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JUNE 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net Community | 15 said the city’s study of congestion pricing came up during his recent “summit” with leaders of the Midtown Alliance and Cen tral Atlanta Progress, and their reaction was negative, with one suggestion that it might be unconstitutional. “I don’t think it’s doable. I don’t think it’s practical. I don’t think [that] when they think it through they’ll recommend it,” Massell said of the city study. “I re spect the effort to reduce traffic” and that many commuters come from Cobb, he added, but at the same time, “It’s a labor force. They work here.” Transit improvements In a presentation on commuter-ori ented transit, Patterson noted that Buck- head already had some great assets, in cluding two MARTA rail stations, and more on the way, such as bus routes, the Clifton Corridor light rail to the Emory University area and possibly a rail exten sion to Gwinnett County. “Most parts of Atlanta would love to have our transit in frastructure,” he said. The missing bit is a connection to Cobb. Commuter buses currently run from Cobb to Downtown and Midtown MARTA stations, but none go directly to Buckhead, which Patterson called “com pletely crazy.” Among the items he and Norwood dis cussed with Cobb officials was routing a proposed new bus rapid transit line - meaning large-capacity buses use some type of dedicated lane - proposed on Cobb Parkway so that it would come to Lindbergh Center Station. Norwood revived talk of a Buckhead subway line last year. At the meeting, Nor wood cited the idea of using airport funds to help pay for it, citing the precedent of New York City’s AirTrain to John E Ken nedy International Airport. She heard that idea from Ferdinand Levy, a retired Georgia Tech economics professor and Buckhead resident who says he helped to propose that funding mechanism while working as an airport consultant. Affordable housing Housing relates directly to Buclchead’s traffic congestion because people who work in the neighborhood but can’t af ford to live there have to come from else where, often by private vehicle. More affordable housing could mean more peo ple commuting within the neighborhood rather than through it, or even walking to work. The BCN is tallying the numbers of apartments, condos and townhomes in the neighborhood, and suggesting some could be made affordable to local work ers via developer tax incentives and pre ferred-renter deals where landlords give breaks to employees of certain local em ployers. The BCN effort largely echoes an af fordable housing study underway by the Buckhead Community Improvement District and Livable Buckhead, though with more of an anti-development spin in its presentation. That BCID and Liv able Buckhead effort came out of a mas ter plan’s findings that, as of 2016, 98% of Buckhead employees commuted there from outside. Housing capacity was found to be a major issue, with 10 times more jobs than households in the neigh borhood, and while many units are be ing built, most are luxury projects un affordable to the roughly 40% of area employees who make less than $50,000 a year. The executive directors of the BCID and Livable Buckhead attended the BCN meeting, but did not speak. Sam Leneaus, a real estate agent work ing on the BCN housing issues, said he counted 58,274 existing “attached” units (meaning two or more in one building) in Buckhead, with 2,702 units under con struction and another 3,069 proposed. He suggested the data is an argument against approving more multifamily housing out of concern it would cause traffic. Instead, the idea is to make some of those existing units affordable to local workers through the incentive programs. “We’re not suggesting Section 8 housing,” Leneaus added, referring to federally sub sidized public housing. One resident was concerned that apartment buildings lower local property values, while Kim Shorter, a board mem ber of NPU-B, asked, “Are we sure we have an affordable housing problem in Buck- head?” and suggested that some people simply choose a “Cobb County lifestyle” instead of a “Buckhead lifestyle.” Norwood said that affordable housing is a major city government issue and that Buckhead has to do its part. The current method of offering developers density bo nuses for a “tiny piece that is affordable” isn’t working, she said. “The beauty of this is, it’s not a mandate at all. It’s an opportu nity,” she said. Private traffic plans A review of privately funded traffic improvement plans was another meeting topic. It ranged from the massive North Buckhead Neighborhood Master Plan, completed in 2015 at a cost of $25,000, to a new effort in Tuxedo Park that could cost up to $40,000. One audience member said she’s new to Atlanta and did not understand why citizens had to privately commission traf fic studies. “It seems like we just need to ask the city to do its job better,” she said, drawing knowing laughter from the crowd. Norwood said one reason for the dis cussion was the BCN might help coordi nate and fund such studies, including on a large scale. “But as far as getting the city to do its job, that is really aspirational,” Norwood said. Mentioning that she is a former elect ed official, but not that she lost the 2017 mayoral election to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Norwood added that she hasn’t seen a change in the city’s willingness to do such studies itself in the past 18 months. “The reality is, there are oth er parts of the city that get huge studies done,” but Buckhead doesn’t get them, she said. Contact us at: 404.601.1250 or visit: 2060 Mt. Paran Rd, NW Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30327 Cornerstone Bank of Buckhead MEMBER FDIC www.Cornerstone.bank New account must be opened with funds not currently held by Cornerstone Bank. The minimum balance to open a Premier Money Market Account is $1,000.00. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is valid as^May 2, 2019. Call (404) 601-1250 or visit our website for our current rates. APYs and interest rates are variable and simnd: to change at any time. Interest is compounded daily and credited at each monthly statement cycle. The Premier Morey Market Account is only available for accounts opened with an address in Georgia. Additional terms and fees may apply. Fees charged may reduce earnings. Withdrawals from money market accounts are governed by federal law, if they are exceeded, the account could be reclassified as described in your account documents. Accounts subject to approval, availability and restrictions.