Brickbat: A Change in Plans

Fifteen years ago, the City of Atlanta acquired a long-term lease to the site of the former Bellwood Quarry and began plans for a 280-acre park. Westside Park, which is scheduled to open next year, was supposed to spur economic growth in the lower-income areas around the park. And Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appears to fear it is doing exactly that. Bottoms has imposed a 180-day moratorium on new development around the park, citing fears of gentrification. "A key pillar to the administration's comprehensive affordable housing plan is ensuring long-term residents are not priced out of the neighborhoods they have built," said Bottoms. "We know that every permit triggers some form of change in these communities, and it is of the utmost importance that development is carried out in a deliberate, fair and thoughtful manner."

Comments

[Adans smith]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[loki]

I thought tops were supposed to do the screwing, not Bottoms.

[Velvet Thunder]

Maybe she's a power bottom.

[Jerryskids]

Well, it's why poor people can't have nice things, at any rate. You start giving poor people nice things and, next thing you know, they're no longer poor and then what are you going to do for a job when your job is helping poor people? Imagine the horror of a world without poor people and no need for government services.

[VenerableLurker]

Worse, what if there were no longer enough poor to comprise a large voting block beholden to government largess?

[jennypeck]

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[squid_hunt]

Nothing really changes...Anyone can see....Nothing every changes...Nothing really changes...to meeeeeeee…..

[Adans smith]

Cha Cha Cha Changes

[Inigo Montoya]

“Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Don’t want to be a richer man”

From the actual lyrics. Pretty appropriate.

[IceTrey]

So she's screwing poor people whose property has doubled in value.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Perhaps she see landlords everywhere.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

Hence 'Lance Bottoms'?

[Kevin Smith]

Its going to halve again as long as no one is allowed to develop it

[Inigo Montoya]

“Ensuring long-term residents are not priced out of neighborhoods they have built.”

YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT

[Longtobefree]

Thank God this democrat was able to keep this fifteen year (?) project from accomplishing its goals. Without her timely intervention, this might have turned into a successful government project.

[Radioactive]

successful government project? what the fuck is that, some sort of unicorn shit?

[ElvisIsReal]

Don't worry, I'm sure it was 7 times over budget and originally a 5-year project.

[loveconstitution1789]

Georgians are just glad that Atlanta politics don't control state politics.

[Cyto]

Yeah, this isn't really a brickbat with Atlanta... this is par for the course.

Everything Atlanta is about making sure that the "right people" make the money. All of the Airport contracts have to go to the "right people", when they built the Olympic stadium they had to ensure that the local residents still were able to make their side bits of cash (which probably explains the Braves leaving so soon... sorry! ), city contracts have to go to the "Right People"....

So what do you get? A city filled with companies that either bring in a black partner or black-owned companies that are only shells to get contracts and sub them out.....

When I lived in DeKalb we hired a manager to collect back property taxes.... but when he began sending notices to the southern half of the county he was fired, because that's racist. Only the white half of the county was required to pay property taxes.

It is the city to busy to hate... but certainly no too busy to exploit racial politics to steer cash to cronies. And a part of that culture involves things like having tents on the sidewalks during the Olympics so that local residents can sell counterfeit goods and make their slice of the pie. Or holding up development in the name of fighting gentrification (until the "right people" are brought in to the deal).

[10percenter]

Interesting note: The quarry in question was used as the set for the first season of The Walking Dead.

[Robert]

So what's the solution? Cut existing tenants in on the increase in property value?