DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL, DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, PLANNING COMMISSION, ZBA
SPECIAL CALLED MEETING
APRIL 01, 2025 - 5:30 PM
VINTAGE PIZZERIA
5510 CHAMBLEE DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GEORGIA 30338
Tuesday evening there will be a special called meeting of the Dunwoody City Council, actually it is a huge public meeting at Vintage Pizza on Chamblee Dunwoody Rd at 5:30 pm that will be taking place in order to inform the four zoning committees within the City of Dunwoody of the work of an ad-hock steering committee being led by staff direction and that of outside consultants. As this is a City Council Meeting, there will be 30 mins of Public Comment time available at the start and end of the meeting but as it is taking place off site (away from City Hall), it does not look to be streamed or recorded as usual.
All four of the zoning committees in the meeting on Tuesday are either elected by the citizens or confirmed by City Council whereby the invited representatives in the audience will be the City Council, the Planning Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Development Authority. These individuals as well as I am guessing the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee are named down below.
The Comprehensive Land Use Plan is required to be updated by state law but this time around we are looking to also update our zoning code into a Unified Development Ordinance. Based on the timelines previously presented I am guessing the first draft of the community agenda outlining the community vision, goals & policies will be presented soon if not on Tuesday.
Right now redevelopment in the City of Dunwoody is thoughtful but slow with lots of eyes on every project whereby with a good presentation, quality data and appropriate community / neighbor backing; anything can get approved after it is properly vetted. Slow is not a bad thing when the proposed development is immediately next door, or the change will allow a development to move forward which might change the character and feel of the community.
I have not yet seen any proposed changes to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and then the underlining Development Ordinance; but my concern is that it may be proposing land use changes by right, whereby a developer can do what he wants within the limits of the allowances, without the scrutiny of the public nor an approval of the Council. I will be listening attentively during the meeting as this process and the proposed changes could have unintended consequences if not thoroughly reviewed prior to codification and approval.
City of Dunwoody's Comprehensive Plan & Unified Development Ordinance
Project Update: On Jan. 27, 2025, the project team presented an update to the Dunwoody City Council.
Recurring themes:
- There is a need for additional housing in both quantity and type, particularly for first-time buyers and seniors.
- Residents would like to see a “Downtown Dunwoody” with walkable shops and restaurants.
- Residents love local centers like Dunwoody Village and want to see these places to grow and thrive.
- There is concern over vacant retail and office spaces impacting economic development & growth.
- Traffic congestion is a major issue, and people want more connectivity and ways to get around.
- People want to see their neighborhood character and greenspaces preserved.
City Council
Lynn Deutsch
Stacey Harris
John Heneghan
Tom Lambert
Catherine Lautenbacher
Rob Price
Joe Seconder
Planning Commission
Thomas O'Brien, Chair
Scott Brown, Vice-Chair
Deb Cameron
Jackie Edmundson
Debbie Gordon
Elizabeth Shin
Alex Wallach
Zoning Board of Appeals
Joe Tuttle, Chair
Ellen Etheridge
Ardy Bastien
Ryan Esslinger
Erika Harris
Ryan Schwartz
Tara Targovnik
Development Authority
Jeff Ackemann - Vice Chair
Mike Herman
Keith Wilson
Terri Polk
Jonathan Sangster - Chair
Susan Mitchell
Cheryl Strickland
The members of the community volunteering their time to serve on the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee are as follows.
Bob Fiscella (HOA chairperson/resident)
Susan Mitchell (Development authority/resident)
Linda Pozzobon (Resident/business owner)
Elizabeth Shin (Planning commission/resident)
Scott Brown (Planning commission/resident)
Sam Shenbaga (Resident/ ARC)
Joe Martinez (Developer/resident)
Marianella Lopez (Resident, Sustainability committee)
Jim Cramer (Arts commission, architect/resident)
Rich Reed (Architect/resident)
David Abes (Business owner/resident)
Ann Hanlon (PCID/resident)
Michael Starling (Econ. Development)
Tom Lambert (City Council/resident)
