Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 At-large, met with the Council for Quality Growth’s Atlanta Advisory Committee this Wednesday to discuss current issues affecting the city. Among several topic areas, the Councilman highlighted the possible options for distribution of funds that are primarily accumulated from the city’s many Tax Allocation Districts (TADs). Two of the main points Councilman Bond addressed were current possible transit opportunities around Atlanta and the redevelopment of areas such as the west side of the city.
After the economic downturn, there has been a resurgence of development, and the City is now faced with the question of available resources and funds to handle this resurgence. Councilman Bonds supports the proposition of a split-penny sales tax – something the Council for Quality Growth also supports – in order to reallocate funds that aren’t being utilized to their full potential to other projects where the funds can have a greater impact. An example of a project that Councilman Bonds advocates is the development of light rail along the beltline. For this to happen, says Bond, we need to have a collaborative approach in development and in politics. Bond also mentioned that other cities, such as Dallas, are experiencing huge amounts of development because of their investment in infrastructure and transportation. If Atlanta doesn’t keep up with this investment in our transportation network, we will lose out on potential businesses and conferences to cities like Charlotte, which are making the necessary investments in transportation. The City’s infrastructure needs to keep up with the changing demands and transportation is now seen as a vital part of that infrastructure.
Councilman Bond also discussed the prospect of redevelopment on the west side in relation to the BeltLine, specifically looking at the Bellwood Quarry and the surrounding area that is expected to become a park even larger than Piedmont Park. There is also a lot of land prime for development in that area. Finally, Councilman Bond talked about potential that he sees to create even more parks throughout the city through cooperation between the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta school system.
Members are encouraged to attend the Advisory Committee Meetings in order to get the full conversation and provide input.