ATLANTA — Mayor Andre Dickens delivered his first State of the City address Monday morning, outlining the progress he's made in combatting crime and other priorities for Atlanta.
On Atlanta's honorary 404 day, the mayor spoke on the current state and future of the city for about 36 minutes, touching on everything from affordable housing to greenspace.
Here are 11 key takeaways from the event:
1.Interactive digital kiosks will be installed throughout Atlanta
Interactive digital kiosks will be installed on sidewalks across the city, according to Dickens. He said the Ike Smart City kiosks are designed to help residents and visitors alike find restaurants and businesses and navigate using MARTA. The installations will also be able to help the unsheltered find resources and conduct job searches. According to Dickens and the Ike Smart City website, the kiosks even have WiFi and can convey information in different languages. They come at no cost to the city
"Or simply to take photos, like some of ya'll did out there today," Dickens said. "They do so much."
Dickens did not indicate when the kiosks were set to be erected or where the funds were coming from to purchase these.
2. A "Pothole Posse" is making a comeback in an effort to tackle Atlanta's infamous bumpy roads
Dickens said his office is relaunching the "pothole posse." Originally formed in the early 2000s under former Mayor Shirley Clarke Franklin, the pothole posse will be dedicated to filling those pesky potholes on Atlanta's streets. Crews with the Atlanta Department of Transportation will be "out around the city" with a goal of filling 30 potholes a day, Dickens said.
"Go on and clap," Dickens joked.
3. The city is forming a new park with direct access to the Chattahoochee River
Dickens said there'll soon be no excuse for people to say Atlanta isn't great because it doesn't have access to a natural body of water. The Department of Parks and Recreation announced the city has acquired nine acres of land, which will be utilized to develop Atlanta's first-ever park with direct access to the Chattahoochee River.
"Thanks to the work of my good friend Councilman Dustin Hillis, as well as our partners at the conservation fund, Park Pride, the Trust for Public Land, and Riverwalk Atlanta, we are taking the city to the river," he said.
4. Buckhead cityhood is off the table … for now
Efforts to make Buckhead its own city are off the table for this year's legislative session. The official announcement previously came in February after moves in the Senate to sideline the matter. Dickens said if he had it his way, it would remain off the table "forever." The mayor led his campaign with the slogan "one city with one bright future," and continued to retort it amid discussions about the Buckhead cityhood movement leading up to February and beyond.
Dickens said construction is already underway for a new Atlanta Police Department precinct in Buckhead he unveiled back in January. It will be home to APD for at least the next decade, Dickens said, and is supposed have at least a dozen assigned officers by the summer.
Although both Dickens and police chief Rodney Bryant previously said the new precinct was not a direct response or rebuttal to the cityhood movement, leaders of the movement initially cited crime as a main factor in the push to form their own city. During Monday's keynote speech, the mayor thanked the Buckhead Coalition and the Buckhead Community Improvement District for their $100,000 donation to the police initiative.
5. A nightlife division will aim to confront bars and clubs with a history of high crime
Just one day after a man was shot and killed outside busy Buckhead bars, Dickens revealed the mayor's office has now established a nightlife division. A rash of shootings at Atlanta bars and nightclubs since the new year began is leaving people on edge. According to the mayor, this new sector aims to face that issue head-on. He said the division will tackle establishments with a history of high crime by hosting quarterly trainings to educate business about deescalating violent altercations, security, and first aid and emergency response.
"Nightlife is a significant part of who we are as a city, but bad operators and bad patrons will be kept in line," he said.
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6. The city is working toward a center dedicated to police response alternatives
For incidents involving people who are dealing with issues that do not need a police response, the mayor said Police Alternatives and Diversion (PAD) will respond instead. It's for issues that require a non-emergency response or a mental health incident. 311 is an alternative for those who are dealing with "unique challenges," Dickens said. Dickens said his administration is putting $4.5 million toward PAD, so the division will be closer to operating 24 hours a day, and seven days a week. Microsoft, the mayor announced, is supporting the first phase of a build-out with $260,000. Through the federal omnibus spending package, Senator Raphael Warnock's office has earmarked $3 million to go toward a center, too, Dickens said.
"This support gets us closer to opening the doors for this much needed center, which is a partnership between the city of Atlanta, Fulton County, PAD, Grady Hospital and Bloomberg Associates all working together," he said.
7. The mayor is working to offer affordable housing in the city
It's no secret Atlanta's housing market is hot right now. As cash offers prevail, interest rates rise, and housing demands cause prices to skyrocket, the city's housing market is practically unaffordable. Mayor Dickens said his office is working to change that. Dickens said JP Morgan Chase has already committed $2.5 million over the next three years to help homeownership become a reality for people of color through the Atlanta neighborhood development partners. Wells Fargo, win partnership with enterprise community partners, is committing $1.3 million to fund at least 1,000 affordable units.
Dickens admitted he has an "ambitious goal" of creating 20,000 units of affordable housing over the next eight years to be overseen by an "affordable housing strike force."
8. Dicken's said his office is investing $5 million in early childhood education
Dickens said his office has an ultimate goal of putting $20 million toward closing the education gap and they're already making strides toward it. The city is now investing $5 million in early childhood education, he said. Dickens did not specify where the funds derive from, or what the investment is set to look like. He did, however, challenge Atlanta Public Schools and philanthropists across the city to match that investment.
9. Young people can soon intern with the mayor's office
Dickens' office is launching a mayor's internship program this year. Dickens, who is an Atlanta native himself, said he grew up dreaming to be mayor and he wants kids in the city to see a future for themselves in their local government as well.
He also said the city has a summer youth employment program, which has a goal of putting 3,000 teens to work throughout the summer months.
"By end of my eight years in office, Atlanta will be the best place in the country to raise a child," Dickens exclaimed. "Let's get there. That is a goal and we will hit it."
10. A new At-Promise Center is opening in southeast Atlanta
The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company has dedicated $1 million to help open a new At-Promise Center on the southeast side of the city. James Quincey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola, made the announcement ahead of Dickens' keynote speech on Monday, saying the new facility will also support the programs in the other three centers around the city. Like the others, the fourth center will provide services for youth who may be at-risk of becoming part of the criminal justice system. At-Prose centers are reopened community centers that had previously closed, now serving to assist young people with workforce development challenges, be the host spot for midnight basketball sessions, and help with other recreational, educational, therapeutic challenges.
11. Thousands of streetlights have been added to help "Light up the Night"
The "Light up the Night" campaign is underway in full force, according to Dickens. It was initially launched in 2021 by former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in efforts to keep the city safe and well-lit. So far, Dickens said nearly 5,000 street lights have been installed across Atlanta. By the end of the project, which is a partnership between the city — Georgia Power, and the Georgia Department of Transportation — there should be about 60,000 working lights around Atlanta.