Atlanta streetcar!!! (sales, 2013, schools)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by testa50

I agree this is a time it is best to spend the money upfront to avoid issues like building permanent ADA ramps in the sidewalk. Once we jump onboard with one technology, it would be very difficult to change it to a different technology down the road.

Absolutely.

Surely they knew that when the original proposal was made, however. I think projects are often intentionally underbid in order to make the cost seem more palatable, when everybody knows darn well that you're actually going to use a more expensive alternative.

Maybe that's just politics, although I'd personally prefer to know the realistic costs upfront.

[po-boy]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

In context though, the streetcar is being built in the oldest part of the city. I wouldn't be surprised that the sewer that does exist there is made from brickwork laid down shortly after the Civil War.

There is also the distinct possibility that the "sewer" is nothing more than brick arch built over a natural creek. A little known fact about Intown Atlanta is that shallow creeks cover most of the old city and they were used for waste removal and drinking water.

Oh yeah, I'm not questioning the cost or necessity of the sewer work, I'm just saying that seems like the kind of expense that they should have known about and included in estimates from the beginning. It isn't like all of a sudden the sewer was already there, so that particular expense should habe been considered from the beginning.

BTW, pretty cool fact about the creeks. I did not know that.

[oldschoolChevy]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

So far the best they can come up with is a street car which was most likely "influenced" by the King family to go to their venue (but seemingly not really anywhere else), and County leaders who wanted to do a light rail that would take 10 years to build to just go one stop (to Cumberland Mall). t.

And you're basing this off of what? Influence takes money. And the King family doesn't have any, that's why the King siblings embarrass themselves every few years in the news-because their broke and they fight amongst each other for scraps. Dexter King can't even pay the note on his 10 y/o old Lexus, how in the world is he going to pander to some city official to reroute a $75 million project to the King Center? Auburn Ave and Edgewood are prime real estate, all the way from downtown to Boulevard, if anyone was doing "influencing" it was some real estate developer with a long check who probably lives in Manhattan somewhere

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by cqholt

I believe the city did the right thing by getting new streetcars that will be assembled in Alpharetta. These cars will last longer and prevent the city from having to build ramps to comply with ADA. Finally the city is not half-assing something by buying new streetcars. The critics can ****. No money is being diverted from another resources. The money the city is contributing was going for repaving the street anyways.

Did not know this. Cool.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by oldschoolChevy

And you're basing this off of what? Influence takes money. And the King family doesn't have any, that's why the King siblings embarrass themselves every few years in the news-because their broke and they fight amongst each other for scraps. Dexter King can't even pay the note on his 10 y/o old Lexus, ...

I thought the King family had tons of money. They sold MLK's papers to a private buyer for $32 million a few years ago. And it wasn't that long ago that somebody (supposedly Oprah) bought a highrise condo in Buckhead for Mrs. King.

[arjay57]

Would the Atlanta Daily World building be in the streetcar route? What do y'all think about it being demolished?

It sounds complicated.

That sounds like a lousy idea that would strip the capital city of the South of even more of its black heritage? Well, yes, all of that is true. But, as often is the case, the situation is likely more complicated than it first appears.

First off, here's what we know so far: One week ago, a representative of the Integral Group, a well-connected Atlanta developer, appeared at a meeting of the city's Urban Design Commission to request permission to demolish the old Daily World building at 145 Auburn Ave. The reason given for the application was "unreasonable economic return" on the property.

The UDC deferred the matter to its March 28 meeting, a move that has effectively given time for potential opponents to mobilize.

***

Now, here's the complicated part: I'm told that the Integral rep said last week that the older building would be replaced with Georgia State University student housing.

But when I called GSU spokesperson Andrea Jones, she said, "That came as a surprise to us. We have not been in discussions over this property."

Atlanta Daily World building is latest Auburn Avenue historical site at risk | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta

[JPD]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Would the Atlanta Daily World building be in the streetcar route? What do y'all think about it being demolished?

Terrible idea, but it proves the streetcar is attracting development, which was the whole point.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JPD

Terrible idea, but it proves the streetcar is attracting development, which was the whole point.

Let's hope it turns out better than last time. To quote further from the article:

Now, that said, there's another ripple in that Integral has been down this road before. Back in 2004, the company partnered with Big Bethel AME Church to demolish an entire block of buildings in order to build a $48 million condo complex.

Well, to make a long story short, the Renaissance Walk project was built, subsidized with $4 million in public TAD funding. Then it failed. In 2009, the massive complex was foreclosed upon, its street-level storefronts still sit mostly unoccupied.

[cqholt]

Well, to make a long story short, the Renaissance Walk project was built, subsidized with $4 million in public TAD funding. Then it failed. In 2009, the massive complex was foreclosed upon, its street-level storefronts still sit mostly unoccupied.

Terrible waste of public money, but once another investor buys the property it should improve the surrounding areas. That corridor needs to cater towards students and provide housing to the 30,000 plus students of GSU.

[gt6974a]

I also think it's a complete waste of money. Don't get me wrong, it's cool, but I don't see the value or it really being used, at least on a scale to support itself, which it wont.

On the same lines of opening a new Civil Rights museum in Centennial. You'll be able to visit MLK, get on a street car, and go visit an exact copy of MLK in Centennial, it's going to be sweet.