Making the necessary changes

There are a few things I find interesting about this Moss Side proposal. Knowing some of the people who opposed this, it's interesting how the folks who live in Moss Side seem to be all for these developments everywhere else except when it shows up in their backyard.

In my opinion, this feels too much like a classic case of NIMBY.

That said, the points made by the Athens-Clarke County Planning Commission is valid ... the proposal had ample flaws and the community is overbuilt with commercial space.

However, a large quantity of this cited commercial space needs dramatic revisions and renovations. I still sit there and shake my head that Homewood Hills can't land a grocery store either from ineffective marketing by its owner or the run-down quality of much of that development.

Likewise, take a drive down Atlanta Highway and look at empty big box after empty big box and think of the opportunities that exist for renovation. I know there's a desire by the community to put much focus on corridors like Prince Avenue or North Avenue, but not incorporating a dramatic overhaul and restoration project along Atlanta Highway is foolish. With an investment in streetscape beautification, coupled with a strong public-private push to invigorate business out there, that corridor could become something special.

It's built for commercial development and has the capacity to handle large flows of traffic, but much of it is simply wasted. I've long argued that West Athens needs to organize its own Community Improvement District to begin laying the foundation for the fundamental change, perhaps similar to the efforts undertaken by the Perimeter CID.

Atlanta Highway, for many folks, is the primary entry point for visitors to the community. And too much of it has gone untended for too long, and it's time that starts to change.