Westside Village, a failed pet project of former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell, has been given a new lease on life through public incentives and private investment. Officials hope the revitalization of its downtrodden neighborhood will follow.
Despite being named "Mixed Use Deal of 1999" by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Westside Village eventually "fell victim to the usual combination of Campbell-related woes -- cronyism, bureaucratic incompetence and a flagrant disregard for federal lending guidelines."
However, a new Mayor (Shirley Franklin) and a reprioritized Atlanta Development Authority have successfully jump-started the $130 million project with nearly $4 million in public financing and the rest in private money. The first 17 acres of land between an already constructed supermarket and a MARTA transit station are being cleared for the development of 60 new townhouses, to be completed before the end of the year.
City officials are betting that a completed Westside Village, coupled with $14 million in revitalization grants for private projects in and around its Vine City neighborhood, will finally bring a turn-around to one of Atlanta's most disinvested communities.
FULL STORY: Westside do-over

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City
The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill
A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users
A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.
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