As you are aware, 1489 LaVista Road is in the process of being redeveloped to house office space. Back in 1981, this property was rezoned from Residential to allow for O&I (Office and Institutional) building. As it stands today, the buildable area for O&I is smaller than the owner, Dr. Wendy Jacobson, would like to accommodate her offices.

When she presented her plans to us, there were several issues that appeared. I am writing to inform you of the Woodland Hills Board of Directors’ stance on the redevelopment of this property. I hope you will support us in our stance. We feel it is fair to the neighborhood and to the developer. Our positions are as follows:

1) No Car Access from Shepherds Lane
2) Allow Variances to occur at in a different way than Dr Jacobson proposed
3) Restrict Building height(s) to 25 feet
4) Allow full car access to/from LaVista Road

Our first position

No car access onto Shepherds Lane from this property. We have several concerns regarding Shepherds Lane car access. Shepherds Lane is a residential street. At the other end of Shepherds Lane, we already have curb cut access to three businesses: QuikTrip, Marcus Institute, and Shepherds Construction. One of WHNA long term goals is to maintain and enhance the residential integrity of Shepherds Lane. By allowing driveway access to Shepherds Lane by another business, we open up the possibility of more developmental creep.

Also, while today we are only talking about this property, there is a long term possibility that the south side of LaVista Road from Shepherds Lane up to the church could be redeveloped as a whole. Next to 1489 LaVista, heading towards Briarcliff, are two existing O&I properties (1493 and 1501 LaVista) and Sloan Square Apartments. It is our understanding that the business owners at 1493 and 1501 are nearing the end of their careers and may be open to selling those properties. Also, it has been brought to our attention that Sloan Square may want to redevelop in the near future. If these three properties, with or without Sloan Square, get redeveloped together, we could not only be looking at a single property accessing Shepherds Lane, but possibly an entire office park. For those reasons, we are completely against car access to Shepherds Lane.

Our second position

Redeploy the variances Dr Jacobson is asking for to allow for a further set back from Shepherds Lane. Dr Jacobson’s current proposal is to ask for a 20 foot setback from Shepherds Lane, a 40 foot setback from LaVista Road, a 20 foot setback from 1493 LaVista Road and a 50 foot setback from 1179 Shepherds Lane. Dr Jacobson is also requesting that part of the parking be outside of the requested setbacks and into the front yards of Shepherds and LaVista Road.
WHNA’s position is that the dimensions of the buildable area (created by new setbacks) not be altered in size, but altered in location. It is also WHNA’s position that no parking spaces be allowed outside of the setbacks on the Shepherds Lane side of the property.

It is WHNA’s proposal that the setback from Shepherds Lane be allowed to be 30 feet from the Shepherds Lane right of way, and that the 20 foot setback on the east side of the property (adjacent to 1493 LaVista Road) be reduced to 10 feet. This allows Dr Jacobson to not alter her building plans, but creates more of a buffer to Shepherds Lane. In order to maintain this buffer, WHNA would like to see all parking spots be inside of the setback requests on the Shepherds Lane side of the property.

Our third position

Restrict the height of the buildings to a maximum of 25 feet. As an O&I property, you have the ability to build a structure as high as 50 feet, as long as you can accommodate one parking space per 250 square feet of office space. As it stands today, there doesn’t appear to be enough parking area to accommodate a multi-level office building. However, WHNA wants the height restricted to 25 feet to prevent future high density redevelopment of this stretch of properties.

Our fourth position

Allow full car access from LaVista Road to the property. Since we are adamantly opposed to Shepherds Lane car access, WHNA believes Dr Jacobson’s property should have full in/out access to LaVista Road.

Please make sure to attend these public meetings

The first meeting will be with the Zoning Board of Appeals on September 8th at 1:00 PM. The Zoning Board of Appeals will hear this matter regarding the setback reductions and allowing parking spaces in the front yards of this property.

