Update on Medline LCI Study: community meeting notes

Ideas and concerns collected in prior discussions (left, middle) + hands-on opportunities for people who live, work and play in the area to literally draw better solutions (right)
= COMMUNITY THINK TANK!

The February 27 Medline LCI Community Meeting was a success, with Commissioners Rader and Gannon and their staff present to kick off the project. Jen Price (Sycamore Consulting) has kindly secured the presentation slides (see below), so that those who were not able to attend can also participate. Jen has also supplied us with hard copies of the community survey that will be available at the MANA Community Meeting on March 3.

The Medline LCI study group is funded by the Atlanta Regional Commission:

This study focuses on the area around DeKalb Medical Center and will plan for redevelopment of underutilized and vacant properties to create a variety of housing options and an appropriate mix of commercial, office and retail. The study will incorporate Lifelong Communities concepts and the establishment of a “wellness district” for the DeKalb Medical Center area. Additionally, the plan will address sidewalk and bicycle facilities along the major corridors in the area to create a more walkable center and to improve connections to MARTA bus routes and Emory’s Cliff shuttle.

For more information on the Medline LCI Study, see https://sites.google.com/site/medlinelcistudy/
where you can also find a link to the online survey. There is still time to fill out the community survey!

The presenters emphasized that this is the kick-off to a long process; as the area is developed, we will need to continue to push for investment from developers, with a focus on obtaining concessions that help us create an environment that meets the many and diverse needs of our residents.

A big question in everyone's mind is how to ensure this LCI study yields improvements both short and long-term. The answer goes something like this:
1) as LCI recommendations are finalized, we become eligible for County and Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) funding to complete certain projects
2) finalized Medline area use and design recommendations will be added to the zoning code for the area. This means that future developers will have to abide by those guidelines.
3) the Atlanta Regional Commission requires LCIs to be reviewed every 5 years. This allows the LCI to remain a living, evolving project.

The next Medline LCI community meeting will be on a Saturday in late March; details will be posted soon. The meeting will be held in a charrette format to encourage participation.

The Medline LCI Study began last month and will be completed in June 2014.

Moratorium motion

GRAB-IT! ® -- a new and defective board game that simulates DeKalb County's cityhood and annexation landscape. 

Reviews are mixed: shoddy documentation and many missing pieces!

Last week, the City of Briarcliff initiative released a new map and declared that Briarcliff had "chosen to defer to the published annexation plans of existing cities." This came as a surprise, given that the Vinson Institute study included these commercial properties in the Briarcliff proposal viability test... a study that MANA dues helped support. Briarcliff, at this time, is not on the docket.

New Lakeside map, via http://lakesidecityalliance.org/
wp-content/uploads/2013/02/City-of-Lakeside-map-
2-26-2014-1.pdf. Click to enlarge.

This week, the Lakeside initiative released a new map that engulfs nearby Laurel Ridge (including Laurel Ridge Elementary School, attended by many Medlock area children) as well as other neighborhoods. In rushed, ongoing committee negotiations, legislators are redrawing proposal boundaries in a manner that makes it difficult for constituents to offer timely feedback. As of this week, the Senate has approved the bill (SB 270); if the bill passes the House, it will need to be voted upon, but only those within its boundaries can voice their support or lack thereof.

Many of these concerns were voiced in the Senate this week, and video is available at http://www.gpb.org/lawmakers/2014/day-29. Click on the "Senate Day 29 PM link" and cue to 1:29:10 to watch Senator Steve Henson challenge Senator Fran Millar's Lakeside proposal's incursion into Tucker. Then, cue to 1:44:30 and watch Jason Carter light into Senator Millar and describe the broken process that has led to an ever-changing Lakeside map that amounts to a "foray into someone else's district". Thank you for the Medlock/MANA shout-out, Senator Carter, and for speaking for all the communities being aggravated and antagonized by Lakeside's schemes.

There are many reasons not to rush this process; Commissioner Rader articulated them well here. We encourage the legislature to bench all cityhood and annexation proposals for DeKalb County to allow sufficient input from citizens and analysis on the repercussions these changes will have on the County at large. We encourage DeKalb County residents to reach out to their legislators to ensure these concerns are heard and recorded, in particular as SB 270 moves to the House.

Addendum 3/3/2014: City of Decatur's proposed annexation map to which the Briarcliff Initiative defers. Apparently City of Decatur wants the whole Medline LCI area in addition to commercial properties on North Decatur Road.

Highlight of City of Decatur's annexation plan to which the Briarcliff Initiative defers. Red notes desired boundary;
current boundary not quite as visible in black, so it is now highlighted in pink. Click to enlarge or see original image at http://www.decaturga.com/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=4724  Aug 2014 update:
this link now shows a map without the current city boundary. Subliminal inevitability nudge: check!

This is all very exhausting and confusing, thank goodness for Monty Python's take on annexation.

Lost dog [Jasmine] sighted in Medlock area

UPDATE: Jasmine sighting  ~4pm Feb 27 "running across the grassy area from Powell Ln toward Clairmont Circle, so if you live in that vicinity (near Emory Woods Apartments) please keep an eye out." Message left @ phone number listed below.

