Latest news with #MovingAtlantaForward
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlanta City Council greenlights ‘The Stitch' to transform Downtown Connector
The Brief The Atlanta City Council has approved "The Stitch" project, aiming to reconnect communities divided by the Interstate 75/85 corridor with a park over the Downtown Connector. The project has secured approximately $200 million in funding, but the total cost is estimated to be between $550 million and $800 million, with plans to leverage additional funding through bonds and other financing mechanisms. Phase 1 of "The Stitch" is expected to begin in 2026, with the full project anticipated to be completed by 2030. ATLANTA - The Atlanta City Council has voted to move forward on "The Stitch" project, which is expected to make huge changes in the heart of the city. The ambitious project will put a park over the Downtown Connector, re-stitching several communities together, which were long divided by the Interstate 75/85 corridor. What we know The Council passed several key ordinances to get "The Stitch" underway. The first establishes an ad valorem tax levy on properties located within the new Atlanta Stitch Special Services District to help fund construction, operation, and maintenance of the project. The second authorizes the city of Atlanta, the Atlanta Development Authority (doing business as Invest Atlanta), the Atlanta Urban Redevelopment Agency (AURA), and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) to implement the project. It also allows the execution of intergovernmental agreements necessary for financing. The final ordinance formally creates the Stitch Special Services District and defines its geographic boundaries. The ordinances take immediate effect. The backstory The Stitch project is expected to cover a portion of the Downtown Connector between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue, uniting the two sides of downtown with a 14-acre series of interconnected parks, plazas, walking trails, and new streets. City leaders say the project will help spur new land uses on nearby properties currently underused or blighted due to proximity to the interstate. The project will physically reconnect the city and generate significant economic development opportunities. By the numbers The project's preliminary engineering has already secured roughly $200 million in funding, including $157.6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. Local contributions include $10 million from the Eastside Tax Allocation District (TAD), $10 million from ADID, and $9.7 million from the City's Moving Atlanta Forward bond funds. However, completing the Stitch project is expected to cost between $550 million and $800 million. City officials plan to leverage additional funding through bonds, notes, and other financing mechanisms approved in coordination with AURA and ADID. Under the ordinance, AURA may issue up to $250 million in bonds with a maximum interest rate of 9 percent and a term not exceeding 30 years. What's next The city will ask the Georgia Department of Transportation to complete the project and maintain its infrastructure once built. An exact timeline of the project has not been given, but Phase 1 is expected to begin in 2026 with the full project being completed by 2030. What you can do More information about The Stitch project and the proposed master plan can be found at SEE ALSO: City Council seeks federal funding for Downtown Atlanta's 'The Stitch' project Plans continue moving forward for The Stitch park over Atlanta's Downtown Connector The Source This article is based on proceedings made during the Atlanta City Council meeting on Monday, April 21, 2025. City records were also used for this article. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports were also used.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ATLDOT making slow progress on Moving Atlanta Forward initiative, audit finds
ATLANTA - A recent audit shows the Atlanta Department of Transportation is moving at a snail's pace when it comes to completing projects for the Moving Atlanta Forward initiative. What they're saying "If you're in a wheelchair, you'd struggle to get through these sections. More broken sidewalks that we see here," said Jeremiah Jones from Propel ATL as he showed FOX 5 the disrepair on sidewalks along West Lake Avenue. "This is a hazard in and of itself, even walking, if you're not paying attention you'll trip on that ... then we have this missing section of the sidewalk," he continued. He says this sidewalk is supposedly one of the Atlanta Department of Transportation's priorities. "Westlake Ave ranks No. 1 on Atlanta DOT's list for most needed improvements for sidewalks," Jones said. "And we have yet to get any of those sidewalks replaced, repaired, or fixed." What we know An audit by the Atlanta City Auditor's Office shows Atlanta DOT is moving extremely slowly when it comes to the Moving Atlanta Forward initiative funded by a voter-approved T-SPLOST in 2022. It is meant to make major sidewalk repairs to streets like West Lake Avenue, among a slew of other improvement projects. The audit shows the city has spent only 10% of the project's more than $600 million in the past three years. "It's disturbing to see that we've only spent 10% of our taxpayers' dollars and that 10% that's being spent is being spent in the most affluent areas of the city," Jones said. The audit showed that "the districts with the least spending have higher poverty levels." The audit also shows project managers are overloaded, with seven project manager roles still vacant. "We don't have enough project managers at the city, we have a shortage," Jones said. The other side FOX 5 asked Atlanta city leaders for an interview about the lack of progress and other issues. Instead, they pointed us to an Atlanta Transportation Committee meeting recorded on Jan. 29. In this meeting, Atlanta's Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks addressed the audit findings and promised to follow its recommendations. "We accepted all the recommendations, while we partially accepted recommendation No. 6," Burks said. At that meeting, some City Council members expressed frustration at Atlanta DOT's lack of progress. "It's the most demoralizing aspect of this job," said Councilmember Amir Farokhi. Burks explained how they plan to follow the audit's recommendations, like hiring key positions they currently lack. "We are close to identifying who will report directly to me, and they will serve as the coordinator for Moving Atlanta Forward," Burks said. She said they've also hired two outside consulting firms to help them get projects back on track. The Source Information for this story came from an audit done by the Atlanta City Auditor's Office, Propel ATL and a Jan. 29, 2025 meeting of the Atlanta City Council's Transportation Committee.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Where is the money going to help ‘Atlanta Move Forward?' Here's what we found
