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Gov. Brian Kemp announced this afternoon, May 28, that while he was renewing Georgia’s public health state of emergency for a third time to July 12, he would allow bars/nightclubs to reopen, summer school to convene, and loosen restrictions on social gatherings.

Kemp said “encouraging data” on COVID-19 cases prompted his decision to allow social gatherings of 25 people beginning June 1 if they follow social distancing guidelines. The governor said this decision would, hopefully, allow for small weddings and some sporting events to be held.

Also on June 1, bars and nightclubs can reopen if they follow 39 mandatory measures to “ensure patron well-being.” Nightspots will be limited to 25 people at a time or 35 percent of their total occupancy space.

Kemp said live performance venues will remain closed for now, but that his administration is working with operators to “prepare for the future.”

School districts can hold summer school classes starting in June, but must follow a set of criteria to be released in an executive order.

As of May 31, overnight summer camps will be permitted and banquet facilities can reopen if they follow similar guidelines for restaurants. Amusement parks and water parks can reopen on June 12.

Professional and amateur sports teams can resume practice on June 1, but Kemp said there was still no date for allowing games with fans in attendance.

Kemp said the shelter-in-place order for those 65 and older and the medically fragile would continue until June 20.

The governor’s loosening of restrictions comes as the number of COVID-19 cases has risen. According to a report in the AJC,  week to week cases of COVID-19 in Georgia increased  26 percent for the seven days ending May 24.

As of the afternoon of May 28, the number of confirmed cases in Georgia topped 45,000 and the death toll stands at 1,962.

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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will testify about the impact of COVID-19 on the city before a U.S. Congressional subcommittee on Friday, May 28. According to AJC, the noon hearing will focus on the need for more healthcare equipment, testing, tracing, containment plans, and economic hardships.

Also on Friday, Vice President Mike Pence will make his second visit to Georgia in a week to attend the funeral of evangelist Ravi Zacharias and meet with small business owners impacted by COVID-19.

CVS Health has opened 23 additional COVID-19 test sites at select CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations across Georgia. A complete list of the testing sites can be found at this link.

Sharecare has entered a partnership with Augusta University and AU Health to support Gov. Brian Kemp’s efforts to bolster testing, and keep Georgians informed with localized updates and resources for COVID-19 through Well-Being Georgia. The site includes a directory of testing sites, interactive map of confirmed cases, access to AU’s telehealth service, guidance on latest local policies, and other tools to to manage personal well-being.

The post Coronavirus Update – May 28: Mayor to testify before Congress; Pence returns; CVS testing; Well-Being Georgia launches appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, new townhomes. condos, and single-family homes are in search of buyers looking to take advantage of historically low interest rates.

Two Hedgewood Homes (hedgewoodhomes.com) neighborhoods – Southerland and Summerhill – have  also seen an increase in sales. Home sizes range from two- and three-story layouts and come with an on-site professional gardener to maintain each home’s garden. With prices starting in the $400,000s, the Southerland community in Lake Claire is also close to Candler Park, Edgewood, Inman Park, and Decatur. The Summerhill development, with homes beginning in the $300,000s, is part of the redevelopment of the historic Summerhill neighborhood, with an extension of the Georgia State University campus, new homes, retails, restaurants, offices and more.

The Brightstar Team | COMPASS has three communities on the market right now – Elle at Oakhurst, The Row on Wylie, and Vernon in Ormewood Park – and are working to make viewing and buying the home as easy and safe as possible. You can take a virtual tour with an agent or get a private walk-thru depending on the community.

Currently under construction, the townhomes and single-family homes at Elle at Oakhurst (ElleAtOakhurst.com) in Decatur range in price from the $700,000s to $1 million. Several of the townhomes offer live/work options with retail on the first floor. Homes feature front porches and oversized screened-in outdoor living spaces. Spacious plans feature five bedrooms, four baths and two-car garages with kitchens adjoining to the living room with fireplace and owner’s suites with sitting rooms that open to screened porches.

