The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking at

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking at giving regulatory breaks to a downtown Atlanta development on the basis that the project will reduce long-term pollution compared to sprawling suburban construction. The redevelopment of the Atlanta Steel property by Jim Jacoby and Charles Brown would be the first development to be part of EPA’s Project XL, a program ordinarily applied to industrial effluent. The 138-acre project will contain 2,000 to 5,000 dwelling units, along with substantial commercial space. A comparable suburban Atlanta development would occupy 10 times as much land, 80 percent of which would be paved, according to one estimate. The new urbanist firm Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company (DPZ) evaluated the Jacoby design to insure its adherence to EPA’s standards, and recommended a redistribution of uses and more street connectivity. Currently in the negotiation stage, the plan’s suitability for Project XL will be decided by EPA before the end of the summer.