Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN’s Chris Cuomo tonight that she wasn’t consulted by Gov. Brian Kemp before he announced that businesses would begin reopening on Friday, April 24.
“When I look at the data, I see our [COVID-19} numbers are going up,” Bottoms said. “The death rate is up 14 percent, positives up 7 percent. We’re not testing for asymptomatic.”
Just hours after Kemp announced that businesses like gyms, nail shops, hair salons and bowling alleys, could start reopening on Friday, the Georgia Department of Public Health released the latest COVID-19 statistics for the state showing that 42 more people have died just since noon today bringing the death toll to 775. The total number of confirmed cases now sits at 19,399. These figures appear to fly in the face of Kemp’s comment that “favorable data” prompted his decision to allow businesses to start reopening.
“I’m perplexed that we’re opening up this way,” Bottoms said. “I don’t see what the data is based on that’s logical.”
Bottoms said she spoke to the mayor of Augusta, the state’s second most populace city, who was also not consulted by Kemp. However, Kemp’s order is absolute and cannot be countermanded by cities or counties.
“My mother ran a beauty salon, so I understand the economic pull of this, but you have to live to be able to fight another day,” the mayor said. “If we’re not alive on the other side, there won’t be a recovery to be had. How do you get a haircut and stay a safe distance from someone cutting your bangs?”
Bottoms said has issued an administrative order directing the City’s Chief Operating Officer to convene an advisory council on the measures needed and steps to be taken in order to end the mayor’s Stay at Home Order when that time is appropriate. The advisory council will include representatives from MARTA, Atlanta Public Schools, Grady Hospital, Emory University, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and representatives from restaurants, retail, arts and culture community, the film industry and faith community among others.
The historic City Hall in Griffin, Women’s Comfort Station at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Historic Mule Barn and Dundee Café on the University of Georgia Griffin campus, the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama painting at the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, the Randolph-Lucas-Jones House in Atlanta, Halston Pitman of Atlanta, and Connor McKell Bingham of Atlanta received statewide preservation awards from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
Marguerite Williams Award The historic City Hall in Griffin received the Marguerite Williams Award. The highest honor given by the Trust, this award is presented annually to the project that has had the greatest impact on preservation in the state. Griffin’s historic City Hall was designed by Atlanta architect Haralson Bleckley and completed in 1910.
Excellence in Rehabilitation Awards The Women’s Comfort Station at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur and Historic Mule Barn and Dundee Café in Griffin received awards for Excellence in Rehabilitation, which recognizes projects that make compatible use of a building through repair, alterations or additions while preserving features of the property that convey its historic value. This year the Trust presented fourteen Excellence in Rehabilitation awards.
Excellence in Preservation Awards The Randolph-Lucas-Jones House in Atlanta received an award for Excellence in Preservation, which recognizes projects that provide the appropriate preservation of historic resources and creative interpretations of historic sites. This year the Trust presented one Excellence in Preservation award. Designed by P. Thornton Mayre in 1924, the Randolph-Lucas-Jones House was built for Hollins Nicholas Randolph, an Atlanta attorney and businessman, and the great-great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson. Originally located at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Lindbergh Avenue, the house was saved from demolition and moved to the Ansley Park neighborhood. The current owners Roger Smith and the late Christopher M. Jones began a comprehensive rehabilitation in 2014. Jones, who passed away in 2019, was a well-known Atlanta preservation advocate.
Excellence in Restoration Awards The Atlanta History Center received an award for Excellence in Restoration for the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama painting restoration. The painting, a 360-degree oil-on-canvas depiction of the Battle of Atlanta during the Civil War, was completed in 1886 and was formerly on display in Grant Park. A team of art conservators examined and prepared the painting for the move. It was then rolled onto two scrolls and moved by cranes and flatbed semi-trailers using a skilled team of riggers and truckers to the new Lloyd and Mary Ann Whitaker Cyclorama Building at the Atlanta History Center. Many months of conservation and restoration work followed, and the conserved painting and its restored diorama opened to the public in February 2019.
Camille W. Yow Award Halston Pitman of Atlanta received the Camille W. Yow Volunteer of the Year Award. Since 1978, The Georgia Trust has recognized a volunteer of the year with the Camille W. Yow Award, named after the long-time volunteer who was the first award recipient. Pitman is a professional photographer who has been generously giving his time, talent and skills to The Georgia Trust for the last 10 years. Since 2010, Halston has volunteered to photograph the Trust’s annual list of 10 Places in Peril. His professional, high-quality images are shared with media throughout the Southeast, bringing much-needed attention to these endangered places. A Georgia native, Halston enjoys visiting historic buildings and going inside some of the state’s most forgotten places. When he’s not volunteering for the Trust, Halston is travelling around the country taking photos of high-speed racing events for his company, MotorSportMedia.
J. Neel Reid Prize The Georgia Trust awarded Connor McKell Bingham, a senior intern and associate at Historical Concepts Architecture and Planning in Atlanta, with the J. Neel Reid Prize to support travel in America, France and Italy.
To learn more about The Georgia Trust and the Preservation Awards, visit www.georgiatrust.org.
The Atlanta Police Department has released surveillance video of a woman whose dog jumped on and bit a woman on the Atlanta BeltLine in Buckhead.
Police say the victim, who is a Buckhead resident in her 30s, and the suspect were each walking their dogs April 2 around 5 p.m. on the BeltLine near the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center at 2125 Northside Drive. According to the police report, the suspect’s dog broke free of its leash and ran toward the victim. The victim said she “picked up her dog and turned her shoulder facing the charging canine,” according to the police report. The attacking dog jumped and bit the victim on the upper arm, causing a serious wound that required surgery, according to APD.
