CONYERS — Part of Olde Town Conyers will be closed to traffic next week as taping starts for a movie starring Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah and Kris Kristofferson.
Film crews have already begun setting up for scenes for the upcoming movie “Joyful Noise,” a comedy about a small-town choir group. Alcon Entertainment is producing the film.
Conyers Main Street Manager Monica Coffin advised residents, merchants and visitors to be aware of road closures and traffic delays during the filming.
Preparations for filming began this week and will continue from Tuesday, Feb. 22, through the first part of the day Wednesday. Actual filming will take place from noon to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24. Cleanup will last two hours at the end of each day. Commercial Street will be blocked off both of these days from 6 a.m. until cleanup is completed. Center Street will be closed as needed on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Coffin said there will be intermittent traffic interruptions on Railroad and Green streets.
The parking spaces along Commercial Street from EGABA to the vacant old city hall building beside Brown Wealth Management will be used for trucks hauling needed equipments and supplies for the movie.
Alternative parking for the public will include Bank Street, the city parking lot located at Carter’s Alley, and the parking lot off Travis Street.
“We will be placing signs out to assist visitors with their parking needs,” Coffin said.
She said the film crew is paying the city for costs of off-duty police officers for traffic control during filming and the city’s public works and transportation department for sign needs. Various merchants are also being compensated for building use.
“The citizens of our community will also benefit from this filming project because of the positive impact to our local economy,” Coffin said. “Staff for the project will be staying in our hotels and patronizing our restaurants and retail establishments.”
She cautioned that scheduling could change due to the weather, but there will be an effort to stay on schedule.
Cleanup and restoration efforts will take place Feb. 25 through March 1.
“Things go better with Coke.” Remember that commercial campaign for the famous soft drink? Well, Midtown Atlanta will certainly be getting “better with Coke” as Coca Cola begins a transformation of their Midtown/North Avenue campus which will include the relocation of up to 600 employees.
The 35 acre campus, located just West of Midtown on North Avenue will be reinvigorated with a $90 million renovation of its 1.8 million sq. ft. campus, most famous for 1 Coca Cola Plaza, the tower with the logo on top. In a statement to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, spokeswoman Kerry Tressler stated, “The effort is part of reaching our goal of being a great place to work in our 2020Vision and to meet the needs of a high-performance workforce.”
Coca Cola Relocation to Midtown Atlanta
The relocation of employees and the renovations are part of the $13 billion acquisition of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.’s North American operations, which was done last October.
Midtown Atlanta
This project is great news for Midtown Atlanta! The Coca-Cola campus is convenient to numerous Midtown high-rise and single family homes. New higher paying jobs could certainly mean more buyers for the many condos available as well as shoppers and diners for Midtown’s retail and restaurant business.
Advocates for Atlanta’s burgeoning street food scene say it has the potential to grow five to 10 times its current size and could become an economic driver that puts hundreds of local residents to work.
Johnny Crawford Jcrawford@ajc.com The Yumbii truck serves people in front of the Prominence building on Piedmont Road. The Atlanta Street Food Coalition is appealing for friendlier rules for the mobile businesses.
But to do so, they’ll need a friendlier permitting process, more favorable small business loans and regulations that open up areas in which to operate.
NOTE: Another post from a trip to Montana in 2007! I’ll try to remember to capture the same pictures this trip….(except for the deer) since there will probably be snow everywhere!
Ok, as you saw in my last post, I’ve become “hooked” on City Living! In fact, I’ve lived in several major U.S. cities, including Houston, New Orleans, Miami, and New York before landing in Atlanta, where I have been for the past 16 years. Also in my last post, I mentioned growing up in Montana….which is where I am right now….so, here’s an entirely different view of the world….
