Kwanza Hall Launches Third Year of Briefings for Neighborhood Leaders

Atlanta City Councilmember Kwanza Hall was joined by forty of District 2’s elected neighborhood leaders on Saturday, March 23, 2013 for their first quarterly briefing of the new year.

“We began these briefings in January 2011 to connect leaders from across the diverse neighborhoods of District 2,” said Hall in a news release. “Intown Atlanta’s neighborhoods are increasingly connected by common interests and shared challenges. These briefings are unique forums for local volunteer leaders to meet each other, share best practices, and problem solve together for the greater good of our city.”

The briefing began with a peer panel on neighborhood master planning moderated by Hall. Forrest Coley, Chair of Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Unit M, and Jim McMahel, board member and past president of the Poncey-Highland Neighborhood Association, both stressed the importance of involving as many people as possible in neighborhood master planning efforts.

Kevin Green, the President of the Midtown Alliance, was the featured speaker for the briefing. Green presented an overview of Midtown’s remarkable transformation since the original Blueprint Midtown master plan of 1997. He also gave attendees a preview of the next few years for Midtown, from a new EcoDistrict designation to the largest traffic light signalization project in metro Atlanta.

During the final hour of the briefing, Hall held an informal Q & A.

The briefing was hosted by Midtown's Artmore Hotel, a 1924 apartment building renovated in 2006 as a boutique hotel. In welcoming District 2 neighborhood leaders, General Manager Mara Miller thanked Hall for the opportunity to “showcase Midtown’s gem of a hotel.”

For each briefing, Hall identifies a unique District 2 venue that may be new to his neighborhood leaders. Past hosts include the Downtown design firm HOK Atlanta, the Georgia Tech Paper Museum, the Carter Center in Poncey-Highland, Inman Park’s Dad’s Garage, and the Savannah College of Art and Design in Midtown.