North DeKalb Mall community garden: more information

CrossRoadNews has a nice article on the community garden that has sprouted next to North DeKalb Mall. The article provides some information on the history of the garden and what's next for its members. This sounds very neat:

The garden, which had a trial run last year, has expanded and will now offer 250-square-foot Community plots and 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot Market plots.... The garden’s goal is to create a seasonal farmers market that includes outside vendors from the community. Read on @ CrossRoadNews

Pre-garden [GoogleMaps] and currently [GoogleEarth, image dated Oct. 31, 2012]. The garden is located on Orion Drive, between North DeKalb mall and the Stivers Decatur Subaru dealership. Click to enlarge.

MARTA riders have "stronger connection" to Atlanta

Steve Visser at the AJC reports that

According to a region-wide poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MARTA riders have a stronger connection than nonriders to metro Atlanta. More than that, the poll found that MARTA riders had a stronger connection to their individual neighborhood and the county where they live. ... Read the whole article @ AJC

The article also notes that "there’s little research on whether... transit riders feel more connected to their communities." But there is work on that topic, such as the "Are we there yet?" report issued by Reconnecting America mentioned here recently, which cites access to public transportation as one of the key elements in creating stable communities. Granted, that report was in part funded by the American Public Transportation Association, but it also drew support from the Ford and Surdna Foundations, philanthropies interested in sustainability and social change, respectively.

It is not hard to imagine why people might experience a transitive connection to place via public transport. We are very familiar with our emotional attachment to cars (or any faster-than-walking vehicle for that matter): by owning the vehicle and/or controlling access, the owner has the highest level of control over his/her mobility. The vehicle enables feelings of agency and independence. With public transport, travelers place themselves in the hands of the public transportation system. What they give up in spontaneity (assuming they had the option in the first place: the ability to drive is modulated by economic situation, age, and/or disability) they gain in mobility and access.

From page 74 of the Are we there yet? report by Reconnecting America.

Is it so hard to imagine that, by enabling or enhancing access to food markets, employers, educational institutions, social networks and recreational venues, public transport enhances a sense of connectedness, thankfulness, and belonging among its users? 

Druid Hills High School Auction [Feb 3]

"Appeal of a decision to issue a building permit" signs @ Suburban Plaza

These signs appeared around Suburban Plaza this week. 

MANA has left messages with DeKalb County's Planning Department & Selig Enterprises seeking additional information. 

As usual, will share info when we have it!




UPDATE (1/27/2013): MANA has received clarification on the basis of the appeal, filed January 9th by Good Growth Dekalb’s (GGD) attorney on behalf of GGD and Kristina and Abhay Mishra. The appeal states that:

1) Medlock Road is not an authorized truck route, and therefore Walmart's use of this road violates DeKalb Code Section 17-94
2) various hydrology requirements were not met, and
3) there are various violations of the county Tree Protection Ordinance

DeKalb County thoroughly reviewed the redevelopment plan and determined that all criteria were met before granting the building permit. Selig is confident they've met the criteria and is prepared to address the appeal at the Feb. 13th hearing.

Atlanta makes list of "most ambitious transit projects"

The Atlanta area gets a lot of grief for its transit issues, car dependence, pedestrian unfriendliness, etc. but we must also recognize that there is a lot of innovation under way.

We need look no further than the many trails that the PATH Foundation has created, including our own South Peachtree Creek Trail.

So, it is a little gratifying to see that Atlantic Cities has an article titled A Guide to America's Most Ambitious Transit Projects and that Atlanta actually gets mentioned in the Transit Space Race 2013 report. A clickable map allows you to see Atlanta-area projects in progress, most of which involve some type of rail transport.

The report was produced by Reconnecting America, "a national nonprofit that advises civic and community leaders on how to overcome community development challenges to create better communities for all."

If you are interested in urban design, also check out Reconnecting America's "Are we there yet?" report, released last October. Reconnecting America proposes that "complete communities" can be defined by 33 indicators (income, access to public transit and affordable housing, proximity to job centers, pedestrian/cyclist safety, access to parks, education level, etc.). Complete communities are ideal for people of all ages because proximity and public transportation allows independence (and financial leeway--they note that maintaining a car costs ~$8,946/year, per 2012 data). The report concludes by saying:

"If manifest destiny drove America’s ever-outward expansion, facilitated first by wagons and railroads and then by highways and suburban tracts of single-family homes in the last century, the younger generation and boomers alike seem to be driven by a need to
return to the center in the 21st century, redeveloping older communities to make them more complete, and making our economy more resilient and sustainable by doing things more efficiently across our regions."

At the bottom, but at least we made the list!
from http://reconnectingamerica.org/assets/PDFs/20121001AreWeThereYet-web.pdf

See full-size Atlanta Score Card @ Reconnecting America

The overall Atlanta-are report is... full of opportunity.

DeKalb Co. BOE approves new school construction plans

 Ty Tagami at the AJC reports on yesterday's Board of Education meeting:

The facilities plan, which will be funded in part by local sales tax revenue, calls for the expansion of several buildings. Austin, Fernbank, Pleasantdale and Rockbridge elementaries will grow to 900 students . . . The plan adopted by a 6-3 vote Wednesday scraps school closures and is silent on major redistricting.   Read the report @ AJC

UPDATE: DeKalb School Watch posted the document the Board voted on.

Intown Ace Hardware featured by Huffington Post

This feature describes how the owners of Ace Hardware Store didn't just cope but thrived in response to Home Depot's opening on Lawrenceville Highway. Their insights will keep them on top of their game when Walmart opens at Suburban Plaza:

"Jones decided to differentiate his store on the diversity and quality of its offerings. ...changed up his business plan, going from a building supply provider to something more like a general store. ... Today, the store does more than $3 million in sales, an increase of 285 percent since the mid-90s when Home Depot moved to the nearby location, Jones said. The store's success even garnered it recognition as the "Coolest Ace on the Planet" by the hardware franchise in 2012. Read on @ Huffington Post"

Coolest Ace on the Planet? Why yes:

And we agree: Intown Ace's customer service and (like the fancy blogs like to say) artfully curated inventory is the secret sauce!