This is taken at what’s left of our family ranch. To me, it’s just as awe-inspiring as the view of the skyscrapers are in Atlanta! Mind you, it’s a bit more quiet, but there is still LOTS of drama, even out West!! (But I won’t go into that here…it’s a legal thing you know….) And you know you never see THIS in Piedmont Park in Atlanta……
And if you ever need to book a wedding, or family reunion, this is the new facility my sister and brother-in-law just built. It’s totally awesome….they call it Deep Creek Grange
Come on Up! They will show you what Montana Hospitality is ALL about!! And the view ain’t bad either!
I’ll be back in Atlanta on Thursday night, but I’ll keep you up to speed on Atlanta while I’m out here in the “wilderness!!”
So, you’ve decided to move! Great! Congratulations! But as you look for that new place, don’t forget about that all important part of your family…..your PET! For many of us, they are not pets, they ARE members of our family!
This is Nero who unfortunately left us on January 19, 2007. But he was a very important part of our life. Such that, we delayed moving into our new condo for 7 months because of him. (Who do you think ruled THAT house?) Our situation was different…he was going blind, and could not tell the difference between the door of a condo and a door in the house…so he thought he was locked in a room! And so went the howling! So we could not move until he was no longer with us….he just did not understand the difference between a house and a condo.
As you make a move, be it from house to condo, condo to house or a different combination, there are factors you need to consider. Failing to do your research could leave you in a situation like ours, but not as easy to resolve. (We just kept the house!) As sad as it seems to us, pets are not welcome everywhere! But many communities (condo, townhouse or single-family) are realizing they need to consider the four-legged members of the family! And wisely so! According to the 2007-08 National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, the number of U.S. households with pets grew from 56 percent in 1998 to 63 percent! That’s a whapping 71.1 million homes!
What ever your reason for a pet, most people have a dog for the companionship they provide. (I use to drive in my driveway and the noise coming from my front door, followed by the wagging tail, jumping, etc was the most welcomed sight of the day!) But when it comes time to take care of them, from walking to grooming and having “friends,” not all places are created equal. But times are changing.
When visiting communities, you and your agent should ask about pet policies. And here are some questions to consider.
1) Are pets even allowed?
While more important to ask in a market like Midtown Alanta with our condos and high rises, even in single-family home communities, there could be limits on breeds or numbers of pets. Some breeds, such as Pit Bulls, or Doberman Pinschers may not be allowed. Many condominium developments limit you to 2 pets.
2) What are the neighborhood, county or city rules and regulations?
What if Fido is use to running in your back yard, and now has to be walked on a leash? Might be an issue in teaching an “old dog a new trick!” For example, Nero always got walked on a leash, but he did not “play well with others.” Could be an issue when riding the elevator! Find out if the community has any special areas where you can walk your dog. Ask if there is any sort of dog walking group you can join…a great way to meet your neighbors! For us city dwellers, check for “dog stations” where you can pick up doggie waste bags, as well as a place to dispose of them.
3) Does your Pet fit with your new home?
Like I mentioned at the beginning, Nero did not understand the difference between being locked in a room in our house, or the front door of our condo! Greyhounds, because of their low body fat and bones, don’t really like to lay on concrete or hardwood floors! Do you have room for a nice bed for him/her? How about rugs? Is it a single story, or a townhouse? Some dogs, such as Dachshunds do not do well with stairs! And imagine a St. Bernard in a 800 sq. ft condo with two people? Hmmmmm……
4) Fences?
Certainly NOT a concern in a high-rise, but if you buy a home, again, you want to check those covenants. Some new communities are now going with only invisible fencing! Again, could be another “new trick” that your dog may not adjust to!
We love our pets! So as we look for our new home, remember…it will be THEIR new home as well!
If you have a four-legged member of YOUR family, I can relate! And can help you find just the right home for both of you!
This blog originally appeared on my other real estate blog back in 2007. I think it’s just as timely then as now. In fact, very timely as I head north to Montana this morning!!
I still struggle as to what to write in my blogs, but in this case, I now can thank Mariana Wagner for giving me a whole list of things to Blog about…..
