Capitol's $10 million "hamster tube" hits city snag

Zoom in: At a Transportation Committee meeting on Wednesday, Council member Jason Dozier, who represents the area including the Capitol, said similar "hamster tubes" in Downtown stifle street life.

• Council member Amir Farokhi called the plan "bad public policy," saying it contradicts years of efforts to undo the negative impacts of elevated walkways on Downtown street life.

The big picture: "The Capitol building is one of the most significant structures in the city and the state." David Y. Mitchell of the Atlanta Preservation Center told committee members. "It represents who we are and where civics takes place."

Context: The state is in the middle of a nearly $400 million renovation effort that includes new legislative offices, a regilded gold dome and more.

Zoom out: Dozier said the proposal is yet another example — in addition to the perimeter fence surrounding the Capitol and closure of Mitchell Street — of state building projects that are "antagonistic towards this idea of these properties being open to the people."

The other side: "We respect the City of Atlanta's committee process and we stand ready to answer any of their questions and address their concerns," GBA chief of staff Gerald Pilgrim said in a statement to Axios.

• "We look forward to bringing this important project to the citizens and improving their ability to participate in the State of Georgia legislative session. "

What's next: It's not every day that the city blocks a request by the state, which makes the immediate path forward uncertain.

• The legislation remains in committee, where council members could revive or revise it in a future meeting.