Proposals to boost housing in Atlanta are fueling a drive in the Buckhead section to secede from the city.
“Changes now being proposed by the City of Atlanta would subdivide residential lot sizes, increase housing density, decimate the tree canopy, tangle traffic, and strain resources,” reads the web site of the Buckhead City Committee, the organization aiming to form a new city. “Such devastation, proposed ostensibly to increase ‘affordable housing’ will only enrich developers at the cost of Buckhead’s livability.”
The zoning changes have been proposed while city planners look to a future that could mean a doubling of the city’s population to 1.2 million by 2050. City leaders would like to convert more single-family homes into multifamily dwellings. Today, about 60% of the city’s residential zones restrict such arrangements.
City leaders propose rezoning areas within a half-mile radius of public transit stations to encourage construction of moderate-sized apartment buildings nearby. One to four units per building would be the standard, but a developer could build up to eight units if one of them is below-market rate, and as many as 12 if two or more are below-market.
Related Stories
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal budget cuts put major building projects on hold
A plan to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is among several major building projects in jeopardy after the Obama administration’s 2013 budget was unveiled. The budget would cut all construction spending for the facility.
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal agencies fixed on leasing LEED-certified space
The federal government is especially focused on renting LEED-certified spaces.
| Feb 23, 2012
Regulators investigating construction accident at World Trade Center
The New York Port Authority and the city’s fire and building departments are investigating an accident at the World Trade Center construction site in lower Manhattan after a crane dropped steel beams that fell about 40 stories onto the truck that delivered them.
| Feb 23, 2012
New Virginia statewide building code goes into effect March 1
After March 1, all building plans in Virginia must adhere to the 2009 code that was adopted a year ago.
| Feb 23, 2012
Privatizing flood insurance could lead to new code requirements
One thing that could pave the way toward private flood insurance would be NFIP reforms, like requiring new construction in flood-prone areas to be elevated.
| Feb 22, 2012
ACI BIM manual for cast-in-place concrete in development
The improved communication, coordination, and collaboration afforded by BIM implementation have already been shown to save time and money in projects.
| Feb 20, 2012
Comment period for update to USGBC's LEED Green Building Program now open
This third draft of LEED has been refined to address technical stringency and rigor, measurement and performance tools, and an enhanced user experience.
| Feb 20, 2012
GAF introduces web portal for architects and specifiers
The new portal offers a clean look with minimal clutter to make it easier to find the technical information and product data that architects need.
| Feb 17, 2012
AGC advocates for federal procurement reform
Ensure that small business goals take into consideration actual small business capacity in relevant specialty markets.
