Sunday, May 21, 2023

Dunwoody City Council Agenda for Monday May 22, 2023 (Master Path Plan, 60 Million Dollar Bond Referendum, additional ambulance, Walmart & Total Wine Alcohol Violations)

 

  DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
May 22, 2023 - 6:00 PM
DUNWOODY CITY HALL - DUNWOODY HALL
4800 ASHFORD DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GA 30338

Agenda 6 pm  - City Site Agenda 

City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page

They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/82324264973  or  phone +14702509358,,82324264973#

You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.

Invocation

Public comments - in person 3 min each / 30 min max with additional at end of meeting if needed. 

Georgia GMIS (Government Management Information Systems) "Spirit of GMIS" award presentation

Open Public Hearing on Consideration of Suspension or Revocation of Alcoholic Beverage License for Walmart #2360, 4725 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338, Licensee Stefon Damoz Nima, License Number 4327

Open Public Hearing on Consideration of Suspension or Revocation of Alcoholic Beverage License for Total Wine & More, 124 Perimeter Center West, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338, Licensee Tabitha Favors, License Number 3751

Consideration of Award of Wrecker Services Contract to Brown and Brown

Consideration of the Path Foundation / Dunwoody Master Plan for Trails

Womack / Chamblee Dunwoody Road Ceramic Mural Funding

Funding Authorization for Autaco Development to Construct Phase I of the Vermack Path Adjacent to Dunwoody High School

Approval of an Amendment to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) Agreement for the Grant Awarded to the Westside Connector Project

Consideration of the Intent to participate with U.S. HUD & DeKalb County CDBG program

Call for an Election for $60 Million General Obligation Debt for Parks & Paths

Vietnam War Memorial Donation - Brook Run Veteran Memorial

Drive Lane Paving for Two Bridges Park

North Shallowford Road Path Project Design Contract

Edge City 2.0 Update May vs Edge City 2.0 Update January

Articles below related to Edge City by Atlanta Business Chronicle, - I have been arguing condos over apartments for years and these articles finally lean that way.

How Dunwoody is plotting sustainable growth, with empty-nesters in mind

Shape our future:' Dunwoody to craft plan for reenergizing Perimeter Center

Approval of $600K Contract with American Medical Response (AMR) for Additional ALS Ambulance Services for one year.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Dunwoody Art Festival in Dunwoody Village, Stage Door theater, music at Barn, public art, Farmers Market, Two Bridges Park - Happy Mother's Day!

Mayor Lynn sent out a Facebook post highlighting the events of the weekend that was too easy for me to share.  Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms including Mayor Lynn!

Good morning. Have an arsty weekend without leaving Dunwoody! 
 
Tonight, Peter and the Starcatcher opens at Stage Door Players. https://stagedoortheatrega.org/peter-and-the-starcatcher/
 
The Dunwoody Arts Festival is this weekend in the Village. Shop great local arts, see your friends and more. https://www.splashfestivals.com/events-festivals/dunwoody-art-festival/  There is a shuttle from Dunwoody City Hall and you can park in the areas adjoining the festival as well. This free, family friendly, event is an annual Mother’s Day Weekend tradition. 
 
Speaking of the Village, lots of live music at Barn: this weekend as well. https://www.barndunwoody.com/events
 
Take a tour of our growing collection of public art in Dunwoody. Thanks to a contribution from 5th 3rd Bank, we have added 5 more Green Light Boxes to our collection. You can find out the locations and learn more about our growing number of public art pieces here https://www.dunwoodyga.gov/.../arts-and.../find-public-art
 
Dunwoody Farmers Market is this Saturday, 9 AM to Noon at Brook Run Park.
 
Don't forget that Two Bridges Park is now open. Home to a great playground, a short nature trail and our first splash pad, it is located at 50 Perimeter Center East Dunwoody 30346.
 
Have a great weekend.

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Dunwoody City Council Meeting agenda of Monday May 8, 2023 (JCC SLUP, parking for home occupations, Dunwoody Nature Center Stream, City Manager Report)

 

  DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
May 8, 2023 - 6:00 PM
DUNWOODY CITY HALL - DUNWOODY HALL
4800 ASHFORD DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GA 30338

Agenda 6 pm  - City Site Agenda 

City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page

They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/83571238287  or  phone +14702509358,,83571238287#

(As an Fyi, the Zoom numbers above may not be correct as I am noticing duplicate dial in numbers in this agenda as were used in the April meeting, if incorrect I will correct my blog as time allows but you if you can't get the dial in number to work, you may want to check the city agenda page for possible updates.)

