Comments

• On the Blog Post An Afterward to White Flight: Atlanta's Return to Community & Long Road Toward Integration

  David Bottomley

  10:39 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013

  This is the best thing I've ever read on the Patch. Well researched and well written.

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• On the article Is Metro Atlanta's Real Estate Market Coming Back?

  David Bottomley

  12:53 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012

  Here are some numbers from the latest Metrostudy Report (FYI, it's important to note that the Metro Atlanta area is large and so one neighborhood can be doing well while another is not). New housing starts this quarter are up 50% compared to a year ago and new home construction inventory is down more than 80%. Fifty percent sounds huge but it's an increase from a very low number. Metrostudy also reported unemployment here had dropped to 7.8% (the last number I had seen was 8.4%). Whichever is correct it shows that employment is increasing and that's a good indicator of an improving housing market. The best demand (and population increases) have been ITP and in the closer in counties such as Cobb and Gwinnett, while further out counties are more stagnant.
  A couple of notes. New home construction is more of an indicator for the suburbs as the intown market is more infill. However the intown market is improving as well. For various reasons there are fewer homes on the market. There were about 43,000 homes on the market in August (that's historically low) and that number is expected to decrease to 30,000 by the end of the year. So yes, housing in Atlanta is improving. (sorry I don't know how to add a hot link to the report but if you go to Metrostudy.com you can find it.

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• On the Blog Post Atlanta Police Department Citizens Police Academy PSA

  David Bottomley

  6:31 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012

  I did this a few years ago and it was fun and educational. You meet some great people, learn about police procedures, try to solve a crime (a past crime), shoot some range pistols if you like and you even get a cool shirt that makes people think you're a cop. But don't push that or you may end up in jail academy.

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• On the Blog Post De Facto Segregation and Neighborhood Charter School (now ANCS)

  

  David Bottomley

  6:45 pm on Thursday, July 12, 2012

  Just to correct one thing...Peoplestown Neighborhood Association has never taken a position that "actively opposes charter schools that would either prioritize or draw from the neighborhood"

• On the article APS Responds To Summerhill

  David Bottomley

  6:45 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012

  Rachel, that's a great comment. It's important to look at most comments through the internet filter. People will say things online that they'll never face to face. And people that don't have strong opinions aren't usually the people that bother to comment. You don't see a lot of comments online that say, 'I really see your point'....it's very easy to devolve into, 'you're a jerk...no, 'you're a jerk'. I sent an email to the presidents of PNA and ONS saying they should try to keep the hyperbole down. The truth is P'town and S'hill have the same goals 99% of the time and neither of us will be the decision makers. We're both at the mercy of APS. We need to stick together because we're both small communities and we both tend the get the leftover crumbs after other neighborhoods get the loaf.

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• On the article APS Responds To Summerhill

  David Bottomley

  10:06 am on Monday, April 23, 2012

  It's just a detail but actually part of Peoplestown was zoned to Cook (sections of Atlanta Ave and the south side of Ormond). Pretty sure all of Summerhill was zoned for Cook. Now I believe all of Peoplestown is zoned for Stanton (at least if the latest 'final' proposal is adopted).

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• On the article APS Redistricting: Summerhill Prepares To Fight

  David Bottomley

  5:37 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012

  I don't think it advances any argument to say that someone who disagrees with you 'NEEDS TO BE REMOVED FROM SPEAKING FOR THE CHILDREN'. Reasonable people can disagree. That would be like me saying anyone that can't correctly spell 'sleeves' should not be allowed to express his opinion. That just isn't right.

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• On the article APS Redistricting: Summerhill Prepares To Fight

  David Bottomley

  11:53 am on Thursday, April 19, 2012

  I don't think it advances any argument to say that someone who disagrees with you 'NEEDS TO BE REMOVED FROM SPEAKING FOR THE CHILDREN'. Reasonable people can disagree. That would be like me saying anyone that can't correctly spell 'sleeves' should not be allowed to express his opinion. That just isn't right.

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• On the article UPDATED: APS Rezones Summerhill To D.H. Stanton

  David Bottomley

  1:47 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012

  Neighborhood support for Stanton had already begun. Like many neighborhoods the rezoning discussion had really raised awareness of our schools in Peoplestown. We were increasing participation in the local council and begun planning for leadership programs. From the jump it looked like we were going to be zoned Stanton/King/Jackson and we were pretty pleased with that. Also, all of Peoplestown was going to be zoned in Stanton rather than being split between Cook and Stanton and we were happy with that as well. In the meetings I attended there was no discussion of who else was zoned where for obvious reasons. In fact the PNA letter we submitted only said that we supported the cluster system and we wanted high school kids that got rezoned to have the option of staying at their current school. Closing Stanton was not discussed until the last minute and our natural position was to keep it open. Everyone wants their school to stay open. In the millions of words spoken at the APS meetings I'm pretty sure the phrase 'I sure am happy my local school is closing' has never been uttered. However, for us in Peoplestown where anyone else is zoned is not our concern. Perhaps Summerhill's desire to be in Parkside had an influence on the decision to close Stanton. So? That's Summerhill's right to lobby for Parkside and they have no obligation to support us. At the same time we have a right to advocate for Stanton to remain open.

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