Birdwatching, Fall Festival @ Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [Oct 11, 19]

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is hosting two events that are sure to take advantage of the lovely fall weather.

Great blue heron.

BIRDWATCHING: Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve and Atlanta Audubon Society are co-sponsoring a birding field trip at the nature preserve this Saturday, October 11 from 8 to 11 AM. Dave Butler will lead the trip along with Jay Davis. No experience is necessary so please come and learn about birds and your nature preserve. The event is free. Bring binoculars. No children under 12, please--this is an Audubon event and likely to be well attended. If there is interest, Dave is happy to organize a separate event for young birdwatchers.

And after all that birdwatching, hit the MANA Yard Sale! Who knows, someone may be selling your next pair of binoculars or birding guide...

FALL FESTIVAL: A neighborhood tradition! October 19 from 4-7pm, dust off your fall jacket and come on down for food, kids activities, music, and s'mores by the bonfire.

Perennial morning glory.

Fiery skipper.

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is a 28-acre privately-owned greenspace maintained by volunteers and located at 2580 Pine Bluff, Decatur GA 30033 | map |. The Preserve has been featured in "Hiking Atlanta's Hidden Forests" and in Birdwatching Daily.

Around Medlock

Some views around the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve...

Fall color preview, from the ground up.

Great Blue Heron hunts for breakfast.

Morning glories are always an unexpected treat. Wonder what this one looks
like to a bee?

Update on Greg Germani: thumbs up

Greg Germani Trust Fund

Beth Anne writes on Facebook: "Thumbs up! Greg Germani gave me the go ahead to share this photo. The past four months have been extraordinarily tough, but Greg's here and giving it his all every day."
As we all know, Greg was (purposefully) hit by a driver while commuting on his bike last July. That driver has been arrested, is charged with attempted murder, and awaits trial. Greg is a Medlock resident and the genius behind the Atlanta Time Machine.

Greg's rehab is ongoing and so is the campaign to ensure that he continues to receive the very best support.

Beth Anne also posted that there's an fundraising even next November 7 at the Star Community Bar. Continued fundraising is needed because "Once Greg leaves the hospital and goes into outpatient treatment, his insurance benefits are less generous. Once he has utilized all of his insurance covered outpatient therapy visits (just about 2-4 weeks), the figure for daily outpatient therapy is in the neighborhood of $500 per day. Greg needs and deserves the best care possible and his incredible friends, family, neighbors and strangers are making that happen."

For anyone who can't attend this concert or just can't wait to pitch in, donations are possible through Greg Garmani's fundraising page at http://www.gofundme.com/GregGermaniTrust
Well-wishers can also send good vibes to Greg:

Greg Germani c/o Shepherd Center 
2020 Peachtree Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30309

Notes from “Blueprint for DeKalb” presentation

“Blueprint for DeKalb” is a citizen-led initiative first organized by Commissioner Kathie Gannon to improve and revitalize DeKalb County. The group has worked hard to identify best practices that, going forward, will elevate ethical and professional behavior while also providing the type of oversight that is typical of top-notch organizations.

To learn about the people who are leading this effort as well as review white papers and other documents and resources the team has gathered, go to blueprintdekalb.org and don't forget to complete their survey. Blueprint representatives area available to attend civic organization meetings and discuss the Blueprint's plan.

The September 30 meeting at the Maloof Building was well attended (140+ people?) and provide specific examples of the governance targeted by the Blueprint. Presenters (all Blueprint leaders) included Beth Nathan, Brenda Pace, Ted Daniel, Gil Turman, Martha Pacini, Robert Glover, Dan Wright, Patricia Killingsworth, Calvin Sims and Jana Johnson.

Making the Blueprint’s recommendations a reality will require changes to the Organizational Act; proposals will need to be approved by the DeKalb Delegation and later, the state legislature. A key recommendation (for internal auditing and ethics) is that these oversight structures need specific budgets, set to a percentage of the overall County budget (e.g., 0.01-0.05% or similar "industry standard”). A set budget would be protected from political machinations and ensure that oversight departments have sufficient staffing and resources to process complaints and conduct and complete investigations.

