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MEETINGS
The Atlanta City Council meets Aug.
21 at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave.
Information: citycouncil.atlantaga.gov.
The Atlanta School Board meets Aug. 7
at 2:30 p.m. fora community meeting at
6:30 p.m. at 130 Trinity Ave. Information:
atlantapublicschools.us.
Midtown Alliance
H r will host Mix-lt-Up
“■ ' Midtown socializing and
^ networking event on Aug.
10 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at
WeWork Colony Square.
Information: MidtownAtl.com
NEWS
The Atlanta City Council approved
an ordinance to enter into an
intergovernmental contract with
Invest Atlanta to secure a $26 million
Homeless Opportunity Bond. The
bond will be used to finance projects,
primarily in housing, with the goal of
making homelessness rare, brief and non
recurring in the city.
MARTA is working on
a mobile payment
system that would
allow customers to use
a smartphone to pay for
their ride on a bus or train.
The City of Decatur Public Facilities
Authority has been awarded an
$11,452,000 Clean Water State Revolving
Fund loan by the Georgia Environmental
Finance Authority. The loan will finance
the acquisition of 22.08 acres of land as
part of the United Methodist Children’s
Home land purchase of 77 total acres.
This project will permanently protect the
land for the purpose of conservation and
public recreation.
Atlanta will once again take part in the
Global Cities Initiative, a joint project
of Brookings and JPMorgan Chase to
help city-regions prioritize and execute
economic partnerships with international
counterparts. 03
Public hearing on Emory annexation set for Aug. 10
By Collin Kelley
A public hearing on Emory University’s
petition to be annexed into the City of
Atlanta will be held Aug. 10 by the Atlanta
Zoning Review Board. The meeting will be
held at City Hall starting at 6 p.m.
Emory formally filed a petition for
annexation into the city on June 27, and
DeKalb County has objected to it.
In a July 16 email to his constituents,
DeKalb County Dist. 2 Commission
Jeff Rader raised the alarm about Emory
annexing request citing concerns about
traffic, development standards and
infrastructure.
Rader said Atlanta City Council
members have no constituents in the
surrounding unincorporated
area, which is where the impact
of new growth will fall.
“If Atlanta extends MARTA
onto the Emory Campus as they
have proposed, there is likely to
be new development stimulated
by the new access, and only
a portion of the related travel
will be conveyed via MARTA,”
Rader wrote. “Local streets
like North Decatur, Clifton,
Houston Mill, Biltmore,
Lullwater, Springdale, Oakdale and Oxford
and others would all bear the burden of
increased traffic.”
Rader said he was also concerned about
Atlanta’s “more permissive development
standards and zoning policies” that might
affect properties in Druids Hills,
which is filled with historic
homes.
Rader said the city
approached DeKalb proposing
that the county continue to
provide fire protection and
emergency management
services to the annexed areas,
because Atlanta’s nearest fire
station is in Virginia-Highland.
“These matters could form the
basis of collaboration should
the annexation occur, but DeKalb has
been unsuccessful in getting Atlanta to
recognize or discuss the destabilizing impact
that such an intrusive annexation into
unincorporated DeKalb would have,” Rader
said. 03
jeff Rader
Historic Pullman Yard nominated as landmark site
By Collin Kelley
A notice of intent has been issued
to nominate the Pratt-Pullman Yard
in Kirkwood as a landmark site due to
its historic, cultural and architectural
significance. The nearly 26-acre site
was recently sold by the state for $8
million to Atomic Entertainment,
which plans to create a mixed-
use development with a focus on
filmmaking.
According to a statement from
Councilmember Natalyn Archibong’s
office, Atlanta Urban Design
Commissioner Executive Director Doug
Young initiated the nomination and
designation process on June 20 for the
property located at 225 Rogers Street, N.E.
If the commission formally nominate
the property for designation as a landmark
site then the measure will go through
the city’s regular procedure for all zoning
papers. This includes another public hearing
before the Zoning Review Board. It must
also receive a recommendation from the
Zoning Committee and final designation
action from the Atlanta City Council.
The protection will continue for a
maximum of 180 days from the date of
the notice of intent. During this period
no alterations, renovations, additions,
new construction, demolition or site work
of any kind is permitted on the property
unless approved by the Office of Design’s
Historic Preservation staff.
Commissioner Tim Keane of the
Department of City Planning said he has
spoken with Atomic Entertainment and
said the new owners will be involved in the
preservation process.
“I have spoken with the owner and
Atlanta is lucky to have them involved,”
Keane said. “We expect a very positive
collaboration with them to protect the
historic buildings and the unique qualities
of the site as they implement their plan for
development.”
“This is a giant leap forward in our
quest to preserve such a unique piece
of our city’s history,” said Archibong,
who represents this historic Kirkwood
neighborhood. “I am pleased that
a process is underway to allow for
the preservation of the buildings at
the Pratt-Pullman Yard. Some of the
buildings on this property are more
than 100 years old and today serve as
a testament to Atlanta’s railroading
history and to contributions made by
African-American workers.”
In 1904, the site began as
the home of Pratt Engineering
and Machine Company, a parts
manufacturer for sugar and fertilizer
processing plants. In 1917, the
property manufactured munitions
used by soldiers in World War I.
In 1922, Chicago-based Pullman
Company purchased the property and
turned it into a rail car repair station. It was
during a time when the site was a major
employer in Atlanta. In a segregated South,
Pullman’s Atlanta shop manager began
recruiting black workers from local porters
and car cleaners. The company became
one of the largest employers of African-
Americans in the country.
The Pratt-Pullman Yard is comprised
of 100,000 square feet of historic
buildings and sits on 25.88 acres. Atomic
Entertainment wants to create studio space
for young filmmakers and also provide an
affordable housing, retail restaurants and
office space. [13
Back To School
Kids start hitting the books again this month
Local school systems will resume classes for
the 2017-2018 academic year this month.
Here are some helpful dates and information
for those who have kids heading back to
school.
Atlanta Public Schools
The new school year kicks off with a new,
even earlier start date: Tuesday, Aug. 1. For
those already thinking about vacations, the
Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 20-24;
winter break is Dec. 25 (last day of class is
Friday, Dec. 22) until Jan. 8; spring break
is April 2-6 and the last day of school will
be May 25. For more information, visit
atlantapublicschools. us.
City Schools of Decatur
Decatur’s public schools will also resume on
Tuesday, Aug. 1, and the system will follow
APS’s break schedule as above. For more
information, visit csdecatur.net.
Fulton County Schools
The 2017-2018 school year starts on
Monday, Aug. 7, for thousands of children
in Fulton County. There will be a projected
enrollment of approximately 96,500
students — an expected increase of about 800
students from the previous school year. The
Thanksgiving holiday is Nov. 20-24; winter
break is Dec. 22 to Jan. 8; spring break is
April 2-6; and last day of class is May 24.
For more information, visit fultonschools.
org.
DeKalb County Schools
DeKalb public schools are also back
in session on Monday, Aug. 7, with an
enrollment projected at more than 100,000.
Thanksgiving break is Nov. 20-24; winter
break is Dec. 22-Jan. 4; spring break is April
2-6; and the last day of class is May 24. For
more information, visit DeKalbSchoolsGA.
org. 03
8 August 2017 | 03
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