Suburban Plaza wins redevelopment award

The AJC reports that Suburban Plaza was recognized at the Metro Atlanta Redevelopment Summit this week with the 2016 Regional Redevelopment Award.

See the press release here.

To see our Suburban Plaza posts, click here.

Cox Conserves Heroes program: VOTE for Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve's President!!

This is a great chance to support the volunteer projects that have made the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve such a gem, not just for our neighborhood but for nature lovers all over Atlanta.

VOTE DEADLINE is 

OCTOBER 26.

"For more than 10 years, Chris Beck, our current president, has worked as a volunteer at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve. He was recently named a finalist for the Cox Conserves Heroes program. Voting for the winner is now open. The finalist with the most votes will receive another $5000 for their non-profit. In our case, we would use the funds for ecological restoration at the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve.

Cardinal flower.

To see a video, click here.

To vote, go to http://www.coxconservesheroes.com/atlanta/finalists.aspx.

As always, thanks for your support of the Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve."

Box turtle

The Rock: our baby Stone Mountain

A place of wonder.
Ten or so years ago, an American Bittern stopped by for a few days, to the delight (and eyestrain) of many birdwatchers. About that long ago, hundreds of crayfish made an afternoon quite memorable by making a beeline across the street, business unknown. These 28 acres just keep on giving: "...beavers, foxes, turtles, snakes, frogs, rabbits ...166 species of migratory and resident birds including wood ducks, pileated woodpeckers, and sand-hill cranes..."  And let's not forget the many plant species, fungi, invertebrates and microbes that make a home at the Preserve.

A fallen tree now nurtures a shelf fungus and moss.

Pileated woodpecker feather

Please vote for Chris. This award will help him and his volunteers fight invasive species and as he explains in the video, bringing back native vegetation is a key component of restoring this habitat.

Deer track

Here's a link to some of our prior posts with photos of the Preserve. If you have not visited, now's a great time. The weather's cool and there's always something to see if you look closely...

The Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve is located at 2580 Pine Bluff Drive Decatur, GA 30033.

For Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve updates, follow them on Facebook.

Level-One Drought declared for DeKalb County

Per the September Drought Indicators Report (link below), it's dry and expected to stay that way...

The AJC reports that we are on a level-one drought response holding pattern due to low rain levels. We should limit outdoor watering to the hours of 4pm - 10am. According to the AJC, "One inch of rain or water every 7 to 10 days is all your plants need."

See the GA Environmental Protection Division announcement here.

The September Drought Indicators Report for September 2016 is available here.

Emory Campus Traffic Advisory [Oct 1]

via Emory University...

"Several roads on and adjacent to the Emory University campus will experience lane closures between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, due to the 6th annual Winship Win the Fight 5K, in which more than 3,000 walkers and runners are expected to participate: 

• North Decatur Road between Haygood Drive and Clifton Road will have only one lane open in each direction from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. 

• The westbound lane of North Decatur Road, from Clifton Road to the roundabout at Oxford Road, will be closed between 8:30 a.m. and 8:50 a.m., open eastbound only. 

• Oxford Road, from the roundabout to Eagle Row, will be closed northbound between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., open southbound toward the roundabout. Motorists should avoid the area if possible. Those traveling in the area should expect delays until 10:00 a.m"

Registration for the Winship 5K ends September 29.

SJ Collins development agreement with the Community

This image highlights the new development in context (Suburban Plaza redevelopment & former site of Scott Blvd. Baptist and adjacent plots being redeveloped by Fuqua Development). Image via SJ Collins.

SJ Collins (developer of the parcel at the corner of North Decatur Rd. and Church St.), working with the DeKalb Cross-Neighborhoods Council (DCNC), signed off on a zoning agreement and conditions based on the input of neighborhood representatives.

Some highlights:

• traffic enhancements such as thermoplastic pedestrian crossings throughout, a new traffic signal and an upgrade the timing system to coordinate new and existing lights
• $100,000 towards the installation of a traffic light with pedestrian crossing at the Church St. and Milscott Dr. intersection
• 10% of the units in the multi-family residential building will be priced as workforce housing (and reserved for residents demonstrating income at or below 80% of area median income)
• these agreements apply to any future owners of this property. That includes making good faith efforts with any future adjacent developments to maintain connectivity between the properties.
• 1 acre of open public space was negotiated
• utilities will be under ground
• bike racks will be available around the development, one near the grocery store
• a contact person will be available to address concerns during the construction phase; construction traffic will be routed away from residential streets

Click on the links to see the conditions attached to this development's approval:

• Zoning Agreement (pdf)
• Conditions (pdf)

UPDATE: SJ Collins has issued a press release and their website has links to

• a flyer with development details and  
• a site plan. 
• Atlanta Curbed has some additional images here.

Site Plan per SJ Collins's website

Bonus content: The DeKalb Neighborhood Newspaper reports on this development. (10/4/2016)

Lawrenceville townhomes, SJ Collins development approved

A very quick zoning update... At last night's meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved these two nearby projects. Click on the links to see all our content on these developments:

• SJ Collins development at the corner of Church St. and North Decatur Road
• Townhome development at Lawrenceville Hwy (between Orion and Hollywood Drives)

Medlock Park: parking lot to be re-paved [Oct 3,4]

BlackJack will seal the Medlock lot next Monday 10/3 and stripe the following day Tuesday 10/4. They do not anticipate requiring the lot any longer than these two days.