Jasmine is a scared, semi-feral foster who escaped while at DeKalb Animal Services, where she was taken to receive medical treatment for an urinary track infection. She appears to have made it to our neighborhood all the way from Kensington Rd.

She is dragging a green leash and there are concerns that she may get stuck somewhere. Jasmine was sighted in the Medlock area of North Decatur (Willivee) early on Feb. 26. 

She is very skittish and volunteers are trying to set up traps. It is possible she could be lured to a backyard if food were available. If you see her, please contact the above number.

Reminder: Fuqua / Scott Blvd. Church community meeting [Feb 26]

Fuqua Development has arranged a meeting at Scott Boulevard Baptist Church to discuss its plans in more detail on Wednesday, February 26 at 7:00 pm. We hope you will plan to attend.

To review recently released information about this development, see http://www.medlockpark.org/2014/02/scott-boulevard-baptist-church-update.html

Reinventing our streets: let's MEDLINE

Cynicism-free vision of what a road can become, via In Transit @ Kickstarter. 

"What if a street is a place instead of a way to get somewhere?" 

"The life of a city does rest and always has rested on the success of its principal streets."

These are some of ideas raised by In Transit, a Kickstarter documentary that explores the "changed ... definition of a street--from a place where people gathered to meet and conduct business, to a means to get a car from one place to another."

But the cool thing is you don't have to live vicariously through urban planners in other cities. Street reinvention and revitalization is happening right in our very neighborhood. Learn more about the Medline LCI study and join the discussion live [Thursday, February 27th, 6:30—8:00 PM @ North Decatur Presbyterian Church (Sanctuary), 611 Medlock Road, Decatur, GA 30033] or online [learn more about this study and leave feedback].

How do you envision our area, what would you like to see? Please share your thoughts.

And see you on February 27 for a little... terraforming!

Lastest City of Briarcliff map

"The City of Briarcliff Initiative announces the release of an updated version of the Briarcliff map. “February 2014 Draft” is available on Briarcliff’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/briarcliffga and shows hand drawn lines. Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (HD-82) will present a formal version of this map to the Legislature. Briarcliff has chosen to defer to the published annexation plans of existing cities, in keeping with the city’s core belief that everyone should have a chance to vote on whether they want to be in a city."

[But it should be noted that the owners of non-residential properties are not allowed to vote.]

For the full press release, see

http://www.prlog.org/12285345-briarcliff-statement-on-hb-665-cityhood-map.html

For some recent discussions on City of Decatur's current annexation plan, see DecaturMetro:

http://www.decaturmetro.com/2014/01/31/superintendent-annexation-would-require-building-another-school-or-campus-expansion/

http://www.decaturmetro.com/2013/12/26/catch-up-on-the-decatur-annexation-conversation/

http://www.decaturmetro.com/2013/12/16/decatur-preps-for-large-scale-annexation-as-creation-of-north-dekalb-cities-looms/

Lifelong Communities: MANA and Emory School of Public Health team up

from v 31, Medlock Matters

By Kathryn Firago

MANA and School of Public Health team

Last August, many of our neighbors aged 50+ took a survey to help the Lifelong Communities committee understand the needs and wants of this population. Once we had those responses, we had the good fortune of having the Emory School of Public Health provide qualified students in its degree program to analyze the responses and make suggestions to us based on their importance to the community and feasibility of implementation. These young women did us a great service and, by working with our community, each earned an A in their Community Needs Assessment course! The students held focus groups, interviewed key members of the Medlock and Clairmont Heights neighborhoods and researched possible partnerships we could make with other organizations and businesses. Following are some of the items on the plan they have provided to us. The committee has yet to meet in 2014 to discuss this plan in its entirety, but that is scheduled later in February.

Create a Community Buddy System – This is something that many of our neighbors are already doing, but it could be more intentional. Neighbors who would like to volunteer to check in on other neighbors’ safety and well being could be matched with ones who would like to have the contact, be
it weekly or some other time frame. It would be a win-win situation for both. This could aid in elderly neighbors not only getting basic needs met, but also in satisfying social needs for them.
Institute Informal Social Gatherings – Arrange potlucks, walking groups, meet-ups at Melton’s or a local restaurant. Form a knitting group, quilting group, and book club. These could happen frequently and could possibly be hosted by the North Decatur Presbyterian Church as the pastor there has offered to work with MANA more often.

Utilize Facebook and other social networks – This could facilitate more immediate networking and announcements. Meetings for Neighborhood Watch, community meetings and the aforementioned informal gatherings could be publicized not only on the Medlock neighborhood website but also on Nextdoor and Facebook. There could be a service-bartering page to offer and request services, such as yard work, housework, babysitting or pet-sitting. This is another way to connect our neighbors to each other in a more personal way.

Use the Dekalb County Public Library Takeout Service – There is a “Savvy Senior” program that includes book discussion groups, a film series, seasonal tax assistance and volunteer opportunities. A library administrator could travel to our neighborhood to conduct workshops on topics of interest such as coping with diabetes, heart disease, and training in computer use.

These are just a few of the suggestions made by the Emory students. We have many to consider and attempt to implement. If you would like to be a part of this Lifelong Communities committee and start making some of these possibilities a reality, please get in touch with Lynn, Deb, Kathryn or Suzan via medlockassoc@gmail.com