You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.

Invocation

Public comments - in person 3 min each / 30 min max with additional at end of meeting if needed.

Proclamation - Bike Month

Update on Citizen Capital Improvement Committee

City Manager's Report

Introduction of the Code Enforcement Officers, Robert Adderly and Mihai Parlog

FIRST READ SLUP 23-02: Special Land Use Permit for 5342 Tilly Mill Road, to allow an existing neighborhood recreation club and for the construction of new sport courts.

FIRST READ Review and Consideration of Text Amendments to the Code of the City of Dunwoody for Chapter 27 Article V, to reflect changes to the state Zoning Procedures Law

FIRST READ Review and Consideration of Text Amendments to the Code of the City of Dunwoody for Chapter 8, Article IV, to reflect changes to the water efficiency regulations

FIRST READ Review and Consideration of Text Amendments to the Code of the City of Dunwoody for Chapter 27, Article III, Division 3, to update commercial vehicle parking regulations for home occupations

FIRST READ Review and Consideration of Text Amendments to the Code of the City of Dunwoody for Chapter 27, Article VI, Division 4, to update the requirements for nonconforming uses

Renewal of Property & Liability Insurance with GIRMA

North Shallowford Road Properties Budget Allocation

Funding Authorization for Nature Center Stream and Wetland Improvement Engineering Services

Funding Authorization for 1511 Devonshire Way & 5226 Wyntercreek Court Storm Repairs

Approval of a Contract Extension with Autaco Development - Sidewalk Projects

Park Naming Campaign for the Vermack Road and Roberts Drive Park Properties

Discussion of Award of Wrecker Services Contract to Brown and Brown

Funding Authorization for Autaco Development to Construct Phase I of the Vermack Path Adjacent to Dunwoody High School

Friday, May 5, 2023

Place your order today for Sunday's Burger Benefit at NFA Burger in Dunwoody supporting the Giving Kitchen

 

 Event Details and Purchase Information

Sunday's dinner reservation has been made. Burgers are on the menu, created by top-level chefs to raise money for the Giving Kitchen. Thank you to Georgia's Best Burger here in Dunwoody, Georgia, NFA Burger for hosting & thanks to all the sponsors.

The Burger Benefit will bring chefs from around the country for a one day event to raise money for The Giving Kitchen.  You are purchasing ONE burger crafted by one of the chefs down below and an order of crinkle cut fries.

When / Where: Sunday May 7th but orders need to be placed in advance - so order today!  Event is happening at NFA Burger in the Village.

The Chefs

Billy Kramer - NFA Burger (Atlanta)
John Benhase - Starland Yard (Savannah)
George Motz - Hamburger America (New York)
Sef Gonzalez - @BurgerBeast (Miami)
Matthew Hyland - Emmy Squared (Austin)
Simone Tong - Little Tong & Silver Apricot (Austin)
Walt Ehmer - Waffle House (Atlanta)
Nick LePore - @Burger.Buff
Nick Leahy - Nick's Westside & Morty's (Atlanta)
Chris Hall - Local 3 (Atlanta)
Anthony Bushee - Carolina Jax (Jacksonville)
Rodo Camara - The Food Truck Store (Argentina)
Cole Meirstein - Dreamburger Nashville
Alex Brounstein - Grindhouse Killer Burger (Atlanta)
Jonathan and Justin Fox - Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta)
Melanie and Jason Schoendorfer - Babe's Meat & Counter (Miami)
Vinnie Cimino & Ryan Boone - Cordelia (Cleveland)
Josh Ennis - Certified Angus Beef (Atlanta)
Robert Owens - Grand Champion BBQ (Atlanta)
George Frangos - Farmburger (Atlanta)

The Why

The Giving Kitchen – Emergency Support for Food Service Workers

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Paths & Trails were a big topic of conversation at the Dunwoody City Council Meeting

Typical Path Foundation Photo - Unobtrusive Paths don't scare me, I just wish we had this space.

Tonight City Council Chambers were at capacity, mostly to provide comments on the trail system but a special Kudos goes out to Peachtree Middle School Principal Michelle Perez who attended our meeting to thank us for the proposal for artificial turf on the PMS Football Field.  