Below are some of the examples provided, and links to the Blueprint’s pages that deal with those issues.

MANA Yard Sale Map [Oct 11]

The treasure hunt is ON! Next October 11, 8am - 3pm, prepare to shop 'til you drop. 

You can also view this map here via GoogleMaps or dowload it as a pdf.

Big thanks to Stephanie for organizing this year's sale and generating this awesome map for us!

Suburban Plaza update: Starbucks, LA Fitness

The Cross-Neighborhoods Committee has some Suburban Plaza updates. First, some timelines:

• Walmart construction is scheduled to begin in October 2014, with the store expected to open on February or March of 2016.  

• LA Fitness (old Winn Dixie building) has been granted their land disturbance permit and is in the process of applying for their building permit. Demolition of that building should begin soon. 

• The Starbucks drive-through SLUP was approved by the Board of Commissioners on September 23.

• Selig plans to begin facade and parking lot renovations in January 2015. 

• Selig is in final negotiations with two junior anchor tenants.  As soon as the contracts are signed, they will release their names.

A refresher: the last available map we shared on August 2014. Click to enlarge.

Greg Catoe at Selig Enterprises also shared some additional updates about Starbucks and LA Fitness.

With regards to Starbucks, Selig is seeking a variance for the Starbucks building to be built closer to North Decatur Road (5 feet away from their property line, vs the 75 feet required by our code of ordinances). This would allow pedestrians to access to Starbucks directly from the sidewalk that Selig will be adding along that side of North Decatur Road.

At a tilt, to align with the master plan: this is a close-up of the future LA Fitness and Starbucks. This is the side
of the development closest to the North Decatur Road and Church Street intersection. Click to enlarge.

"Suburban Plaza LLC  is requesting a front yard setback variance  be granted to allow a drive-through restaurant to be constructed at 2641 North Decatur Road, which is part of our Suburban Plaza shopping center property that is currently being redeveloped to include several new tenants including, among others,  Walmart and LA Fitness. The proposed tenant for this building will be Starbucks Coffee.  This variance application is seeking relief from the 75’ front yard setback requirement as noted in Sec. 27-581 of the DeKalb County Code of Ordinances.

The proposed Starbucks will be approximately 1,750 s.f and will be situated approximately 5’ back from our property line along North Decatur Road. To accommodate this new building, an existing 2,000 s.f. building that currently encroaches upon the required 75’ setback by approximately 40’ will be demolished (the former Pizza Hut). With the sole exception of the front yard setback, our proposed site plan meets all requirements of the existing DeKalb County Code of Ordinances and it  has also been designed to meet all the requirements governing drive-through restaurants in Article 4.2.23 of the zoning ordinance update that is anticipated to be adopted in the coming months.

A Special Land Use Permit for the drive-through component was approved by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners on September 23rd, 2014."

Selig "has not received the official documentation from the planning department noting our approval and the conditions" but Catoe will update the Cross Neighborhoods Committee upon receipt. Selig is continuing to study and refine the details of the crosswalks to ensure the safety of those shopping at the center.

Below are some depictions of the LA Fitness building's exterior.

 Details of the LA Fitness building. This image has been split into five views,
below, to improve online visibility. Click to enlarge.

1. Southwest view, as seen from existing Suburban Plaza stores such as BigLots.  Click to enlarge.

2. Northeast view, from the general direction of the North Decatur  Road and Church Street intersection. Click to enlarge.

3. Northwest view, as seen from the North Decatur Road and Blackmon Drive intersection area. Click to enlarge.

4. Southeast view, frontage, main entrance as visible from Church Street.  Click to enlarge.

5. Legend describing colors and materials. Click to enlarge.

Reminder: "Blueprint for DeKalb" [Sept 30]

PUBLIC MEETING: 
September 30, 6:30 pm, Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr., Decatur, GA, 30030

http://www.blueprintdekalb.org/