagreed with pretty much everything the old man said (regarding cars being “the only vehicle that can get you from point A to point B”); but I’ll write more about that later, since this is long enough already.

However, I would like to point out the great irony that access to the meeting was definitely car-biased. The entrance was tucked away in the back of a parking garage. So those of us who took MARTA to the MARTA meeting wandered around like idiots for a while before a cop pointed us in the right direction.

[Cross posted, with more rambling, at Being Amber Rhea]

Don’t miss it - this is your chance to tell MARTA what you really think, and to share your ideas for how to improve mass transit in our fair city.

From this week’s Creative Loafing:

Would you like to see more comprehensive train service in Atlanta? Maybe your bus is always late? This is your chance to let MARTA know what it can do better. Beginning this week, MARTA will hold a series of meetings designed to solicit public input on the need for major investments in transit in the inner core of the Atlanta region. The first meeting will be Tues., Sept. 27. The input gathered at the meeting will be used to shape the MARTA Inner Core Alternatives Analysis, a plan that will be used as a blueprint for future public transportation improvements.

The meeting will be held at North Avenue Presbyterian Church, 607 Peachtree St., from 6-8 p.m. For more info, call 404-875-0431 or visit www.itsmarta.com.

I couldn’t find much information online about the Inner Core Alternatives Analysis - but let’s just hope MARTA actually listens to what its riders (and would-be riders) have to say, and translates those concerns into real action. I feel like there is so much potential for successful transit in Atlanta that is going unrealized because of problems like poor planning, laziness, and a general lack of getting shit together. It makes me sad, because I see how this city could set such a positive example for transit in the South.

With the whole gas freak-out, and especially in the wake of Gov. Perdue closing schools as a response (a real “WTF” moment), there couldn’t be a more opportune time to let your voice be heard. What we need is real change, not band-aid solutions and political posturing.

Hope to see some of y’all at the meeting tomorrow. I’ll be there, but I might be 20 minutes late - I’m taking MARTA.

[Cross posted in a less-edited version at Being Amber Rhea.]

The Base Closing Commission has recommended closing Fort McPherson! 
Now, assuming this happens, what will become of the land?  Clearly, Fort Mac could be one hot property. 
It’s right next to the hot suburb of the moment, East Point, and having a tract of land that large could be incredibly attractive to developers and to the state. 
One direction it could go it that for Fort McClellen in Alabama .  There, the national guard was to take over half the space and the other half was to go to civilian use.   Large parts were also slated to be a wildlife conservation area. 
Another direction this could go is to make an intense effort to make the area a manufacturing and headquarters facility.  Plants need serious infrastructure and a military base has it.  Rail access?  You got it.  Helo-pad?  You bet.  Housing for workers and visiting execs?  Already built.  Now that Hyundai has a plant in Alabama, perhaps we can court Kia to put a plant here and move it’s North American headquarters to Georgia.
Another option would be to make this a cultural park.  This is another location where you could put the NASCAR Hall of Fame and build a brand new racing track for people to use!  Add a true transportation museum, relocate Sci-trek, and build a true civil war museum, and bam!  You’ve got a great cultural campus with great access to a MARTA station.
Finally, if no one else can use it, make this affordable housing.  Hire Charles Brewer to do the development and build great homes and plans that people can afford.  Set a maximum salary range on it and you might even add incentives to sell to people who work for non-profits or people in public service.  Make it first time home owners or retirees only. 
Hopefully, the City of Atlanta, State, and Federal Government are already coordinating on how this is to be used.  Hopefully they will have public hearings, and hopefully they will not build another mall.

The East Atlanta Village is running into some problems.  There is an awful lot of vacant space.  Two years ago, there was far less.  Spaces filled up more quickly.  What has happened?  Are land lords going CBGBs on the businesses that built the area into a desirable community?   It seems that it’s not just restaurants or just clubs, but all types of businesses.  What’s scary is that it forebodes poorly both for the neighborhood and also for the idea of  responsible business enterprise.   The neighborhood has been famous for trying to create a community atmosphere and taking a diverse set of residents into consideration.  Though there has been some backlash, this part of town is one where progress was made.  Hopefully, people will seize the opportunity to put in new cool spaces and keep the neighborhood moving forward. 
There are things you can do.  There are a lot of cool places there.  One, Joe’s Coffee Shop, is displaying some artworks which outline precisely how Atlanta is become less distinct at the hands of the big boxers.  It’s both fun and provocative, and the red velvet cake is delicious.  Check it out!  Additionally, The East Atlanta Village Strut will be September 17th and it will give those who have not been in a while a chance to see what’s new including a book store! 

Longhorn Steaks closed their original location and moved to Lindbergh Center. 
You’d think this would be great!  New steakhouse right on a MARTA line, but once again stupidity overtakes our lives at an amazing rate.  Not only did Longhorn build their own building, rather than use the ample retail space already available, they took 3 Floors of the City Centre Parking Deck so that people could drive there. 
What’s the point of being on MARTA if you’re not going to encourage people to get to your restaurant by taking MARTA?
But wait!  It gets worse!  To promote their new location, Longhorn put up a billboard as close as they could.  The problem is that when you see where the billboard is located, you realize that no new construction was needed at all.  There was a perfectly good Lindbergh location available that is empty and has both parking and a kitchen.
They simply should have taken over the space previously occupied by… the Gold Club.

Bill Moyers often asks people: “What’s the big picture?”  He asks this to try to get a the major issues that define what we are to become.  Right now, Atlanta is looking at this squarely in the face.   The city mothers and fathers are working on a new branding campaign for Atlanta.  They want it to be positive and to help identify the city. 
The big question is what kind of city do we want to be?  Clearly there is not one answer, but there need not be.  All New Yorkers are not alike, and yet all of them identify with the city, its nature as the center of everything and to them, the most important place on Earth.  Be it Woody Allen or Darryl McDaniels, they share something of New York together. 
What then do Jermaine Dupri and Kathy Ashe have in common?  In what ways do they see Atlanta as the place they take pride in calling home?  There isn’t a lot to unify them and the way the city has developed has contributed to that. 
Al Ries thinks that the unifying idea should be ‘Hotlanta‘,  because people keep moving here despite traffic problems etc..  It’s a place to be.  The problem is that it says nothing about the character of the people or who we aspire to be.  Also, Kathy Ashe saying “Hotlanta!  We’re hot!” is just silly. 
Perhaps something like “Atlanta, the city where all people rise!” might work.  Though catchier language would be nice, this evokes both the idea of post civil war growth and the civil rights success.  It evokes the notion of class mobility and to entrepreneurship that will help keep Atlanta successful.  Jermaine Dupri and Kathy Ashe can both buy into that.