For a fresh viewpoint on Fuqua's 800 Glenwood project, have a gander at an op-ed penned for Patch by the Rev. Joe Beasley, chief executive and founder of an eponymous foundation, and the director of the Rainbow Push Coalition's Southeast Region. On the topic of Fuqua's suburban-style project (the rumored nesting place of a future Walmart), Beasley takes the "nasty spat" between developers and neighbors determined to keep car-centric shopping centers elsewhere to territory it hasn't gone before: "The truth is this is just another attempt by the haves to limit the economic empowerment of the have-nots," Beasley writes. "And, unfortunately, minorities are again on the losing end of the proposition."
Beasley applauds the Fuqua project's potential for job creation, especially for lower-income residents in the area, but his shortsightedness might be exposed when he calls the development "progressive." It's clear he's invested serious thought in the matter, and he sounds leery of the Beltline in general: "The bucolic benefits of the Beltline's plan may need to be re-examined closely for signs of discrimination against anyone who cannot afford the lifestyle it supports," he writes. "Fortunately, some elected officials understand how creating jobs inside the Perimeter portends positive outcomes for the entire metro area."
· A Different Viewpoint on 800 Glenwood Place [Patch]
· Recent 800 Glenwood coverage [Curbed Atlanta]
[ABOVE: 800 Glenwood site today. Photo: Curbed Atlanta]
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