Update: ALG meeting with Barton & Blackmon neighbors

The area in question sits on a slice of land between North Decatur Rd. and Scott Blvd.

From Hans Williams, MANA Zoning Co-Chair:

Notes from meeting with Atlanta Land Group:  10-16-12 

• Atlanta Land Group (AGL) is investigating the 17-acre neighborhood between Scott Blvd and N. Decatur road
• ALG would work on behalf of the homeowners to broker a deal with a developer, who in turn would deal with commercial retailers.
• ALG is working with North Decatur Baptist Church in the sale of their land.
• ALG is seeking to represent the Barton Way and Blackmon neighbors as a collective, and admits that a few homeowners holding out can prevent any deal from taking place. ALG's deals with homeowners are contingent on both everyone agreeing to sell and the land being rezoned.
• ALG is primarily interested in the residential properties.  If a potential developer is interested in including the commercial properties behind the residential neighborhood, those could be included, but it is the residential properties that represent the highest developable value.  The commercial properties are irregular in shape and not conducive to the standardization most commercial retailers demand.
• ALG has confidence in being able to find developers and retailers who are interested in the properties, and that a deal could go through if the residents were willing.
• ALG will spend the next week to ten days talking with residents one on one, gathering feedback and gauging interest.  Then they will send out an email and let the homeowners know what the general consensus they are hearing is.  If there is consensus from the homeowners to move forward, and they have a verbal agreement from the enough home owners, they will have everyone sign a listing agreement.  A listing agreement will allow ALG to represent the homeowners for a set number of days (90 to 100).  During that time they will broker a deal with a potential developer, otherwise the deal will not happen.
• Once a deal has been brokered and a contract is signed by all homeowners, it will still take time before closing.  It could take 12 to 14 months from when the community is first contacted until closing.  And the sale is still contingent on the development passing the rezoning process.
• This neighborhood is a desirable neighborhood.  Retailers are seeking to move into more in-town neighborhoods with established population bases.  The location near Suburban Plaza and the City of Decatur makes this area very attractive.

Most of the questions revolved around how likely this was to actually happen.  There was definitely a mix of reactions from “This is about my home, not just money” to “It is all about money.”  I did not notice any real negativity towards the idea of this deal happening, only concern that homeowners can remain whole and skepticism that this will be successful.  A few homeowners at the meeting have been through this before, and expressed concern over the inevitable conflicts such a deal, successful or not, brings to the neighborhood.

The meeting was mostly limited to residents who are directly affected; in addition to the MANA zoning co-chair,  a representative from Commissioner Rader's office was also present.

MANA supports the homeowners' right to decide whatever is best for their families. The MANA zoning team will continue to monitor potential developments.

Hunting Valley Drive Closures: Oct. 18 and 20

Click to enlarge.  Closures planned for October 18 and 20.

Sent to MANA:

I am writing on behalf of Atlanta Gas Light to update you on activities around the pipeline installation at Hunting Valley Drive that will involve some road closures later this week. We recognize this is short notice but work in the area went more quickly than expected.

The contractor’s traffic plan is attached so neighbors can see the exact location of the closure and the planned detour around it.

The drilling work at the site is almost finished, but to complete the installation, the contractor needs to cross Hunting Valley Drive twice with the pipeline shutting down a small section of the road during this process.

The first closure is planned for this Thursday, October 18 and is expected to only last for a couple of hours or less. The second closure is set for Saturday, October 20 and could continue for up to 12-14 hours. Once this part of the installation gets underway, it cannot be stopped. Please be aware that this schedule could shift out by a day or two and possibly push the work to Saturday and Monday. Should it extend further into the week, we will reach out the neighborhood again.

As noted on the traffic plan, signage will be posted in the neighborhood to alert pedestrians and motorists of the road closure.

The areas around the drill sites will be cleaned up and temporarily stabilized once that work is complete in anticipation for the remainder of the pipeline installation currently scheduled to get underway in the neighborhood in December.

Thank you very much for your help in getting the word out to the community during this brief disruption.  We look forward to meeting with you all on Monday.

Regards,

Zachary Donald Smith
Consultant | Atlanta Gas Light
404.754.3481
zachary.smith@jacobs.com

Discussion on the GA Charter School Amendment [Oct 17]

Via CHCA...

Event Date and Time:  10/17/2012 - 9:15am

From the Emory Lavista Parent Council, Cosponsored with eduKalb.

Join us at 9:15 am  (refreshments begin at 8:45 am), Wednesday, October 17, 2012, at the International Community School (Formerly Medlock Elementary), 2418 Wood Trail Lane, Decatur, GA 30033.   

The Georgia Charter School Amendment: The Devil is in the Details.   

Rep. Scott Holcomb will provide an overview of what led to the amendment being proposed and then join Mark Peevy, former Executive Director of the Georgia Charter School Commission and Margaret Ciccarelli, Legislative Services Manager and Attorney, Professional Association of Georgia Educators  for a discussion of the proposed Georgia Charter School Amendment and how it will affect our schools and choices.

As you probably know, the November 6 election will include a vote on a constitutional amendment to modify how charter schools are established in Georgia. The amendment is not about voting yes or no on whether charter schools can be established, but is about control over how they are established. Voting yes would amend current law to allow the Governor and a politically appointed commission to approve new charter schools. Voting no preserves the current system, whereby local school boards,  in conjunction with the State Board of Education, make determinations over charters in their districts. This decision is being watched closely because it may set precedents for other states to follow.

This is a rather contested decision, as Governor-approved charters would compete for public funds.

A search of AJC online articles turns up a number of items on this ongoing debate. Creative Loafing,  the AJC's Get Schooled blog, and the Huffington Post all have featured this issue in recent weeks.