Nestled between Reynoldstown and Edgewood at 1194 Wylie Street, The Row on Wylie (TheRowOnWylie.com) features five townhomes offering1,689 square feet with three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and one-car garages. Notable appointments include open-concept living areas, kitchens with 42-inch painted cabinets, quartz countertops throughout and stainless-steel Whirlpool kitchen appliances, rooftop terraces, rear balconies, hardwood floors, and dual sinks in the owner’s suite bath. There are also rooftop decks and common area greenspace. The townhomes are priced from the $400,000s.

Priced from the low $600,000s, Vernon (OwnVernon.com) is located in Ormewood Park and offers 20 homes just steps from the Atlanta BeltLine, Glenwood Park and the Memorial Drive Corridor. Homes are arranged in a horseshoe layout facing a centrally located community pocket park. The homes range in size from 1,724 to 2,433 square feet with three-to-four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths.

Kolter Urban has broken ground and started construction on Graydon Buckhead (thegraydon.com), a 22-story condo tower with 47 units. Offering views of Buckhead, Midtown, and Downtown, the project will offer two- and three-bedroom homes, ranging from just over 2,100 to 3,600 square feet, in addition to one 5,850 square-foot four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath penthouse. Pricing starts at $1.6 million.

Seven88 West Midtown (788WestMidtown.com), the tallest high-rise development in West Midtown at 22 stories, has 279 residences with resort-style, luxurious amenities and curated interiors. Each unit – with studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom options – has sweeping skyline views with floor-to-ceiling windows priced from the mid-$300,000s to $1 million-plus.

Compass Development Marketing Group and Dezhu US have announced the completion of J5 (OwnJ5.com), a luxury condominium community at the corner of Juniper and 5th Street in  Midtown. The six-story, 150-home complex offers large terraces, community spaces, pool courtyard with an outdoor kitchen, club room, garden courtyard, rooftop lounge, 24-hour security, one-story private gated parking and two boardrooms fully equipped with AV equipment to provide meeting space for homeowners who work from home. Home prices begin in the low $600s with a variety of two bedroom homes.

The post Buyer’s Market: New townhomes, condos, & single-family homes available with low interest rates appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

Central Atlanta Progress (CAP), in partnership with the City of Atlanta, has launched Atlanta Legacy Makers, an initiative to create a public artwork to commemorate former mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and Maynard Jackson.

The initiative will include a series of digital experiences, and later in-person events, designed to garner input about the artwork, which will located at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Auburn Avenue.

“The vision for this project has lived in the minds of community leaders for a long time now, and we’re excited to finally bring it to life,” said Fredalyn Frasier, Project Director of Planning and Urban Design at Central Atlanta Progress. “Honoring these two Atlanta mayors and their remarkable legacy is not just a curatorial effort. We’re looking forward to inviting the community to build this tribute project alongside us, resulting in a public archive and artwork that speak to the larger theme of a united Atlanta community.”

The idea for an artistic tribute to Mayors Allen and Jackson was born in 2018, when local developer Gene Kansas invited Gary Pomerantz, author of “Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn,” to speak at the Auburn Avenue Research Library to celebrate the opening of Constellations, a shared work space in a neighboring historic building on Auburn Avenue. During the talk, Pomerantz highlighted the significance of both Atlanta mayors in the history of Atlanta.

Inspired by the talk and feedback from guests in attendance, journalist Maria Saporta wrote an opinion piece encouraging the city to commemorate the special relationship between the mayors in the form of a sculpture at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Auburn Avenue.

In 2019, Central Atlanta Progress convened an exploratory committee, and the idea for a selection process for a new piece of public art was formalized.

Originally intended to launch as a series of events across the city, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Atlanta Legacy Makers has kicked off through a series of shared online experiences, including Atlanta Legacy Makers: The Podcast, featuring local leaders and visionaries discussing the themes and historic events featured in the book “Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn;” streaming film screenings of two documentaries with viewing guides, “Maynard” and “A Different Road;” oral history prompts for the general public to submit their own stories to the public archive; and more. Visit www.atllegacymakers.org to find links and more.

CAP will invite architecture and design firms to assemble collaborative teams of contemporary artists, landscape designers, and urbanists to submit qualifications for the public artwork, which will sit in the reimagined north side of Woodruff Park at the corner of Peachtree and Auburn.

