If you’ve driven around Buckhead in the past couple of years, you know that traffic congestion has become a major issue. Already a crowded area, dozens of additional apartment buildings have turned already crowded streets into nearly unmanageable snarls during rush hour.
For that reason Atlanta City Councilmembers Yolanda Adrean and Howard Shook this week introduced a new piece of legislation that seeks to limit the amount of parking spaces developers can build in Buckhead. Currently the area is zoned under “suburban-style” parking allowances, which lets developers put in more parking spots than the neighborhood can efficiently fit. The new Parking Overlay legislation, to undergo public review next month, would reduce maximum number of parking spaces to numbers found in downtown Atlanta, which is zoned with more urban concerns in mind.
Mayor Kasim Reed, a proponent of the bill, signed an executive order temporarily prohibiting developers from applying for new projects unless they conform to the proposed limits.
Adrean and Shook, who both represents parts of Buckhead, have been proactive in their attempts to preserve the neighborhood’s rapidly diminishing road capacity. Said Shook, “As the recently built apartment buildings begin filling with new residents, Buckhead’s traffic congestion has morphed from a nuisance to a threat to our health, safety, and welfare. Our legislation is an attempt to stop trying to fit a fifth quart in a gallon jar.’”
As Buckhead’s population and traffic density continue to rise, its local lawmakers will have to take steps to preserve road capacity and help find alternative means of transportation for the area’s rapidly growing population.
