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Citizens For Progressive Transit – July 2018 Newsletter

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Somewhere, somehow, I stumbled upon this organization and their monthly newsletter. 

Citizens For Progressive Transit

Atlanta Streetcar…their website seems to be a tad behind…I’m sharing the July, 2018 newsletter with you here, and the website has April, 2018…so the best way to keep up with them would be to subscribe to receive the newsletter. But the highlights of July are:

Marta Takes Over Atlanta Street Car –$1 Fare Continues

The Atlanta Streetcar was turned over to MARTA on July 1. But they opted to keep the $1 fare, which has been blamed for the dramatic drop in ridership. It should probably be included in your regular MARTA fare, and you could transfer to the Streetcar. 

I’ll give Atlanta credit for trying, in getting the Streetcar started. (You remember the plans called for it to run from Downtown to Buckhead on Peachtree Street, but the funding was not there, along with some lack of interest, challenges with it being on Peachtree, etc, etc.) But, to go from Centennial Olympic Park to the King Center….not much service there. 

ARC Grants to Expand Suburban Bus Service

Douglas County (that’s way out West for us In-Town folks) will get its first fixed-route bus service, and Cobb and Gwinnett will get to expand, due to new federal funding by the ARC. 

Bond Money to Go For GA 400 Bus Service

Gov. Deal announced that recently approved bonds to raise $100M will be used in North Fulton County to facilitate MARTA bus service along GA400. 

A Faster Path to Regional Rail (THIS one caught my eye big time!)

We’ve talked about regional passenger rail. And talked. And studied. And talked and studied…..but nothing. Yet North Carolina has launched a fourth daily round-trip on its state-funded Amtrak line, running from Charlotte to Raleigh. The three round trips carried 427,000 people last year. HELLO GEORGIA? It’s the 21st Century…and we can’t keep widening roads or adding cars. 

This is why I love reading the Citizens For Progressive Transit newsletter….it keeps me informed.

You can read the entire newsletter here. 

You can JOIN CFPT, and subscribe to the newsletter HERE. 

July 2018 Newsletter Citizens For Progressive Transit

 

Embassy Suites Atlantic Station Moves Forward

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Once upon a time, lodging options in the Midtown area were pretty sparse. You either went luxury or almost nothing else. Fast forward to 2018, and you have numerous hotels to choose from, and several new options on the horizon. Embassy Suites Atlantic Station will be one of those new options. 

 

Site of proposed Embassy Suites Atlantic StationEmbassy Suites Atlantic Station Moves Forward

Horizon Hospitality Management has filed a permit application with the City of Atlanta for a 10-story high rise building, next to The Atlantic Condominiums at 200 17th Street. The photo to the right shows what I think will be the location of the property, based on the renderings provided in an article at WhatnowAtlanta.com. There is a possibility the site could be next to the tennis courts that are alongside The Atlantic. 

Details mention 175 rooms taking up some 145,020 square feet and potentially a “high end steakhouse” fronting 17th Street. Hmmmm…steak. Designed by Mike Clifford of the Atlanta-based firm of LPBC, the project could break ground later this year and be ready for guests by 2020. (Remember, 2000 and we thought how is that possible, and now we are talking about 2020!!!!)

While North of the campus, this hotel would be another option for guests and parents visiting Georgia Tech.

Below is a rending of the proposed Embassy Suites Atlantic Station, as well as a couple site photos I snapped today. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one!

Currently, the only other hotel at Atlantic Station is the Twelve Hotel. 

 

Atlantic Station Embassy Suites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Embassy Suites Atlantic Station

Will Atlanta See A Regional Transit System

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That’s the billion-plus dollar question for sure….

Will Atlanta See A Regional Transit System

Atlanta needs a Regional Transit SystemIf you are fortunate enough to live in Midtown, you may get more use out of the current MARTA system than others due. If you think about it…if you live in John’s Creek for example, by the time you would drive your car to the Doraville (Or Chamblee) MARTA station, park, and then continue your commute to work via transit, you probably would get there in the same amount of time if you just stayed in your car. 

And…what if you live in Duluth, and work in the Cumberland area? Well, you’re just plain out of luck. 

I came across this article in the Saporta Report. It talks about the challenges I’ve known for a long, long time. There are to many people (in this case jurisdictions) involved to get anything done on a regional basis. The need for a TRUE regional transit authority and system is really a key to the future of Atlanta. It’s future being you don’t spend 3 hours in your car each way to work if you have to live in the suburbs. 

As Brian says in the article, ” Currently a transit line from the Cumberland Business District to Duluth would require crossing four different counties and three different transit systems. First, state funds should be prioritized for regionally-important projects that serve multiple jurisdictions. Even with these bills, the majority of transit funding will continue to come from local sales taxes, and individual counties are unlikely to prioritize projects that span multiple jurisdictions. A transit line from Cobb County to Gwinnett County is incredibly important to the region, but none of the four counties involved can build the project on their own. The ATL should ensure that sufficient funding is available for regionally-significant projects.”

