By Cathy Cobbs for the Dunwoody Crier
The Dunwoody City Council heard Monday night at its work session of a series of applications submitted Monday to DeKalb County for nine billboards in the new city. Almost all of them appear to be aimed at the interior of the city, not commuter arteries such as I-285 and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. One seems to be at the corner where the symbolic Dunwoody Farmhouse stands.
The applications have been submitted by Covenant Media of Georgia, a Buford-based company. All are to be electronic, and 672 square feet in size, the same size as the billboard erected November 30 at the Chevron station at Chamblee Dunwoody Road and I-285.
The applications do not indicate the height of the signs. The paperwork, submitted to DeKalb County’s Planning and Development Department as The Crier went to press, indicates the signs are to be erected at:
# 5395 Chamblee Dunwoody Road (at the corner of Mount Vernon Road in the Dunwoody Village overlay district near the Dunwoody Farmhouse.)
# 2460 Jett Ferry Road (near the Williamsburg Shopping Center)
# 0 Old Georgetown Trail (near the Georgetown Shopping Center)
# 5528 Chamblee Dunwoody Road (near the Dunwoody Hall/Publix Shopping Center)
# 5468 Chamblee Dunwoody Road (near the Burger King at the corner of Nandina Lane)
# 4630 and 4639 N. Shallowford Road (between Village Drive and Dunwoody Park Drive)
# 4537 Chamblee Dunwoody Road (at the corner of Old Spring House Lane)
# 4540 Ashford Dunwoody Road (at the corner of Ashford Dunwoody Road and Perimeter Center West)
It’s unlikely, city officials say, that DeKalb County would take action on the applications before January 1, when Dunwoody begins city operations and takes over planning, zoning and development functions from the county.
According to DeKalb County spokesperson Kristie Swink in November, the county stopped taking applications for new businesses then, saying that it would take too long to process the applications, and that business owners would have to reapply when Dunwoody began operations.
Dunwoody’s city attorney, Brian Anderson, said the applications should be denied or deferred by DeKalb County.
"At the point of the permit application," Brian Anderson said, "case law indicates the company has a vested right and a reasonable argument that the permit will be granted. But we take the position they have no such right because there is a zoning moratorium in place and they should be aware the city of Dunwoody will be approving its own rules and permitting on billboards."
Why would a company want 9 billboards in a city as small as Dunwoody? Makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the new Action billboards have no advertising on them at this point.
I also notice this company sued the city of Lawrenceville over their sign ordinances. My guess is they will do the same with Dunwoody.
They may not---yet. Current zoning probably allows such signage under the county ordinances, but being realistic, this company expects the city to change that. By acting now, they may get a foothold in what we are about to make an exclusive market. Our actions will make these assets even more valuable. Pretty funny, eh?
ReplyDelete