WHNA, in coordination with LLCC and LaVista Park, plans to request a postponement of this meeting. We feel that until car access to the property is settled, we cannot support or condemn any planned development for 1489 LaVista Road. However, if our request is not met, we will be prepared to lay out our points above. This September 8th meeting will be held at Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr, Decatur, GA30294 at 1pm.

The second meeting will be held on September 13th at 6pm with the DeKalb County Planning & Development Department. This is a Public Administrative Hearing to discuss the potential of a primary entrance on LaVista Road and a secondary entrance on Shepherds Lane. This September 13th meeting will be held at 6 PM at 330 W Pounce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 on the 1st floor in Conference Room A.

Finally

Please make every effort to attend these meetings. We need to share our united voices with our elected officials. There is truly strength in numbers.

I am attaching a link to a Variance Site Plan drawn up by Dr Jacobson’s architect for their proposed redevelopment of this property. You will notice this was dated 8/5/10 and I am sure there have been tweaks/changes to this proposal.

Sincerely,

WHNA Board of Directors

http://www.woodlandhillsatlanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/1489-Variance-Plan.pdf

As the property stands today, the buildable area is restricted to being 50 feet from Shepherds Lane and 50 feet from LaVista Road. Dr. Jacobson is asking for a variance to alter these restrictions from 50 feet to 20 feet on Shepherds Lane and from 50 feet to 40 feet on LaVista Road.

Her plans as of today call for two one-story offices on the location; a 750 sq foot office which she will use and a 1500 sq foot office which she will rent out.

Dr. Jacobson has been advised by GA DOT (Department of Transportation) and DeKalb DOT to have two car access points, affecting both Shepherds Lane and LaVista Road.

Last Tuesday, members of LLCC, LaVista Park, and Woodland Hills Board of Directors met with Dr. Jacobson and her husband to discuss the details of her proposals.

There will be two public hearings regarding the property. The first meeting will be with the Zoning Board of Appeals on September 8th at 1:00 pm. The Zoning Board of Appeals will hear this matter regarding the setback reductions and possibly other related issues to this property. The second meeting will be on September 13th at 6:00 pm with the DeKalb County Planning & Development. This is a Public Administrative Hearing to discuss the potential impact of primary entrance on LaVista Road and a secondary entrance on Shepherds Lane.

Please plan to attend these meetings. The September 8th meeting at 1pm is being held at the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr, Decatur, GA 30294. The September 13th meeting will be held at 6:00 PM at 330 W. Pounce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 on the 1st floor in Conference Room A.

Woodland Hills will be submitting a letter to the DeKalb County Board of Zoning and Appeals, as well as to the DeKalb County Planning and Development Department. WHNA Board Members are in discussions to formulate our stance regarding these developments. We plan to finalize them and email the Board’s position to you on Friday.

Please make every effort to attend these meetings and have your voice heard.

Sincerely,

Brad Grulke
President, Woodland Hills Neighborhood Association

We received notice of an attempted break in on Palafox Drive. It appears that the break in attempt occurred midday while the residents were out running errands. Someone tried to pry open the rear double doors (luckily, they were unsuccessful at entering). The police were contacted and a report was filed. The residents left a car in the drive way and the shades were closed. Neighbors did not notice any vehicles pull down into the driveway.

As a reminder, when you leave the house. Check for cars you don’t recognize. They are probably targeting your house. Be aware of construction crews in the area, and finally write down the serial numbers of your electronics. That is how criminals are caught.
Sincerely,

Kate Martin

Woodland Hills Neighborhood Association

Atlanta, GA, September 11-12 – The Taste & Tour of Cheshire Bridge will operate Saturday September 11 and Sunday September 12. Tastings, tours, will be offered from 12 noon to 5 PM with a gathering after 5 PM at Cheshire Pointe (2000 Cheshire Bridge Road) with local musicians, artist and information booths on civic associations, nature conservancies, park services and public service groups. Recommended lots for parking are on Liddell Drive, Faulkner Road, and 1893 Piedmont Road (back parking lot of Nakato Japanese Restaurant). Trolley service will be available with a history tour of the colorful street. Tickets will be sold online at www.lindberghlavista.org and participating store locations. Ticket prices are $20 each for the entire weekend. Many of the Cheshire Bridge businesses will be offering different samples, tastings, and giveaways for each day of the event.

Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Lindbergh LaVista Corridor Coalition, a non-profit organization for promoting the safety and progress of the business nodes along the corridor as well as creating a blueprint for sustainable and progressive neighborhood planning.

Many of the participating businesses have called Cheshire Bridge Road their home for decades while others have recently joined the eclectic Cheshire Bridge mix. Participating businesses include but are not limited to Alfredo’s, Antiques and Beyond, Bamboo Luau, Java Blues, The Colonnade, Costumes Etc., Flora Dora, Las Margaritas, Nakato Japanese Restaurant, Nino’s, Taco Cabana, Habersham Gardens, Johnny’s Pizza, Return to Eden, Roxx Tavern, Rusto’s Pizza, Ursula’s Cooking School, Sheik’s Burritos n’ Kabobs, Woodfire Grill and Rhodes Bakery.

When: Saturday, August 21, 6:30PM

Attention WHNA Members,

Come and help us celebrate the end of summer with our 1st member BBQ and Movie Night.

Bring the family over for a BBQ and games, then at 8:30, we will start the movie. Our own little “screen on the green.”

Movie: TBD
Food: WHNA will supply the burgers, hotdogs, and softdrinks. YOU supply the sides/dessert (Pot Luck Style).

We hope to see you there. When you RSVP, in the comment field, say if you’re going to bring a dessert or a side.

So pack up the chairs and blankets and we will see you soon!

Voters who wish to vote absentee by mail are encouraged to submit their requests now.  Please note on the application that it is for the August 10 General Primary Runoff Election and mark your party preference.  Please remember you must vote in the same party’s runoff as you voted in the Primary.  If you did not vote in the Primary, you may choose either party’s runoff ballot.

For additional information, visit www.dekalbvotes.com or call 404-298-4020.

All, be on the alert for suspicious activity in the neighborhood.  If you see any suspicious activity, call 911 immediately.

Here are some topics of interest from recent DeKalb County Board of Commissioners (BOC) meetings:

911 Services
Green Energy
Code Red
PDK Airport
South Fork Peachtree Creek Trail

911 Services
Highly publicized events have revealed flaws in DeKalb County’s 911 emergency response system.  Based on those events, the system appears to be hampered by improper procedures, inadequate staffing and technical deficiencies.

The county CEO’s administration is working to eliminate the flaws.  Among its steps is the creation of a new position, E911 Director, with dedicated purpose of managing the daily operations of the 911 system.

The new position will be manned by a civilian to retain independence from the county’s public safety departments — police, fire, and emergency management.  The position will be fully funded by the emergency telephone fund based on a surcharge that appears on the telephone bill of all county residents.

The emergency telephone fund covers 100 percent of all operating expenditures for the 911 system so all of its performance flaws can not be blamed on the budget.  In fact, the emergency telephone fund finished the last fiscal year with a surplus.  Whether that surplus could have been used for additional training, personnel or equipment upgrade is a matter for hindsight.

As a result, state law compels the county to lower the 911 surcharge to eliminate future surpluses.  Effective July 1, 2010, the monthly surcharge will drop from $1.50 per month to $1.35.

The CEO’s administration recognizes the importance of the 911 system in protecting life and property in DeKalb.  A transition report prepared for incoming CEO Burrell Ellis in December 2008 identified the 911 system as an issue to be addressed.

“The Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System in the County’s 911 Emergency Center is severely inadequate and is not performing a majority of the basic functions specified by the County in the procurement of the system and needed by the citizens of DeKalb County.” (page 70, Transition Report, Dec. 19, 2008)

The Board of Commissioners will monitor the administration’s actions to rectify identified flaws in the 911 system.

Green Energy
Going green has been a mantra, backed by actions, for DeKalb County’s sanitation department.  The department, which successfully launched a residential recycling program, is now working to generate renewable fuel.

