City unveils advisory council recommendations for Atlanta’s young water sellers

By John Ruch

The City of Atlanta has unveiled the incentive part of its carrot-and-stick approach to dealing with youths – dubbed “water boys” – who sell bottled water on the streets.

In August, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms released recommendations from a Youth Entrepreneurship Advisory Council on ways to steer youths into safe and legal ways to make money.

The report says that many youths are making $100 to $300 a day selling the water, so actual money-making has to be the core of an alternative program. And some youths will choose to continue selling water regardless, the report said.

“The main way to steer them away from selling [water] is to offer a more enticing alternative. In short, they need to be compensated for their time,” said the report, adding that alternatives will require “robust” partnerships with nonprofits, businesses and Atlanta Public Schools (APS), among others.

Police response

The report notes that the water-selling is fundamentally illegal under city ordinances prohibiting vending without a license and obstructing traffic, and under state law prohibiting pedestrians from entering roadways. While that has sometimes been cited as a simple solution, the report said that APD interviewees “emphasized that a better approach should not depend on the police to solve the problem, nor should it be a police-led effort.”

With the popularity of the business, the report said, there is an increase in robberies where older youths steal the day’s earnings from younger ones.

From Jan. 1 through July 5, the report said, APD recorded 694 calls for service related to water-selling. More than 400 calls involved complaints about related behavior like “aggressive sale tactics,” obstructing traffic or an unwillingness to clean the sales area. Thirteen calls were reports of people with weapons. From all of those calls, there were 11 incidents of youths aged 17 or older being cited and arrested, and four incidents of minors cited and released to parents.

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The administration will continue to work on the recommendations with such partners as Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development agency, and the jobs program WorkSource Atlanta. Anyone wanting to participate can email the city at youthentrepreneurship@ AtlantaGa.Gov. To see the full report, can be read at this link.

On the enforcement side, the Atlanta Police Department has begun cracking down on criminal activity by or related to watersellers after numerous attacks on motorists and a recent robbery of two youths in Buckhead by an older teen.

The advisory council’s report says it worked on principles of racial and economic equity — part of Bottoms’ overarching city policy goals — and the ideas that the youths themselves should have input on solutions that will benefit everyone in Atlanta. “Youth need support and opportunity, not punishment,” reads another principle.

The water-selling business

The report, based partly on interviews with water-sellers and APD officials, provides a variety of statistics and estimates about the street business.

An estimated average of 150 to 300 youths are selling water on city streets each day, the report says. Water-sellers range in age from 8 to 21 but are “typically” 12 to 16 years old. Most work in groups. Many are working during school hours, and some were not in school due to suspensions.

The business involves reselling bottled water that is typically purchased from stores near the sales sites. The youths typically enter the street to sell the water to drivers at traffic lights.

The youths report making $100 to $300 a day through sales or tips. Many are seeking money to support their households and were meeting basic living needs, though some were also raising “entrepreneurial resources” for start-up businesses or music studio time. A few said they would take a traditional job if it was offered, while many said they preferred working for themselves, according to the report.

Since the release of the report, APD has begun a social media campaign urging drivers to not purchase water at intersections to dry up sales and get the youths off the streets. The APD campaign is also engaging with the water boys and reminding them that there are other opportunities available to them and their families such as the PAL (Police Athletic League) programs and the Atlanta Police Foundation’s At-Promise Centers that offer education, recreation, and workforce development resources.

Program recommendations

The report contains 13 recommendations elaborating ideas of overcoming inequities, conducting outreach, creating programming hubs, and partnering with APS.

On outreach, the city needs an “authentic, credible” approach and must gather more data about the youths, the report said. The city needs to recognize the “entrepreneurial energy” and have a campaign with the message, “We see you. We hear you. We support you.”

The report suggests using the city’s Centers of Hope after-school program as one to create hubs of programming for the youths and their families. It also suggests working with a nonprofit partner to create pipelines to jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as working with community leaders on “earn and learn” workshops. The city also must recognize that some youths will continue selling water on the streets and find ways to manage that safely, the report said.

Working with APS on similar programming is another recommendation. That would include identifying young entrepreneurs and developing a nontraditional business program for them; providing interactive, hands-on training in entrepreneurship; and providing stipends and other paid incentives for staying in such programs.

Long-delayed transformation of Downtown icon set to restart this fall

By Collin Kelley

The third reincarnation of Underground Atlanta is still going to happen, according to the developer who first agreed to purchase the iconic and infamous Downtown property in 2014.

Just over a year ago, South Carolina based WRS announced that a hotel, LGBT-centric nightclub, and an apartment complex would be the first new developments to open at the site, but the COVID-19 pandemic has set the project back. In a statement to Atlanta INtown, WRS said work is set to begin again in the autumn.