Pro and Con Arguments

YES: Proponents argue that the amendment will enhance school choice and preserve local control of schools (since schools are run locally). The GA Chamber of Commerce has issued a pro-amendment position statement.

NO: Detractors argue the move is dangerous because it removes power from local, elected school board officers and grants it to a non-elected independent board located elsewhere. The VoteSmart Georgia website argues against the amendment. There are also serious concerns about commercial interests influencing the decision:

• Outside money pours into Georgia for charter amendment fight [AJC, Sept. 14, 2012]
• A private electronic memo outlines charter school campaign [AJC, Sept. 15, 2012]
• Attorney says Olens 'strangely quiet' on whether amendment advocacy opinion applies to Gov. Deal [WABE/NPR, Oct. 11, 2012]

Developer wants Blackmon Drive and Barton Way homes [Info Meeting on Oct. 16]

Dear Neighbors,

the letter below was distributed to homes on Blackmon Drive and Barton Way. There is a meeting scheduled at the Scott Boulevard Baptist Church meeting hall on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7:30pm.

This is all the information that is available at this time. Please attend the meeting if you can, and support our neighbors.

Click to enlarge.

Update: unknown connection to this proposed development.

Early voting reminder

A reminder, from DeKalb County's Voter Registration and Elections office.

Mulching and Fall Harvest Festival @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve (CSNP) will host its annual Harvest Festival this Sunday.

In preparation, they are sprucing up and they need help spreading two large loads of mulch. Routine mulching keeps the paths open and easy to walk on.

CNP President Chris Beck notes that

"Over the past couple of years, the number of volunteers from the neighborhood has dwindled. In fact, more than half of the board does not live in the neighborhood. 

It would be great to have more neighborhood involvement."

So please come help with the mulch-a-thon on Saturday... and then come back on Sunday for the Fest!

SATURDAY: October 13 from 9-noon: volunteer day at the Preserve.

SUNDAY: October 14 from 4-7pm:  annual harvest festival with food, crafts for kids, bonfire, s’mores, and live bluegrass music by Culliton, Dean and Lloyd.

Tax increases looming for DeKalb County?

The AJC has another thought-provoking item on annexation, where April Hunt describes how the establishment of new cities impacts us, as unincorporated DeKalb residents:

1) The math will not be pretty for our area because our home property values have fared better than other areas of the County, which means the County must depend on our property taxes to compensate for shortfalls, if services for all County residents are to be protected.

It is important to remember that although our side of DeKalb County boasts very large employers (Emory University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Veteran's Administration Hospital), these organizations are not commercial and therefore do not pay taxes to the County. These organizations are critical to the County (they create jobs, fuel property values for nearby neighborhoods, and by drawing people to the area, create commercial opportunities that feed back into the County's coffers) but, by virtue of their size and the population density they create, they also place significant demands on the Country's infrastructure. City residents derive great gains simply by living close to these employment centers.

2) The removal of commercial tax income unequally impacts County residents.  The formation of new cities such as Brookhaven, or annexation plans such as those proposed by the City of Decatur, (which targets Suburban Plaza and Emory Commons shopping centers) reduces the County's income via commercial property. To cope, the County must increase property taxes, reduce services, and find additional economies. Ms. Hunt's article addresses some changes already being considered (closing a police precinct).

How much of a shortfall is the County facing? Per the AJC:

... Cuts would need to be deep to cover the spread the county already expects. DeKalb projects to start its budget on Jan. 1 with 7 percent less to spend than this year’s $557 million budget. Adjusting for another year of likely property value drops and health insurance increases could further erode the budget.

The formation of Brookhaven alone will cost about $25 million in lost property taxes, business fees and other taxes. If voters just outside Brookhaven’s borders agree to be annexed into Chamblee in November, DeKalb stands to lose an estimated $5 million more.

3) Nearby annexation targets

How would City of Decatur's commercial annexation goals impact the County? Per a document posted on the CoD's website, which the Decatur-Avondale Patch summarizes, Decatur would wind up with

Added population: 2,028 (2010 census was 19,237 for the current city).
Added number of students in the City Schools of Decatur: 230 to start with, 400-430 in eight-10 years (Current student population is 3,627).
Added property tax for city government: About $1 million yearly, without exemptions.
Added property tax for city schools: About $1.7 million yearly, without exemptions.
Total added value: $175,879,561 billion (About $62.8 billion in land, $113.1 billion in buildings.)
Added costs for city government and the school system: Not determined.

This paints a different picture from another document in CoD's annexation page [see questions 20 and 21] that minimizes the impact to the County by saying that annexation lightens DeKalb County's service burden. What does it mean for a municipality to "gain" such 

When City of Decatur (yr. 2011 population of 19,555) sequesters commercial property tax from DeKalb County (yr. 2011 population of 699,893), it is not exactly an equal exchange for all County residents. Another
The article highlights another disturbing reality: the need for better planning. In order to fully understand the situation, we (whether city or county residents) need accurate figures of existing vs. projected needs, and well-considered plans for addressing shortfalls. But the AJC warns us that

... One outside observer said any major changes need to be done only when DeKalb takes time to do some math that it, and other metro counties, don’t do. Simple but time-consuming calculations would reveal how much it costs, per taxpayer, to have a police officer on patrol or keep a library open, said Barbara Neuby, a professor of public administration at Kennesaw State University. 

“If you can’t answer those kinds of questions, you have bigger problems than income,” Neuby said. Neuby has offered to train officials in any county in the math that needs to go into such calculations. So far, no one in DeKalb has taken her up on it... continue reading @ AJC

Is there anything we can do?