Our meeting started at 5 pm today and there was still a good crowd of citizens who stayed until 9:30 to hear the issues and to make their own comments.  Kudos to them and everyone else who attended and or spoke, either pro or con.

Numerous residents spoke on the draft trail plan and believe it or not, I am a fan of making many of these infrastructure improvements but I would want to scale some of the projects back to 8 feet allowing more room for greenery, trees & shade and this plan does not allow for anything under 10 feet. 

Many residents speaking against the paths were speaking about specific paths that personally affected them, they spoke of problematic aspects of the path plans that they would like to see removed from the plan.  Some of the proposed paths they had issues with were to Dunwoody Elementary School path from the neighborhood, the path along Nancy Creek, the Brook Farm community didn't want a spur, the Stevens Walk Community still wants assurances that a trail would come on their east side of Tilly Mill and finally a resident of North Peachtree questioned the last minute addition of the 10 foot path that was added to the bond list.  On the other side of the coin, there were pro comments wanting path ways added that were missing from the draft plan.

Of the six council members, I seem to be the odd man out, wanting to move more cautiously on these trails because of the negative impacts (real or perceived) on those adjacent to the proposed infrastructure.  We heard general residents saying move forward and others saying this this might be for the greater good, but how is the city going to protect me, my property and my privacy from this 10 foot trail abutting my property, cutting through my backyard?   Those questions were not answered and I can tell you that when it comes to infrastructure installation, the details really matter otherwise it is usually the resident that feels the negative unintended consequences. 

At the end of the council conversation, the mayor pushed back and said this plan should give residents what they want without excessive harm to residents affected.  She questioned the consultants on cost, the order of recommended construction, what paths would serve the greatest good.  She asked about other cities who have installed paths in front of single family homes.  Based on her comments, I am guessing that this master plan will be reviewed and tweaked by staff based on issues raised, it may be vetted to the community again or the subject may be back at the next city council meeting for more discussion and maybe a vote for approval. We'll have to wait and see.

 Heneghan comments of 4/24/23 on trails.

"Today we are discussing the Draft Dunwoody Trail Master Plan that will be set as the defacto trail construction standard and I believe this document needs to be further vetted, tweaked and tightened up to accurately document the desires of our community, especially as related to paths in the residential districts. 

Last week Councilman Lambert and I spent over an hour with 50 residents of a sub-division talking about one sentence in the plan that stated the path would enter into their community where there was no public access point, because that community would prefer to not have path access. 

I was on Council when the Brook Run Trail was conceived, funded and implemented, therefore I am a strong advocate for paths, when they are in the appropriate places.  I was also a strong advocate for the buffering of that trail so not to negatively impact the homeowners adjacent to that path.

Based on current wants and desires of the community, I too want improved infrastructure throughout the city to improve walkability, room for strollers, wheelchairs and even bicycles to be able to move freely within our community.

Unfortunately, I also have grave concerns over the plans being presented today as the negative impacts on the individual homeowners have not been taken into consideration when these paths are placed in front of single-family homes. 

Like all infrastructure projects the devil is in the details, as these plans don’t allow wiggle room to go below 10-foot-wide paths in residential districts, I wish there were other options.  At the very least, the Community should be aware this is happening, public notice should be given and a city-wide conversation should be happening before final approval.   This meeting is a good start, but I think more information sharing and gathering is needed.

I have raised objections to Council and to the community via my blog, as I believe it is an obtrusive overstep of filling the allowed right of way, with excessive concrete which limits greenery & beauty.  Are there no scaled back options at a lower cost that can also serve the greater good?  What are the minimum landscaping measures that accompany these transportation improvements?

These big trail master plans are not fully engineered except that we know 10 feet of concrete is the minimum for a multi-use “Greenway” path  We have no clue as to the actual greenery that will need to be removed, we have not openly discussed these plans with the affected residents along the path, have not discussed the financial considerations or lower cost options, yet this plan could be on the next meeting agenda for formal action including possible approval.  I hope we slow it down a bit.

Public Safety

We purposely installed on the road bike lanes on Mt Vernon and other places so that when 285 is shut down or gridlocked and the traffic enters our surface streets, that there would always be a safety factor on the surface streets to allow fire trucks and ambulances to move freely.  Mount Vernon typically has two 11-foot travel lanes and two 5-foot bike lanes which in the time of need allows all cars to move over to the right allowing emergency vehicles down the middle.    Q1 - The path plan isn’t very clear, what is the current width of Mt. Vernon and can cars still maneuver out of the way of emergency vehicles?