The post Tribute to mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and Maynard Jackson will include public artwork, archive appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

The effect of the coronavirus on the US housing market at the end of Q1 and the beginning of Q2 was apparent. Although many feared that real estate would not…

Governor Brian P. Kemp announced a filming “best practices” guide for Georgia that offers guidance for Georgia’s thriving film and television industries to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 when productions resume in Georgia. The recommendations were developed in close cooperation with officials from studio and production companies who maintain a presence in Georgia, and they can be found online at the Georgia Film Office’s website here.

As future film and production planning continues, these best practices are available to anyone considering filming in Georgia while prioritizing the safety of all cast and crew. Companies may opt to use these recommendations in conjunction with industry-wide labor and management protocols as they are developed.

“We are so grateful to the hardworking people who make up and contribute to Georgia’s incredibly successful film and TV industry, and we thank them for all the ways they have given back throughout the state’s response to COVID-19,” said Governor Kemp. “The Georgia Film Office has maintained their close work with industry executives to develop these outlines for how productions can help protect cast and crew members. These best practices are offered as an addition to any industry-wide labor and management recommendations for protocol.

“Every element of what has made Georgia such a unique place for film – landscapes, production facilities, a skilled and growing workforce, with a pipeline of new labor thanks to the Georgia Film Academy and our College and Career Academies – are still in place, just as they were before this global pandemic. Last year, Georgia set a new record for film, and we will continue to work with our partners in the industry to get Georgia back on the same track that made our state the successful production center that it has been for years.”

Prior to the worldwide COVID-19 response, which brought film and television production activity to a virtual standstill worldwide, Georgia set a new record for film during fiscal year 2019. The 391 film and television productions that filmed in Georgia spent $2.9 billion in the state, supported 3,040 motion picture and television industry businesses, and delivered $9.2 billion in total wages.

“Georgia’s partnership with our film and television production industry is stronger than ever. During this global pandemic, we have maintained an open dialogue with our partners to protect Georgians working in the industry, while collaborating on best practices to bring production back and safely restart the economy. We applaud our industry partners for the ways in which they have continued to give back and support the state’s efforts to combat COVID-19,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson.

“The backbone of Georgia’s film and television industry is made up of small businesses in every corner of our state, and these businesses have helped create the environment that makes Georgia such an attractive place for productions,” Wilson added. “We will continue to help these important businesses navigate new circumstances. As we return to production across the state, there is no doubt Georgia will maintain its position as a powerhouse for film and television production.”

Georgia’s film workforce has used their talents to provide critical help and find work during the pandemic. More than 51,000 Georgians work in film and TV production, and while film projects are on short-term hiatus, many crew workers have adapted their skills to assist front line efforts. The Georgia Film Office spotlighted a few of these efforts. Support resources and assistance for industry professionals and businesses remains available on the Georgia Film Office website here.

Regardless of industry, Kemp is urging all Georgians to get tested for COVID-19. For more information on active testing sites across Georgia and how to schedule an appointment, click here.

For additional information on the impact of Georgia film in fiscal year 2019, click here.

The “State of Georgia Film and Television Production Best Practices to Reduce Contagion of COVID-19” guide is available here.

Local home builder SR Homes is pleased to announce Chris Recker as its new Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Recker is charged with managing the overall operations and resources of SR Homes.

Recker brings an impressive resume of 27 years in the homebuilding industry working for national builders such as Centex Homes and Lennar. In his most recent position with Grayhawk Homes, he served as the president of the building company.  

As Lennar Atlanta’s division president, a position he held for more than 2 years, he was responsible for profits and losses and managed all aspects of the Atlanta division. 

Recker first joined Lennar Atlanta in 2010 as director of construction, before being promoted to vice president of operations. In this capacity, he managed division activities related to construction, architecture, purchasing and customer care. Additionally, he was responsible for forward planning and keeping the division’s sales, starts and closings paced in order to meet quarterly goals.

Beginning in 1993, Recker started his career at Centex Homes in Atlanta. He holds a degree in business management from Ohio Wesleyan University and counts teamwork and relationship building as the cornerstones of his success in the homebuilding industry.

