Medline LCI Study Charrette [Mar 29]

To RSVP for this event, go to medlinedesigncharrette.eventbrite.com

via Jen, from the Medline LCI Study Team:

We’ve put the final touches on our upcoming Design Charrette for the Medline LCI.  It will be held at Masala Indian Restaurant located in Patel Plaza on 3/29.  A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.  We hope that we can count on you to help us spread the word about the event to your networks, neighbors and other interested stakeholders.  Please encourage people to pre-register at:  medlinedesigncharrette.eventbrite.com. It should be an exciting and interactive event!

The community survey will remain open leading up to the Charrette.  Please continue to encourage folks to take the online survey, especially if they cannot attend the design charrette: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MedlineLCI

You can also visit the Medline LCI website to learn more about this study and review documents from previous presentations and community meetings.

Your DeKalb Farmers Market

A Decatur Metro reader recently posted a link to plans depicting a major expansion of Your DeKalb Farmers Market. The plans linked here are dated 2012, construction is now starting. Per the document,

"The proposed expansion will be built in four phases; Phase 1 will consist of 195,692 SF of Warehouse and 352,983 SF of Retail; Phase 2 will consist of 407,152 SF of
Warehouse and 101,788 SF of Retail; Phase 3 will consist of 53,186 SF of Warehouse
and 98,774 SF of Retail; and Phase 4 will consist of 223,530 SF of Warehouse. Phase I is expected to be completed in 3 Years and the overall project is expected to be completed
in 10 years." 

via http://www.avondaleestates.org/resources/pdfs/Your%20DeKalb%20Farmers%20Market
%20Methodology%20Report_04302012.pdf
Current market space and parking appear in light grey roughly between 12 and 2 o'clock. 

You will be here! Medline study area is outlined in orange; the yellow
asterisk marks the Scott Blvd. / Medlock / North Decatur Road intersection.

That is a whole lot of edibles! Also exciting is how close Your DeKalb Farmer's Market is to our area and how much more accessible it will be through pedestrian and cycling improvements that will follow the Medline LCI study.

No mo' cities--this year, anyway

Self-consciously shaped like a stealth bomber, behold
the unholy child of that tawdry 11th-hour Lakeside and Tucker tryst.
It did not fly. 

Reporter Newspapers says that no new cities will be approved in DeKalb this year. The article quotes Senator Fran Millar (who withdrew the Lakeside bill he had sponsored) as saying

“What you’re basically telling 70,000 people is they don’t have the opportunity to vote this year,” 

You could interpret that phrase as Millar having a late but welcome flash of understanding and empathy for all the people outside cityhood an and annexation proposals but nah, he was talking about the Lakeside faithful.

Here's to hoping that with these proposals on hold, with annexations also looming, we can spend the coming year deciding who we are and where we are all going (hopefully nowhere involving a hand basket and gusting dry heat).

AJC update: cityhood initiatives and a DeKalb County task force

April Hunt at the AJC has a summary on the competing cityhood proposal debacle currently unfolding in the legislature. Elsewhere, the interim County CEO, Lee May,

"... issued an executive order to create a 15-member charter task force as early as next week. 

Among its goals will be to plot the county’s march toward municipalization, as well as review whether DeKalb should eliminate its CEO form of government. 

May and the [DeKalb County] commission had agreed on that agenda for lawmakers, but none of their joint requests have been taken up this session. 

“Unfortunately, there has been no political will to address these issues at the state level, and we’re seeing the very real problem of how unclear the right to incorporate with your own borders can be,” May said. “So we have to show the residents, the lawmakers and everyone we are serious about handling this work ourselves.” 

What’s next: The House governmental affairs committee meets at 1 p.m. Wednesday in room 606 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta." Read the rest @ AJC

p.s.
Thanks to the AJC for having this important item outside the paywall.

Dog found near Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve

This dog (no microchip) was found near the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve earlier this month.

A kind neighbor has been holding on to him (?) but will need to surrender it to animal control or rescue soon.

If you know who the owners might be, or an interested in a small, sweet "mini-pin" or rat terrier-type dog, please email medlockassoc@gmail and we'll put you in touch with the person who is taking care of this puppet.

Puppies, kittens and flowers oh my!-- help Friends of DeKalb Animals

from Friends of DeKalb Animals

"Plant a Little Love  Our organization needs your help. For every purchase made on this site, Flower Power Fundraising will give 50% back to Friends of Dekalb Animals. Read through this page and see how you can help today! 

A Personal Message from the Campaign Manager  Plant a Little Love !! All of us pups, cats and humans at Friends of Dekalb Animals have spring fever so we decided to spread some sunshine and hold a plant fundraiser. 50% of proceeds will be donated to FODA by Flower Power, so order some bulbs or seeds for you, your mom, your best friend and your neighbor ! Plant a little love in your garden and help homeless animals ~ how fun is that ? For more info on our organization's life saving mission, please visit www.friendsofdekalbanimals.org

http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?q=campaign&campaign_id=18303"

And if you don't need flowers but still want to help, you can make one-time donations via Paypal at www.friendsofdekalbanimals.org.

DeKalb Commissioners transfer economic development oversight to new board

Decaturish has a great report on how the DeKalb Board of Commissioners has decided to set up a new, independent government agency to oversee County development that

"... transfers economic development activities to the board, removing them from the supervision of the county CEO. 

The commission’s actions followed a scathing report produced [by] Angelou Economics on the county’s market conditions. The report, which the county commissioned, said declining tax revenues and a culture of political corruption are holding back the county’s economic development efforts.

... Angelou Economics found the county’s tax digest has decreased 50 percent in the last six years as new cities have formed. DeKalb also suffers from a higher crime rate than its neighboring communities, including Atlanta."  Read on @ Decaturish

Did you catch that: "the county’s tax digest has decreased 50 percent in the last six years as new cities have formed." The last six years counts from 2008, the year when the bottom fell out, heck broke loose, and development stalled or retracted everywhere; it's fair to guess the national economic mood had some impact on the digest, too. Still, we have to acknowledge that as commercial property leaves the County, any new (taxable) development due to recovery will also be happening and most benefiting those incorporated areas.

Did you know that DeKalb is quite remarkable in terms of patent activity?
This is but one slide from the Angelou Economics report. 

The document that informed the Board's decisions can be found at http://www.co.dekalb.ga.us/
pdf/2014_02_17_dekalb_county_market_assessment_report.pdf Definitely click on that link and learn more about our County!

The Angelou Economics report gathered information through its http://dekalbcounty2020.com/ link. Matrix Consulting was hired to collect information to help overhaul the County's permitting and licensing operations; their survey can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/
DeKalbCustomer  It is uncertain if information submitted to these surveys is still being collected.