Atlanta council members grilled the Atlanta DOT after an audit showed some concerning findings about a major infrastructure package. In May 2022, Atlanta voters approved a set of ballot measures to make big investments in the city's infrastructure. But only a fraction of that has been spent, according to a report by the city auditor. 'The sentiments that went through me were anger, embarrassment, but then, more importantly, a feeling of defeat,' Councilman Alex Wan said. Councilmembers expressed frustration and concern at a meeting Wednesday that the Moving Atlanta Forward Plan may seem to be falling behind. 'This is a city of Atlanta problem that has stretched on for decades,' Councilman Amir Farokhi said. Councilmembers brought up 'Renew Atlanta,' which was an infrastructure package from 2015 that ran behind schedule. Voters approved the Move Atlanta Forward proposal back in 2022. Atlanta officials said at the time that the measures approved by voters included two bonds and a special sales tax renewal, greenlighting a $750 million funding effort for transportation, recreation, public safety, and the arts. TRENDING STORIES: Truck spills piles of 'undeliverable' mail on side of I-285 in Cobb County DoorDash driver vanishes after making delivery in Clayton County Man who refills vending machines at GA high school accused of using AI to create nude images of kids Funds were split between a $400 million infrastructure bond and a $350 million TSPLOST extension, effectively a $0.04 tax on every $10 purchase for retail transactions in Atlanta, according to city officials. Now, the Atlanta City Auditor's Office reports less than 10% has been spent. The auditor's report found that 'as of August 2024, $47 million had been spent on Moving Atlanta Forward projects, less than 10% of project funds.' The Atlanta Department of Transportation says they have spent more money since then. However, the dashboard shows the program has since paid $69 million on projects, or 9.3% of the approved funds. In their examination of the funding package, the auditor's office found that projects were slow to progress and that districts with the least amount of spending had higher poverty levels than the others. 'That was eye-opening but not shocking,' Councilman Antonio Lewis said. The Atlanta Department of Transportation says some projects have not made it to construction because they are more complex than others and need additional community input. The mayor's office indicated weather may have caused some delays, and emergency repairs forced some projects to be prioritized over others. The report also found that there was not a central oversight mechanism, and having one 'may improve consistency across the three project delivery departments.' Those departments are Transportation, Enterprise Asset Management, and Parks and Recreation. Due to the audit's findings, the office made several recommendations to help the programs get back on track, for oversight, spending tracking, and overall project management. According to the audit's highlights, the recommendations were either agreed to or partially agreed to, with completion dates set for June 2025 at the latest. However, Council members expressed apprehension about if the projects would be completed. 'I've heard from a number of constituents that they are giving up, we are just giving up that we are actually going to get these projects,' Wan said.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlanta voters approved $750M in infrastructure improvement spending, audit says less than 10% used
In May 2022, Atlanta voters approved a set of ballot measures to make big investments in the city's infrastructure. But only a fraction of that has been spent, according to a report by the city auditor. Atlanta officials said at the time that the measures approved by voters included two bonds and a special sales tax renewal, greenlighting a $750 million funding effort for transportation, recreation, public safety and the arts. Funds were split between a $400 million infrastructure bond and a $350 million TSPLOST extension, effectively a $0.04 tax on every $10 purchase for retail transactions in Atlanta, according to city officials. Officials said those needs included sidewalks, streets, parks, recreation centers and public safety facilities, with funding to be spent over five years. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Goals for the program were 'built on four pillars,' including: One Safe City A City of Opportunity for All A City Built for the Future Effective & Ethical Government Now, the Atlanta City Auditor's Office reports less than 10% has been spent. TRENDING STORIES: Tin Roof Cantina to close after nearly 20 years of business in DeKalb County 1 hospitalized after falling into elevator shaft, becoming pinned inside Alpharetta preschool's license revoked after 1-year-old boy choked on a piece of mango, died The auditor's report found that 'as of August 2024, $47 million had been spent on Moving Atlanta Forward projects, less than 10% of project funds.' In their examination of the funding package, the auditor's office found that projects were slow to progress and that districts with the least amount of spending had higher poverty levels than the others. The report also found that there was not a central oversight mechanism, and having one 'may improve consistency across the three project delivery departments.' Those departments are Transportation, Enterprise Asset Management and Parks and Recreation. Due to the audit's findings, the office made several recommendations to help the programs get back on track, for oversight, spending tracking and overall project management. According to the audit's highlights, the recommendations were either agreed to or partially agreed to, with completion dates set for June 2025 at the latest. Channel 2 Action News reached out to the mayor's office for comment on the audit's findings and was directed to the city auditor's office. We have reached out to them for additional comment. A full list of the projects approved in 2022 by the Atlanta City Council can be found here. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
