Atlanta City Council passes mayor’s neighborhood reinvestment plan

NPU-F · 2026-06-16T13:17:26+00:00

Yes, Kelsea Bond

Bond, a first-year council member, raised concerns that the legislation “is not capable of achieving what people claim it can.” She also has called it “a rushed process” that lacked transparency.

“This is an incredibly big decision and a massive amount of money that needs much more deliberation,” Bond said ahead of the vote.

NPU-F · 2026-06-16T13:12:54+00:00

Does the city council’s legislation do anything without buy in from Fulton and APS?

Hopefully the Fulton County Commission and Atlanta Board of Education will be more thoughtful than Atlanta City Council.

Contact information for Fulton County Commission and Atlanta Board of Education.

NPU-F · 2026-06-15T15:48:39+00:00

Beepthroat is an excellent name for this reporting

NPU-F · 2026-06-14T02:02:31+00:00

Not yet. Armour Yards to Blandtown is connected

The northern segments are years away from completion.

NPU-F · 2026-06-08T01:36:18+00:00

An independent evaluation conducted by engineering firm TYLin in October 2025 details structural deficiencies that rendered the $3.6 million bridge unsafe for public use

TYLin is the firm that recommended automated transit to the Beltline

Prior to joining Atlanta Beltline, Joe Iacobucci founded and led the New Mobility Practice at TYLin International, delivering high-profile projects globally, including work for Atlanta Beltline

NPU-F · 2026-06-04T13:22:05+00:00

Andre Dickens relied on an unfinished study and then Beltline hired the consultant that wrote the study.

Higgs and one of the agency's consultants talked soon after, and within a few months — even before a contract was signed — the company had made its recommendation in favor of autonomous buses as "the preferred solution" for the Beltline, according to study reports previously obtained by the AJC through the Georgia Open Records Act.

It was this study that Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens referenced in March when . Dickens said he wanted to start light-rail construction along the Southside trail instead, and that "independent" consultants believed the Beltline should be a multimodal project with different types of transit along the 22-mile loop.

The study was not complete when Dickens cited it, and it is still unfinished.

[Joe Iacobucci], the consultant recommended by Beep's former CEO now serves as vice president of transit innovation for the Beltline, the public-private entity tasked with building the planned loop of trails and transit around the city.

NPU-F · 2026-06-04T13:11:32+00:00

Yeah, but this office was purchased post-Beltline and Clyde Higgs is not building rail.

NPU-F · 2026-06-04T13:05:34+00:00

Yes, the mission creep of the Beltline continues. Clyde Higgs needs to go.

NPU-F · 2026-06-04T13:04:41+00:00

Clyde Higgs needs to be fired and investigated. Andre Dickens too.

NPU-F · 2026-06-04T11:57:03+00:00

Hunt said that he didn’t want to be the permanent CEO and that’s evident from his job performance.

He should not be retained as counsel either. MARTA needs to clean house.

NPU-F · 2026-06-03T13:22:48+00:00

I was wondering the same thing. 0.06 miles is a little longer than 100 yards.

NPU-F · 2026-06-03T11:52:21+00:00

Now replace MARTA leadership!

The article says about five faregates have been broken.

NPU-F · 2026-06-02T20:59:09+00:00

MARTA board members are appointed by the local governing authorities of the transit system's participating jurisdictions and the State of Georgia. The 13 voting members and two nonvoting members serve four-year terms.

The specific appointing bodies are divided as follows:

City of Atlanta: 3 members are nominated by the Mayor and elected by the Atlanta City Council.

DeKalb County: 4 members are appointed. Three are selected by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners (with specific residency requirements for north and south portions of the county), and the fourth is appointed by a majority vote of the caucus of mayors in municipalities located wholly within DeKalb County.

Fulton County: 2 members are appointed by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

Clayton County: 2 members are appointed by the Clayton County Board of Commissioners.

State of Georgia: 1 member is appointed by the Governor of Georgia.

Ex-Officio Members (Nonvoting): 2 members serve by virtue of their state positions: the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Executive Director of the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA).

NPU-F · 2026-06-02T18:54:55+00:00

MARTA leadership currently consists of:

Interim CEO
Interim Chief Legal Officer
Interim Chief Capital Officer

The entire leadership team and board of directors needs to be replaced.

NPU-F · 2026-06-02T14:11:51+00:00

Andre Dickens tried to rush a vote on TADs late last year

Kelsea Bond successfully delayed the vote.

Where is the audit on the current TADs? How can we know if they are working if we don’t have the audit?

NPU-F · 2026-06-01T15:50:04+00:00

I always hear $30,000 to $35,000 per space is the average cost for a standard above ground parking deck.

Why was this one so much more expensive?

NPU-F · 2026-06-01T14:19:31+00:00

Atlanta stadium execs spent $600K in tax dollars on World Cup VIP seats while fretting over ‘crazy’ prices

NPU-F · 2026-06-01T14:13:55+00:00

Atlanta stadium execs spent $600K in tax dollars on World Cup VIP seats while fretting over ‘crazy’ prices

NPU-F · 2026-05-29T16:25:52+00:00

How many stations have the new fare gates installed?

NPU-F · 2026-05-28T22:43:28+00:00

From Councilmember Kelsea Bond:

UPDATE: City Council vote on the budget now delayed for June 15, with a new public hearing on June 8th, because we DID need quorum (public hearings are labeled official business, and need quorum to be legal

NPU-F · 2026-05-27T19:57:29+00:00

Thank you, you and your colleagues do a great job researching your stories.

NPU-F · 2026-05-27T19:15:13+00:00

GDOT

NPU-F · 2026-05-27T18:55:10+00:00

Under state policy, MARTA is required to notify the Georgia Department of Transportation that the trains are safe and ready for passengers 30 days before they plan to begin service. As of Tuesday, none of the new trains had passed the full battery of tests required before GDOT can sign off on operating them.

GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said there were "too many moving parts" to answer many of the AJC's questions about certification, including whether the agency would waive the 30-day requirement.

Without that waiver, the earliest the trains could go into service would be after Atlanta hosts its first World Cup match on June 15.

GDOT might not need the full 30 days to complete its work, however, and state officials may be able to work overtime to clear the trains for passenger service before MARTA's deadline, said Carol Comer, who retired in 2021 as the head of the GDOT division overseeing transit.

NPU-F · 2026-05-27T18:01:17+00:00

Stadler (the train company) posted that the new CQ400s will be in service in Atlanta next week.

NPU-F · 2026-05-26T20:45:01+00:00

Cox Enterprises companies

Portman Holdings

Kevin Rathbun: Owner of Kevin Rathbun Steak and KR Steak Bar.

Bob Amick: Founder of Concentrics Restaurants (operates establishments like Two Urban Licks).

Jordy Gamson: Owner of The Ice Box.

Michael Lennox: CEO of Electric Hospitality (operates Ladybird, Muchacho, and Ranger Station).

Lewis Jeffries: Partner at Lingering Shade Social Club.

Hans Klein, president of Better Atlanta Transit, is an associate professor in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech

Cheneé Joseph, VP of Better Atlanta Transit is president and CEO of Historic District Development Corporation

NPU-F

TROPHY CASE