High Rises in East Point?

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by KittyAtlanta

I don't agree. Although every city will need to up accommodation for seniors, that demographic is not the one on which to build a thriving area. The building being discussed is low-income and age restricted. Thriving cities need a robust tax base and this is not it.

It is a nice, attractive building built amongst run down, dilapidated or abandoned single family rentals built back in the '40s.

East Point government is koo-koo, except for Lance Rhodes (if he is still a City Councilman).

It's not really built amongst much of anything but residential and a hospital, which is not run-down or dilapidated. I suggest you get your East Point knowledge straight before making these kinds of comments.

What do you want? More dilapidated buildings so they fit in? Ridiculous. Don't you dare let a town that has had 40 years of hard luck build something nice without talking a dump on it!

[jsnakl]

East Point has a history of corrupt/incompetent government and of pissing on developers. Their new crown jewel of development downtown is a CVS, for which CVS closed two other nearby locations. As an added bonus they get those two vacant and soon-to-be-blighted buildings to increase their portfolio of vacant and blighted properties.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by KittyAtlanta

I don't agree. Although every city will need to up accommodation for seniors, that demographic is not the one on which to build a thriving area. The building being discussed is low-income and age restricted. Thriving cities need a robust tax base and this is not it.

It is a nice, attractive building built amongst run down, dilapidated or abandoned single family rentals built back in the '40s.

East Point government is koo-koo, except for Lance Rhodes (if he is still a City Councilman).

The irony of this statement is that the Councilman mentioned actually lives in the neighborhood filled with all those houses built "back in the 40s". And we have cleaned out some of our koo-koo with the last election.

As far as that particular complex goes - I don't believe it is completely low-income but it is age restricted. And the fact is that East Point actually does have a huge senior citizen community that needs accommodating - so there is still room for more higher density housing designed in such a way as to accommodate active seniors.

Personally - at least in the downtown core around the station - I would pass on high-rise. Mid-rise however would keep in tune with the kind of 1930s era trolley suburb growth of the CBD. The highest building currently in the core is about 6 stories. You could put a little higher rise back behind the Marta Station though. That wouldn't disrupt the smaller scale that currently exists. I would like it to be much denser though.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by jsnakl

East Point has a history of corrupt/incompetent government and of pissing on developers. Their new crown jewel of development downtown is a CVS, for which CVS closed two other nearby locations. As an added bonus they get those two vacant and soon-to-be-blighted buildings to increase their portfolio of vacant and blighted properties.

Actually the new crown jewel is the Walmart. lol

[KittyAtlanta]

Like I said. I don't live in EP any longer. I lived there for 35 years and watched it go from a very pleasant place to a place I didn't want to live any longer. If EP comes back during my lifetime, I'll be very happy for all who live there.

As for Jefferson Park...it ain't what it used to be. All the fringes of that neighborhood are "IFFY", IMO.

Good to see you defending your community, though. Keep it up. I'm still a landowner and taxpayer and hope that Tyler Perry can save at lease some of EP with his new project. I hear he closed on the land October 18th.

[Tryska]

May I ask what you did in your 35 years to keep it from turning bad?

I know there are a lot of older folks here that lament the change. I've only been here 5 years, but I have been working to make change happen for the last 4. Ironically the older folks are my biggest hurdle. I just can't believe the residents before me let it slip as badly as they did and I don't how know anyone could have allowed it to go that way.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by KittyAtlanta

Like I said. I don't live in EP any longer. I lived there for 35 years and watched it go from a very pleasant place to a place I didn't want to live any longer. If EP comes back during my lifetime, I'll be very happy for all who live there.

As for Jefferson Park...it ain't what it used to be. All the fringes of that neighborhood are "IFFY", IMO.

Good to see you defending your community, though. Keep it up. I'm still a landowner and taxpayer and hope that Tyler Perry can save at lease some of EP with his new project. I hear he closed on the land October 18th.

Why do you keep bringing up Brooklyn and DC in a discussion about East Point (in a private message to me for some reason)? OF COURSE there are taller building there and in just about any major city...I've traveled throughout this country and the world so you aren't sharing some great secret with me that I don't already know about skylines/skyscrapers. But this is step in the right direction for a good community with strong neighborhoods that I guess you just couldn't see. I'd like to compare some of the crappy neighborhoods in Brooklyn or DC to some in East Point and see who comes out on top because there are some REALLY bad ones in those cities.

Just because you lived here doesn't make your little negative opinion any more valid than the others here who think that East Point has potential. Come back with some facts and evidence before you make such inflammatory, lame remarks about a place. Some of us like it here and can see how much it has improved over the past 20 years, even if it has hit a slow development period that every other city in the U.S. has also experienced. You only want to talk about your 35 years there but not the present.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by Tryska

May I ask what you did in your 35 years to keep it from turning bad?

I know there are a lot of older folks here that lament the change. I've only been here 5 years, but I have been working to make change happen for the last 4. Ironically the older folks are my biggest hurdle. I just can't believe the residents before me let it slip as badly as they did and I don't how know anyone could have allowed it to go that way.

You should have seen it in the early 90s before I moved here. 100% better with a nice little downtown some great neighborhoods that really foster a sense of community. The influx of new residents over the past 20 years is a testament to the potential that many people see here.

[demonta4]

Originally Posted by Tryska

May I ask what you did in your 35 years to keep it from turning bad?

I know there are a lot of older folks here that lament the change. I've only been here 5 years, but I have been working to make change happen for the last 4. Ironically the older folks are my biggest hurdle. I just can't believe the residents before me let it slip as badly as they did and I don't how know anyone could have allowed it to go that way.

This is exactly what I always say. How can people complain about their own neighborhood, and not do anything about it. They rather run away than protect their own home.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

You should have seen it in the early 90s before I moved here. 100% better with a nice little downtown some great neighborhoods that really foster a sense of community. The influx of new residents over the past 20 years is a testament to the potential that many people see here.

What was it like in the 90s? I know my neighborhood was a nightmare and it took slow, methodical home by home renovations to change it into what it is today (and we still have few more to go). I'm curiuos what downtown was like back then.