And I’m not forgetting the way-out areas either. Imagine high speed rail from places like Columbus or Macon where people would have a option (and a quick one) to get to Metro Atlanta for work, without having to pay the cost of living in this city. Ah….one can dream right?

Will Atlanta see a Regional Transit System?

The article from Brian Gist, Senior Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center can be found HERE. 

Citizens For Progressive Transit January Newsletter

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Transit NewsletterWe know that transit is a major buzz word around Metro Atlanta (and the state of Georgia) these days. Sadly, city and state leaders have lagged behind in taking much action on this. But the time is now. 72% of Georgia voters want state funding to expand mass transit. 

I’ve attached a monthly newsletter from the organization Citizens for Progressive Transit. It has some GREAT articles. Like the mention of the decline of Georgia’s rural population and economy. TEN YEARS ago the GA DOT discussed regional passenger trains that would like these smaller cities to Atlanta. CAn you EVEN imagine being able to live 2 hours outside of Atlanta and ride a train into the city?

Transportation Camp South 2018

Also mentioned is Transportation Camp South which will take place February 24th at Georgia Tech. The annual event brings planners, scholars and activists together for a day of learning. You can find more information on their Facebook Page.

We plan to be there this year to keep a pulse on this important conversation for Atlanta AND Georgia.

You can find the January 2018 Citizens For Progressive Transit Newsletter HERE.

North American Properties Mark Toro

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North American Properties Mark ToroAtlanta certainly has numerous “movers and shakers” when it comes to real estate development. My good friend Scott Selig, who recently passed, is one of them. Steve Baile, also with Selig Enterprises is another. But one individual that I have always been impressed with is Mark Toro from North American Properties. 

If you’ve not seen Avalon in Alpharetta….hope in the car and go. A development that barely got started, and then the market crashed. North American Properties came in and it’s amazing what is there now. 

Come a little bit closer to “home” and North American Properties successfully repositioned Atlantic Station, and has since sold the retail development to another group. Now, Mark and his team are working to transform Colony Square into the next great Midtown place to be! 

Atlanta Magazine, in 2015, named Mark Toro as one of the “55 Most Influential Atlantans.” 

Additionally, North American Properties has been tapped to develop a mixed-used project around the Infinite Energy Center in Gwinnett County, some 30 miles from Midtown Atlanta. This is a unique public/private project, being built on land Gwinnett County owns. (The parking lots around the Arena will become garages and mixed-use buildings!

Mark is a Midtown Atlanta resident, and serves on the Midtown Alliance’s Executive Committee. 

Bisnow, a business publication recently published an interview with Mark Toro, which you can find HERE.

Thanks Mark, for all that you have done, and are doing for Midtown Atlanta and beyond!

Four Housing Predictions for 2018

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Predictions for Housing in 2018Hey, it’s a New Year, right? And with it comes all kinds of predictions. Now some of them may be personal in nature, like I predict I will make the change in my routine to get to the gym more often. 

Of course, those predictions don’t matter to you! But Four Housing Predictions for 2018 just might. 

A recent article from HousingWire cites low inventory and rising home prices along with some other factors. The four predictions are:

  • The historically tight supply of single-family homes will tighten further in 2018 after hitting a record low in November 2017
  • The national home price boom that began in mid-2012, will continue, and given the unprecedented low levels of inventory, will even accelerate further
  • First-time buyers will face even higher home price gains for entry level homes
  •  First-time buyers will continue take on even more leverage in an effort to keep up with the out-sized home price gains on entry level homes

Now first of, remember that real estate is local, local, local. So what is happening in Minneapolis may not be the same as Midtown Atlanta, nor would what’s happening in Cumming be the same as College Park. But experience does tell us that most of these are probably on track. There is a difference amongst professionals about how fast home prices will increase in the next year. Some say faster in 2018, and others say it will slow down. 

Certainly in the Atlanta market, we can cite low inventory, a low days on market, and a challenge for first-time buyers to find a condo (In Midtown/Buckhead areas) or home they can afford. Prices certainly have gone up although not as dramatic as they have been. But I have seen homes realize appreciation like this:

Housing Predictions 2018

If you are looking to buy or sell, whether in 1 month or 1 year, sit down with a real estate professional, like myself, and talk about the market, your plans, what you are looking for and be more informed as to what your options may be. Understand, things can change in a year, but at least you have some ideas. 

For the details about the Four Housing Predictions for 2018, read the rest of the article HERE

Thom Abbott

Associate Broker, REALTOR(R)
905 Juniper Street, NE Suite 110
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
770.713.1505 Direct
404.876.4901 Office

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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