The plan is to collect landfill gas (i.e. methane) from the county’s landfill and convert it into natural gas to be used to power retrofitted sanitation collection vehicles.  To fund this project, the Board of Commissioners voted to accept a $7.8 million grant from the federal Department of Energy as part of the America’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus package.  That federal grant is part of the county project’s estimated $21.6 million budget during the next four years.

The project is technically feasible in part because the county, unlike most counties, owns its landfill, located at Seminole Road (30294).  The Seminole landfill is estimated to have a 70-year capacity based on current projections.

In the natural decomposition of trash, methane gas is expelled.  Most landfills burn off the methane gas to avoid potential explosions and to prevent it from escaping into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas, which deteriorates the earth’s protective ozone layer.

Instead, DeKalb plans to use the converted gas to supply two transportation fueling stations available for use by the general public and county.  The natural gas will power vehicles specifically designed to run on such fuel.  Hence, the county will begin to buy replacement sanitation trucks capable of running on natural gas.  So the project’s concept is that the garbage trucks that pick up garbage will be fueled by garbage.

The sanitation department is to be commended for its ongoing efforts to develop sustainable systems.  The department is among the most successful enterprises in DeKalb County government, one that has performed well in delivering services to county residents.

Recently, the department was honored for excellence in environmental and economic practices.  It received the “Gold Transfer Station Excellence Award” from the Slid Waste Association of North America.

Code Red
The advent of the Internet has created new communication channels between government and its citizens.  No longer are public announcements restricted to mainstream media — television, radio and newspapers.

The newest channel in DeKalb County is a “Code Red” system designed to facilitate communication related to emergencies.  Such emergency announcements include evacuation notices (flood, tornado), bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices and missing child reports.

The Code Red system distributes announcements to residents in targeted geographical areas via e-mail or telephones.  The county has the capability to initiate reverse 911 phone calls using its database of landline telephone numbers.  But Code Red also allows the county to reach out to those residents who rely on e-mail or cell phone as a primary means of communication, if those residents provide the relevant information to the county.

The Board of Commissioners approved a month-to-month extension of the county’s existing contract with a third-party vendor to operate the Code Red system.

Residents are encouraged to sign up for Code Red announcements, either by going to the home page of the county web site and clicking on the Code Red icon near the upper left corner, or following the link at the bottom of this update.

PDK Airport
The Board of Commissioners gave formal approval to two maintenance projects at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport (30341).  Both projects are contingent upon successful application for grant money from the federal and state governments.

The first project is for selected replacement of concrete slabs on two taxiways.  Approximately 25 of 480 slabs have been targeted for replacement.  The existing slabs are roughly 40 years old.

The second project is to remove rubber buildup and repaint the runway along its center spine.  This is an annual maintenance task.

The slab replacement is estimated to cost $800,000 of which 95 percent would be paid by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, 2.5 percent by Georgia Department of Transportation and 2.5 percent by the county.  The county’s portion, about $20,000, would be paid entirely from airport funds, not the county general operating fund.

The airport is a financially self-sustaining enterprise, which collects revenue from user fees and fuel surcharges.  It operates at no cost to county taxpayers.

The two projects are part of the airport’s Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) that have been vetted by local interest groups.  The CIP is important for the airport to maintain its operation viability.

South Fork Peachtree Creek Trail
One of the county’s goals for its green space has been to create connectivity among the parks.  The connectivity fosters a stronger sense of community and provides a transit option to those seeking to leave behind their cars.

District Two is about to take another step towards that goal by connecting Mason Mill Park (30033) with Medlock Park (30033).  A new pedestrian pathway will be installed as part of Phase Two for the South Fork Peachtree Creek Trail.  The pathway, a 10-foot-wide concrete trail, will include a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks that run through Mason Mill Park.

The county is seeking to expand the connectivity further by connecting Mason Mill Park with Spring Creek Road (30033) and Emory University (30322).

Links
Code Red
https://cne.coderedweb.com/Default.aspx?groupid=mbl4JuEWV5zUcLosP9GTmw%3d%3d