Now this topic does relate to real estate….in one way or another! AIRPORTS! You see, we’d love to be land owners close to an airport that’s planning an expansion (depending on what we get paid for our property) yet the last place we want to live next to is an airport. However, we like them to be conveniently located, just not next to where we live.
Take Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. First off, can our name REALLY get much longer? Maybe with Mayor Franklin taking on our sewer problems when no one else would, we’ll find room for her in there somewhere….anyway, the Metro Atlanta area is so spread out….some people have to spend the night at an airport hotel in order to catch their flight! Then there is the layout of our airport….many people find it very confusing…..I’m not sure why…6 concourses, laid out in a line, connected by an underground train. You might arrive on D, need to transfer to C, no problem (cept for those nasty afternoon t-showers…that will just screw everything up) Arrivals and Departures are all done in the same place. Now take Dallas-Ft. Worth…THAT is a confusing airport. I mean you have to start reading signs before you even get TO the terminal to see what building you need to go to for your flight….I’ve missed TWO flights at that airport….not one at Atlanta!
As some of you may have read in my last blog, I just flew home to Montana for a family visit. I did not realize until I was on the way to the airport in Atlanta that it had been ONE YEAR since I had last flown! Shreeeek! I use to fly every month to some social event somewhere, but since I buckled down to my real estate business, my trips have been closer to home and fueled by an automobile! But I can remember MANY hours in the past sitting in those not-so-comfortable seats waiting for a connecting flight….not this trip. 55 minutes to change plans in Salt Lake City so you hope there is no fog, smog, or other such thing to delay your arrival or departure.
Airports in the U.S. are a statement of our community! They reflect our progress as a growing business center…an opportunity to spur on economic growth, for an architect to make a grand statement….Just take a look at Denver’s…need I say more! It’s a sight to behold for miles as you arrive at the airport from the ground!
BUT, then there are those airports that have character like you have never seen the likes of…..I’d love to refer you to the Kona, Hawaii airport…..open air, just what you expect in that kind of climate…but their web site leaves much to be desired…..
Now, years ago, when I was in college, I worked for Hertz Rent-a-Car at this airport. We had ONE, yes, ONE jet way and it was shared by Northwest and Frontier Airlines (not the Frontier you know now…the one merged with Continental)
This airport’s interior looks like a ski lodge….and how appropriate, since there are something like 5 ski areas within a couple hours of Bozeman (mainly Big Sky Resort ) We use to have wheelchair races down the lobby!
Flying is not what it use to be…with all the security and all….it can often take you 2 hours to clear Security in Atlanta…it took me over 30 minutes in Bozeman…and I lost my awesome little bottle of hotel lotion and my travel bottle of Scope as they were not in that ‘—-‘ little baggie! Didn’t have to be when I left Atlanta!!!
Airports….interesting real estate…whether you live by one, are affected by one, or use one….they are something we can’t live without…and have become quite a place to see these days!!
The next time you have a layover in Atlanta, give me a call…I’ll come have a drink with you. No, wait. We can’t get out on the concourse anymore because of security….oh well, guess you’re on your own to figure this one out!
This is taken at what’s left of our family ranch. To me, it’s just as awe-inspiring as the view of the skyscrapers are in Atlanta! Mind you, it’s a bit more quiet, but there is still LOTS of drama, even out West!! (But I won’t go into that here…it’s a legal thing you know….) And you know you never see THIS in Piedmont Park in Atlanta……
Come on Up! They will show you what Montana Hospitality is ALL about!! And the view ain’t bad either!
Take 
As some of you may have read in my last blog, I just flew home to Montana for a family visit. I did not realize until I was on the way to the airport in Atlanta that it had been ONE YEAR since I had last flown! Shreeeek! I use to fly every month to some social event somewhere, but since I buckled down to my real estate business, my trips have been closer to home and fueled by an automobile! But I can remember MANY hours in the past sitting in those not-so-comfortable seats waiting for a connecting flight….not this trip. 55 minutes to change plans in 