WRS said the YOTEL hotel project was still happening but did not offer a timeline for groundbreaking or completion. When announced, the 351-room hotel was set to begin in summer 2020, with an anticipated opening date of Autumn 2022. The hotel will have 234 “cabins” designed for short stays, 117 “pads” for longer stays, self-check-in kiosks, adjustable SmartBeds, outdoor pool and terrace, rooftop bar, “GRAB+GO” cafe on the ground floor, and a combination restaurant and co-working space. continued on page 14

At the southwest corner of Pryor and Alabama, Keith Young and Hoosh Mishu have signed a 10-year lease for Future Show Bar and Restaurant, a night club and eatery geared toward LGBTQ+ patrons. Atlantabased drag queen, Phoenix, who competed on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” will lead the cabaret show. The 14,000 square-foot, two-story space was slated to open this past spring, but the pandemic has kept most nightclubs from reopening.

“Future simply can’t have the crowds needed to make it operational at this time, so it will most likely need to wait to open until crowd ordinances return to what they used to be,” WRS said in its statement.

Work on the apartment project is set to begin in 2021, according to WRS. The residential project, a partnership with Prestwick Companies, was announced with 130 one-, two-, and three-bedroom options.

WRS said that “re-modifying” of existing space at Underground will start again before year’s end.

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What’s still unknown is what businesses, retail, or restaurants might fill the rest of the four-block redevelopment. WRS said in its statement that COVID-19 has had a major impact on national and regional tenant plans.

“Most tenants that were looking for new locations during this time have been delayed due to working on making their existing tenants profitable again,” the statement said.

The delayed redevelopment is another chapter in Underground’s storied history.

The retail and entertainment district, which became best known for hosting the annual Peach Drop on New Year’s Eve, was created after the Civil War as bridges and viaducts were built over Downtown’s railroad tracks. The section of the city, containing about 12-acres, was eventually covered and forgotten as the street level was raised one-and-a-half stories by the end of the 1920s.

Underground was rediscovered in the 1960s and the original store fronts, brick streets and gas lamps were renovated and turned into a restaurant and nightclub district in 1969, including the original Dante’s Down the Hatch. The heyday was short-lived and Underground became home to vagrants until the late 80s, when it was resurrected again in 1989.

The second heyday didn’t last long either as the upscale retailers and restaurants fled and were replaced by small shops, chain stores and fast-food restaurants.

◄Colony Square in Midtown has launched a new workspace program called Flip the Switch designed for employers who are looking for move-in ready workspaces with short-term commitments. North American Properties (NAP) and office leasing team Cushman & Wakefield are co-creating the program. Space is available now and ranges from 3,000 to 20,000 square feet. Leases are based on licensing agreements with electronic execution, which reduce transaction costs and make the lease negotiation process more efficient. The licensing agreements are set for approximately 6-18 months. The spaces are also wired for the internet. For more information, contact Cushman & Wakefield Director Sonia Winfield at sonia.winfield@cushwake.com.

A12,000-square-foot Nike Factory Store will open in Atlantic Station this fall. The store will carry a varied selection of Nike branded footwear, apparel and equipment. The majority of the products will be close-out or overrun products that will be sold at an affordable price

Crowdfunding platform StartEngine has announced a new collaboration with Jamestown, the real estate investment and management firm company behind the renovation of Ponce City Market. Jamestown Invest is an online direct-to-consumer investment vehicle that allows individuals the opportunity to invest in real estate for a minimum of $2,500. The fund focuses on the acquisition of value-add properties in urban locations with potential for repositioning or redevelopment. For more information, visit StartEngine.com.

SHARE Social Concepts, a new Atlanta-based marketing team specializing in real estate, design and lifestyle, has been created by Austin Northenor and Frances Chase. Despite the COVID-19 crisis, the new company has already added 10 new clients. For more information, visit sharesocialconcepts.com.

Design firm Cooper Carry today announced the promotion of Josh Daniel to Director of Landscape Architecture. The move coincides with the firm’s enhanced focus on outdoor design as the pandemic has illuminated the need for increased open-air environments that allow for healthier gatherings. In his new role, Daniel will lead business development, design and site planning as well as the growth of the Landscape Architecture Studio by recruiting top talent and developing new business relationships.

Atlantic Station has unveiled Concierge: At Your Service, the property’s new complimentary concierge program available for guests, residents and office tenants. The program offers an expanded list of services usually reserved for guests of high-end hotels, including wayfinding information, on-property dining reservations, dry cleaning services, food and beverage delivery, car wash and detailing services, grocery delivery, a Picnic in the Park and more. Find out more at atlanticstation.com.

Georgia Power recently provided a donation of $25,000 to the Families First, Inc.’s Family Recovery Fund to help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and social injustice in the metro Atlanta area. Families First works to improve outcomes for children, youth, individuals and families at every stage of life by providing them with mental health support, coaching, early education, parenting skills, and supportive housing

◄AYA Medical Spa is officially open at Colony Square in Midtown offering skincare treatments including facials, laser hair removal, injectables, and a range of products. For more, visit ayaskincare.com.

CBRE has announced that Rooms To Go has signed a lease for 60,000 square feet for the relocation of its Atlanta headquarters to Perimeter Summit, which is also home to IBM, Cox Automotive, Northside Hospital and Verizon.