The suspect pulled her dog off of the victim. While several witnesses aided the victim, according to the report, the suspect said she would secure the dog, then left the area without returning.
APD released surveillance video and still images showing the suspect in a parking deck, apparently the one under the Bitsy Grant courts. The dog is described as a silver “pit bull” and the suspect as a heavy-set black woman in her 40s or 50s. The suspect was driving a white BMW car with an Ohio license plate with the number HLM8829 and a front novelty plate reading “535 BMW.”
The Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line offers a reward of up to $2,000 for the arrest and indictment of a suspect. Anyone with information about the incident can call 404-577-8477 or see the Crime Stoppers website here.
The Brightstar Team | COMPASS announces The Row on Wylie is now open for tours (virtual and in-person) and immediate closings. The five townhomes, built by Foyer Urban Builders, are priced from the mid-$400,000s.
Nestled between Reynoldstown and Edgewood at 1194 Wylie Street, the townhomes offer 1,689 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 community boasts a Walk Score of 78 and StudioPlex Alley, Krog Street Market, Edgewood Retail District and Pratt-Pullman Yard are all within walking distance.
To schedule a virtual or in-person tour, contact Dave Toole at (770) 296-8528 or visit TheRowOnWylie.com.
After weeks of complaints and concerns about the number of people using the Atlanta BeltLine trails during the COVID-19 outbreak, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced new usage guidelines during a morning conference call with the Atlanta City Council.
Bottoms said usage of the trails had dropped significantly, but the temporary guidelines would help to insure more social distancing.
From 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., the trails will be limited for use by older adults and those with compromised immune systems who need a place to exercise. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the trails are being designated for those who don’t have access to other trails for exercise or transportation. After 2 p.m., Bottoms said the trails would be limited to work travel and emergency needs only.
There were no details on how these new guidelines would be enforced by police.
In other updates, Bottoms said that overall crime had dropped 13 percent in the city during the outbreak, but there has been an uptick in commercial burglaries due to many businesses being closed.
Bottoms said basketball goals and volleyball nets were being removed from city parks to stop gatherings.
Hazard pay for city workers will be extended through June 30 and backdated to March 11.
Rent relief will be offered for seniors, families, and other residents who live in Atlanta Housing-owned or subsidized units and have lost income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes Housing Choice Voucher Program participants. Residents suffering a loss of income due to COVID-19 can certify their current income and upon approval, receive a rent reduction, up to 100 percent of the contract rent, for two months, covering the months of April and May 2020, with AH making payment directly to the property owner or management company.
Despite the uncertainty due to COVID-19, Rubenstein Partners is moving forward with its redevelopment strategy for Lindbergh City Center, the 47-acre mixed-use development surrounding the Lindbergh Center MARTA station in Buckhead.
Since acquiring the property in September, Rubenstein and investment firm Monarch Alternative Capital LP have enlisted Cushman & Wakefield, Revel, ASD|SKY and Gensler to assist with the redevelopment vision of the nearly 20-year-old property.
Plans involve redesigning the building exteriors to create varied heights and layers; reconfiguring the retail footprint; recruiting a tenant mix of local retailers, art galleries and restaurants; and attracting more office tenants. Open spaces throughout the property will get new furniture, lighting and event programming. Rubenstein also recently hired new property operations vendors, including a private 24-hour security team.
With AT&T’s relocation, more than 1 million square feet of office space will come online this year. Global design and architecture firm Gensler is leading the interior redesign of the unique 35,000-square-foot office atrium, which will be modernized for today’s workforce and include a coffee and wine bar, game room, and a mix of alternative work spaces. That atrium will connect directly to over 80,000 square feet of retail on a reimagined main street.
“While there is much uncertainty in today’s marketplace due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are confident in our plans to redevelop Lindbergh City Center into a hub for global experiences with the best connectivity in Atlanta,” said Taylor Smith, Regional Director of the Southeast at Rubenstein. “We are investing in public spaces and the design of our buildings, partnering with local organizations, artists and small businesses to host community activations later this year, and re-merchandising the tenant mix to create a unique retail and dining experience that caters to all of Atlanta through the MARTA system and the great neighborhoods around us.”
The Georgia Department of Public Health says there are now 2,683 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) with 83 deaths in the state. While those numbers were being announced, President Trump extended social distancing guidelines for another month until April 30.
The White House has approved Georgia’s disaster declaration to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, the White House said federal funds are available to the state as well as eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures. Kemp said in a statement that the declaration will enable the state to continue partnering with federal agencies in a coordinated fight against this pandemic.
Atlanta BeltLine CEO Clyde Higgs told Curbed Atlanta that he is discouraging “casual use” of the BeltLine trails. “This is a place for people that need to get to a medical facility, for supplies or services, for groceries, to get to a job. So we consider that as essential use. That’s our mindset. At the same time, we’re really pushing the tenets of social and physical distancing. We’re really trying to push that message out.” With warmer weather and sunny says, the BeltLine has been packed with people not observing the “social distancing” recommendation to stop the spread of COVID-19. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms did not ban people from public parks or the BeltLine in her recent stay-at-home order.
Are you a new real estate agent starting a career in 2020? Looking for some digital marketing tips and advice to help you grow your brand? If so, this article is for you! Below, I provided some actionable marketing advice for new real estate agents in 2020. You can use one or two of these […]
Looking for a new real estate PR strategy to increase your exposure in 2020? Try pitching your best content to local newspapers and media. In a previous article, I provided a list of low-cost digital marketing strategies for new real estate agents. One of the strategies on that list was to pitch yourself to local […]
We talk a lot about mortgage blogging here at MetroDepth, because it’s one of the core services we provide to our clients. But what are the benefits of a mortgage blogging program? Why is it worth your time and/or money to pursue such a strategy? An entire book could be written on this subject. But […]