SR Homes currently has 12 active new home communities in sought-after, highly ranked school districts within Forsyth, Clarke, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall and Oconee counties. Known for designing homes for livability, SR homes are built with superior-quality materials and feature distinctive exteriors, generous interiors and thoughtful outdoor living spaces that reflect the way families and individuals live today. 

To learn more about new home opportunities from SR Homes, visit www.SRHomes.com.

MarketNsight recently announced a state of the Atlanta new home market at April’s month-end. Compared to the same four months of data in 2019, the final results of January through April 2020 are almost a wash.

“Sales from January 2020 through the first week of March 2020 were so execptional that it has compensated for the negative effects of COVID-19 (coronavirus) that we have experienced from the second week of March on,” MarketNsight Principal John Hunt said.

According to Hunt, with this update being so close to the end of April, there is a data lag in week four of the month. He is reporting the actual data with the lag, and also giving a forecast accounting for the gap.

The Big Picture

MarketNsight data shows that even with a lag in the fourth week of April 2020, new pending sales in Atlanta totaled 4,306 from January to April 2020. That compares to a total of 4,342 new pending sales in 2019 from January to April.

“That means new pending sales in Atlanta for January through April 2020 are only down 1% from last year,” Hunt said. “When the lag is accounted for, we will essentially be on par with 2019.”

New Pending Sales YTY Change with Covid-19 Georgia Cases

MarketNsight has graphed weekly coronavirus cases and the year-to-year percent change for new pending sales though the fourth week of April.

“The numbers show we appear to have found a bottom in the first week of April,” Hunt said. “With a lag, the last week of April was 24% below the same week last year.

“Accounting for the lag, the last week of April looks to be down only 9% from the same period last year. With the lag accounted for, the entire month of April in 2020 will be down 20% over April last year.”

New Pending Sales January through April 2019 versus 2020

New homes were selling well from the beginning of 2020 through the first week of March. New pending sales were up 16% year-to-year at that point. From the second week of March to the end of April (accounting for the lag), new pending sales were down 19% year-to-year.

Looking Forward

“If you read this and find yourself in a state of shock, you are not alone,” Hunt said. “Keep in mind that this is data for the entire 26-county Atlanta metro. Every submarket (for example, 305 different high school districts) and price can be experiencing this pandemic differently.

“Also bear in mind that housing and the economy were in an exceptional place when this crisis started,” Hunt said. “Unlike the 2008 recession where every player was over leveraged, overpriced and had far too many lots and spec homes, the fundamentals today are sound.”

Through February 2020, the Atlanta market experienced record job growth, population growth, household formation, in-migration, extremely low lot and home inventories and moderate price inflation, according to Hunt.

The U.S. House passed another massive spending bill on May 15 in response to COVID-19. In the unlikely event the Senate and President Trump approve it, that measure would spend another $3 trillion, including $1 trillion to aid state and local governments.

State and local governments are experiencing large drops in income and sales tax receipts, but it is premature to know how large those shortfalls will be. A Morgan Stanley analyst predicts state revenues will fall by $180 billion and localities will see drops totaling $90 billion; news outlets report Georgia’s budget might have a $5 billion gap over the next 15 months.

Small-government advocates might hope state budgets, which by law must be balanced, would have projected deficits remedied solely by budget cuts. Some cities are discussing employee furloughs to reduce spending – as is the University System of Georgia – but it is unlikely the public will tolerate budget reductions of the magnitude necessary for balanced budgets.

The focus must therefore be on how to help governments with financial hardship genuinely arising from COVID-19 while being aware of the possibility of poorly run state and local governments trying to pawn their fiscal problems onto the rest of the country. Congress must also be mindful of spending even more on top of the massive $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March.

Fortunately, there is a way to take a significant initial step toward helping struggling state and local governments without adding more the burgeoning deficit.

A notable provision of the CARES Act was Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which pays people receiving unemployment benefits an extra $600 per week through July. With the $600 federal benefit on top of ordinary state unemployment insurance payments, many laid-off workers get more money being unemployed than working or searching for new jobs.

