This issue of the Journal offers us the first opportunity to share with our readers Katrina’s impact upon Southface friends and family.

Frank Burdette, Southface Green Building Services Project Manager, hails from Pass Christian, MS, an area hit by some of Katrina’s largest storm surges. Frank visited his family soon after the storm, and described what he found as heartbreaking. “The quiet harbor town of 6,000 nestled amongst the live oaks was my home for over 25 years, instilling my respect for historic preservation and the environment.” Most of the oaks still stand, but are stripped bare like skeletons amidst the rubble. Frank spent a week shoveling debris, clearing fallen trees, and patching six roofs with tarps, tarpaper and salvaged tin. “My back was feeling otherwise, but my mind found the efforts a rather insignificant gesture in light of the surrounding devastation.”

Above: An unwanted house relocation in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Right: And the roof still stands... This church in Pass Christian, Mississippi shows a quirky example of the devastation left in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

Fifteen years ago, after tornadoes damaged his house in a neighborhood north of Atlanta, Southface Board Member Dave Gustashaw, Vice President of Engineering for Interface Americas, received help cleaning up the damage from a stranger. Now he says, “Someone helps you out – just pass it along.” When Dave saw Frank Burdette at Southface, he learned about the plight of the community in Pass Christian. The next day, Frank was introducing me to his father.” With support from Interface for time off and gas to make the trip, Dave was off to Mississippi. He found the kindness and the resiliency of the people in Pass Christian astounding. For a week, Dave worked with neighbors in the 95 degree heat taking trees out, clearing debris and sharpening saws. The community of Pass Christian is calling Dave an angel, and looks forward to passing along the generosity they received from him.

New Orleans native John Moore recently graduated from Morehouse College and came to Southface for an Internship. At the same time, his younger brother was entering Tulane Law School. John’s home was flooded with his mother and brother still in it, watching in disbelief as water rushed in, quickly rising around them. They miraculously escaped with their lives after being rescued from the roof by boat. His brother’s account of the harrowing experience has been published by Essence magazine online (www.essence.com/essence/lifestyle/voices/0,16109,1101298,00.html). John says, “This situation taught me a lot about the importance of preserving what is dear to you.”

The city that many call “The Big Easy” was just “home” for Nadine Lang, Southface Education Coordinator. With a heavy heart, Nadine shared her reflections on the devastation. “The house where my family gathered for many dinners and laughs is now a home for water animals; the schools I attended are under water; the building where I met the love of my life is soaking in waste.” While August 29th was a dark day in her life, Nadine says it was also a very comforting day. “So many Southface friends embraced my hurt, which gave me strength to help others who were physically and emotionally devastated by Hurricane Katrina.”

As rebuilding efforts continue in these communities and others along the Gulf Coast, Southface, The U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Green Building Council and others are working to ensure rebuilding efforts will include performance standards and green building practices, in order to protect and restore the long-term health of the citizens, their communities, and the environment.

Atlantic Station® Grand Opening

After nearly eight years of planning, development and construction, Atlantic Station officially opened to the public Thursday, October 20. Atlantans enjoyed their first chance to experience all the community offers, including shopping, dining, entertainment and public parks. The 138-acre mixed-use community, formerly the site of the historic Atlantic Steel Mill, is already home to several thousand residents and office workers living and working in the landmark redevelopment, which is part of the LEED® Multibuilding-Campus pilots.

“Visitors, residents and workers in Atlantic Station now can enjoy in-town shopping and entertainment all within walking distance. In a city like Atlanta where residents rely on their cars as the primary form of transportation, Atlantic Station is changing the way we will think about where we live, work and play,” said Jim Jacoby, president of Atlantic Station and chairman of Jacoby Development, Inc.

BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD) – The BeltLine’s Funding Source

The BeltLine is one of the largest citywide projects in Atlanta’s history, covering 22 miles and touching 45 communities. The proposed develop-ment guidelines encourage sustainable developments and green building. To develop the BeltLine to its full potential – connecting neighborhoods by transit and paths, adding green space and workforce housing – the city will need to make major investments estimated at approximately $2 – 2.5 billion over the next 25 years. Development of the BeltLine requires a funding source that will generate substantial funds over the life of the project.

As the only funding source that can be implemented in a timely fashion and generate the capital necessary to adequately fund the BeltLine, the BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD) is critical to the success of the project. The TAD will establish a baseline of existing property tax revenue income for the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, and the Atlanta Public School System within TAD boundaries. New development in Atlanta increases the city’s tax base. A TAD freezes existing property tax revenue income for the city, county and school system within the TAD boundary. As property values, and property taxes, begin to rise, all new property tax revenues above the established baseline will be used to repay TAD bonds that fund capital investments in the BeltLine.

During the 25-year lifespan of the TAD, the city, Atlanta Public Schools and Fulton County will continue to receive the original baseline tax revenue from the properties in the TAD district. Once the BeltLine bonds are paid off, these three entities will receive the full value of the TAD – the original baseline tax revenue, plus the incremental value tax revenue. BeltLine TAD funding does not include any tax increase and will not shift the tax burden to existing taxpayers. Timing is critical for passing the TAD through the Atlanta City Council, Fulton County and Atlanta Public Schools this year. As funding becomes available at the end of the year following the calendar year in which the TAD is approved, the TAD must be passed in 2005 to generate TAD bond revenues in 2006. Stay up-to-date on the TAD vote and other developments by visiting www.beltlinepartnership.org.

Southface bids farewell to fine friends who have contributed to our team:

• Luke Morton is an intern at the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in Boulder, Colorado.
• Christian Gable is in the masters program in Urban Design at GA Tech.
• Jade Brown is in a masters program studying Development and Sustainability at the University of East Anglia in the UK.
• Nick Hanson is currently working in Atlanta and looking forward to some foreign travel.
• Laurel Paget-Seekins is in the masters program in Urban Design at GA Tech.