Right of Way / Property Rights / Buffers / Screening

I have read in this document that working within the right of way is the goal but at times easements or property purchase will be needed to make these plans a reality.  If the resident refuses easements or sale, I am guessing the first option is to move the path or modify the width of the trail.  If a resident refuses to sell or grant an easement for the project, then I guess the Council may need to consider eminent domain to acquire the rights needed to move forward.

Question raised by resident - There are numerous buffers identified whereby the path has to have a minimum buffer from the road but there is no minimum buffer between the edge of the trail and a home.  There is no discussion of the city screening the trail from homes.  Why not?  Q2 - Are these buffering and screening decisions of Council to make with every project or is it better to have guiding principles listed now for uniformity in buffering & screening throughout the city?

Calm Streets

The path plan states - Calm streets are located where both traffic volumes and speeds are low; they are designed in collaboration with neighbors to give priority to pedestrians and bicycle riders.   Calm streets work best where there are already sidewalks or where sidewalks can be included. (page number 14 or page 20 of 88).

This draft Trail Master Plan also envisions "calm streets" with forced traffic calming measures like speed humps.  We currently have a traffic calming policy that is data driven, requires neighborhood buy in and resident payment for the upkeep of the traffic measures.  Q3 - How does this Calm Streets path plan relate to our traffic calming policy?

There are no sidewalks where Calm Streets are listed (Sudbury, Dunkirrin, Riverglenn Circle)?  Do sidewalks go in before the citizens vote?  What if I want this on my street but it is not listed on the plan, can you install, who pays?

Finally in E7 - There is section of 10 foot concrete greenway along the Doraville / Dunwoody border where Doraville just approved numerous town homes on their side of the creek and the Dunwoody homes directly adjacent to that creek already have a flooding history.   As a neighbor in that community, I would like more details as to the specifics of this path to ensure building in the floodplain will not negatively impact the Dunwoody homes.

Again, my hope would be to slow down this process and have several open houses so the residents can provide appropriate feedback as to the trails directly affecting them.  We had numerous data gathering sessions on the front end of this project and I would suggest that we do the same on the back end so that it accurately matches the desires of the community.

I appreciate the Citizen input and research done by the Path Foundation, but I don't think this draft report is ready for prime time, let alone ready for approval for full implementation.  

Thanks, now let’s get back to those three questions I had.

 

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Dunwoody City Council Meeting Agendas for Monday April 24 at 5 & 6 PM (Commercial Market Update, 2023 Community Survey, PCMS Turf Field, Draft Path Discussion)

 
DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Special Called
April 24, 2023 - 5:00 PM
DUNWOODY CITY HALL - DUNWOODY HALL
4800 ASHFORD DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GA 30338

Agenda 5 pm  - City Site Agenda 

City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page

They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/82324264973  or  phone +14702509358,,82324264973#

Reports - Overview of the Commercial Office Market and Perimeter Market Conditions (Ken Ashley, Aileen Almassy, Ann Hanlon)

DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
April 24, 2023 - 6:00 PM

6 PM meeting looks to use the same dial in numbers as 5 PM meeting.on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/82324264973  or  phone +14702509358,,82324264973#

Agenda 6 pm  - City Site Agenda 

City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page

They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/83571238287  or  phone +14702509358,,83571238287#

You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.

Invocation

Public comments - in person 3 min each / 30 min max with additional at end of meeting if needed.

Sustainability Hero Awards and Sustainability Committee Update 

Results of the 2023 Community Survey and the detailed answers to every question.

Approval of Contract with DeKalb Community Service Board to Provide a Licensed Behavioral Health Clinician to DPD

Resolution Appointing a Member to Serve on the Audit Committee - LaRee Holloway

Resolution Appointing Members to Serve on the Sustainability Committee - Gayatri Chamdra & Larry Heiman

Funding Authorization for 2428 Sandell Drive Storm Repairs

Renewal of Property & Liability Insurance with GIRMA

North Shallowford Road Properties Budget Allocation - PCMS Field Turf & Brook Run Maintenance Facility

Park Naming Campaign for the Vermack Road and Roberts Drive Park Properties

Presentation and Discussion of Draft Dunwoody Trail Master Plan