One analysis by University of Chicago economists estimates 68% of unemployed workers are eligible for unemployment benefits greater than their lost earnings. They also calculate the median replacement rate is 134%, or more than one-third above workers’ normal pay. Georgia’s results are even more striking: The median-income unemployed resident would receive benefits equal to 154% of lost income.

People respond to incentives, even perverse ones created by government policy. During the Senate’s CARES Act debate, one senator warned, “We don’t want this piece of the bill to create an incentive for folks to stop working.” News reports attest to his prescience:

• CNBC reports a spa owner in Washington state was met with a “firestorm of hatred” by her employees for obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program loan to pay their normal wages instead of laying them off.
• NPR told of a Kentucky coffee shop that closed; employees asked to be laid off “because it would cost them literally hundreds of dollars per week to be employed.”
• Newsweek reported on a Maryland restaurant owner whose employees did not want to return to work because they make more unemployed.

Herein lies the opportunity to help states without doing long-term fiscal damage. Congress should revisit the hastily enacted $600 supplemental unemployment benefit. Ending it after May – by which time most mandatory shutdowns will have been lifted – would end the perverse incentive against working and free up significant funds for state and local governments.

Those whose jobs are cut or in danger would still have two forms of protection. One is ordinary unemployment insurance benefits, which a different provision of the CARES Act extended for an additional 13 weeks. The second is the recently expanded Paycheck Protection Program, which gives employers forgivable loans to pay their employees.

How much would this proposal help state and local governments? Eliminating the $600-a-week benefit eight weeks earlier would save $4,800 per unemployed worker. With a staggering 36 million new jobless claims in the past two months, saving $4,800 per person would allow more than $170 billion to be redirected to struggling state and local governments.

While $170 billion may not replace all state and local government revenue lost because of COVID-19, it should cover budget gaps in the current fiscal year and allow more time to better estimate ongoing economic effects. And it is more responsible now than the House approach of $1 trillion more in funding.

Just as the federal aid restricted to direct COVID-19 response “overshot the runway,” as Georgia state Rep. Terry England recently put it, the House’s $1 trillion proposal exceeds current estimates of state and local budget shortfalls.

Another large state/local bailout is likely on top of the CARES Act. This free money approach – “Just put it on the government’s credit card” – is problematic. The federal government is already on track for an astounding $4 trillion budget deficit, publicly held debt is now roughly 80% of GDP, and interest on past borrowing already consumes a significant chunk of the federal budget. Maintaining a perverse incentive against working while adding hundreds of billions of additional borrowing is not sound policy for the present or the future.

Pageviews of homes in small towns surged 105% year over year during the seven-day period ending May 1, an acceleration from the 85% gain that occurred during the week ending April 1, according to a new report from Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage. In rural counties with fewer than 10,000 people, views climbed 76%, a sizable increase from the prior year but a deceleration from the 170% rise a month before.

Meanwhile, homes in urban metro areas with at least 1 million people saw a 16% rise in pageviews during the week ending May 1. That marks a reversal from the 13% decline Redfin saw a month prior, but still represents a much slower increase than small towns and rural areas are experiencing.

“During the first month of the pandemic, interest in rural areas skyrocketed while interest in cities fell, with many urbanites dreaming of packing up and heading for the hills,” said Redfin lead economist Taylor Marr. “Some of that boost in rural areas proved to be temporary, but it appears to be more sustainable in small towns, which may be a more realistic option for those looking to work from home primarily or commute into the office once or twice a week.”

The draw to small towns and rural areas is not only evident in home-browsing habits; it’s showing up in actual sales. While pending homes sales are down across the board, less-populous areas aren’t being hit quite as hard as large cities are. Pending sales plummeted 39% in urban metro areas during the week ending May 1, compared with a drop of around just 25% in both small towns and rural areas. That gap is wider than the one Redfin saw during the week ending April 1, when urban metro areas had experienced a 28% decline in pending sales, compared with a decrease of 20% in rural areas.

While cities and remote areas are dealing with different levels of fallout fueled by the coronavirus, sales overall have shown signs of recovery. There were 40,952 homes under contract to be sold nationwide during the week ending May 1, a 35% decrease from the same period the prior year. That’s an improvement from the 41.7% drop that occurred when pending sales bottomed in mid-April.