Dunwoody City Council Agenda for Monday Nov 5th - Condos, Dunwoody Village & EMS

Monday, November 5, 2018
Dunwoody City Hall
4800 Ashford Dunwoody Rd

Dunwoody, GA 30338

6:00 p.m. - Watch Live

Agenda

Proclamation - "World Diabetes Day"

Presentation of Finance Report for the YTD Through 9/30/2018

Administration of Oath of Office to Officer Dorothy Davis

FIRST READ: RZ18-02 & SLUP 18-02:David C. Kirk of Troutman Sanders LLP, Attorney for the Owner, on Behalf of Grubb Properties, Owner of a Portion of 41, 47, 53 Perimeter Center East, Dunwoody, GA 30346, Seeks to Rezone the Property Currently Zoned O-I (Office-Institution) District to a PC-2 (Perimeter Center) District and to Permit a Development of Regional Impact; and B) Section 27-105b to Modify the Build-to-Zone of a General Building.

FIRST READ: Review and Consideration of Text Amendments Regarding the Dunwoody Village Overlay (Chapter 27)

Approval of a Property Appraisal and Specialty Report Contract with Carr, Rahn & Associates for the Georgetown Gateway Project

Resolution Appointing New Member to Volunteer Coordinating Committee

Memorandum of Understanding Between DeKalb County and City of Dunwoody Related to the Administration of Emergency Medical Services

City of Dunwoody needs to ensure we are fostering real estate that allows Aging in Place where possible.

Aging in Place

DUNWOODY LAND USE VISION STATEMENT

The City of Dunwoody strives to be a dynamic, innovative community where individuals, families, and businesses can thrive through all stages of life and career by encouraging a sustainable mix of land uses, facilities, and services.

One of the hot topics in local real estate discussions is finding ways to allow residents to "age in place", by having a mix of housing with various sizes and designs that would serve a wide variety individuals, be it singles, couples, families, but also housing that serves the needs of seniors and those with mobility issues.   Dunwoody real estate agents will tell you that the lack of masters on the main and senior friendly housing is a documented problem for those looking to down size from the big four bedroom home with numerous stairs and more landscaping than they can handle.

Various housing developments are being proposed but will they hit the mark as being desirable to all walks of life, or will they based on their physical design exclude those who can not handle stairs or long walks to their car? The City recently required a town home developer to offer elevators for those who wanted it because the City wanted to offer a possibility for those buying those units the ability to age in place.

When I think of new housing proposals being offered, I think of my 82 year old parents who's circumstances also mirror many of my neighbors who where the original homeowners of Dunwoody back in the 70's.  How would this proposed residential space and the amenities serve the needs of my aging parents and those like them in Dunwoody?  My Mother uses a walker to walk short distances and even uses a wheel chair for longer distances.  Therefore seeing proposed large scale residential developments, I see my parents, I see my neighbors and ask if this housing product would work for those who want to age in place?  As in the case of the proposed town homes, modifications may need to be suggested to improve the possibilities of seniors living there.

My parents successfully downsized from a four bedroom single family home to a two bedroom / two bath condo, with a nice balcony, in unit laundry, deeded in building parking below the building, in building storage units, prewired for cable and internet, elevators and a beautiful outdoor gathering place to be social.  Luckily, their unit as designed worked well for them without major renovations being needed except we did add in grab bars in the shower and a few other minor modifications. 

I see this type of condo development that my parents moved into as a viable option for those seniors who are looking to stay close to family & friends yet downsize to single level living.

Here is a recognized Aging-In-Place Design Checklist for residential units to keep in mind and as we approve new residential units in Dunwoody we should include the practices of Universal Design to foster aging in place.

Not putting these common sense practices into place would be short sighted and detrimental to the entire community.

Perimeter North Villages - Open House for Senior Assistance - Sun March 22nd - 3:30 pm

Perimeter North Villages
Mary Louise Connor, Executive Director
5054 Nandina Lane
Dunwoody, GA 30338
pnvillages@gmail.com 
470-223-2768

Perimeter North Village plans to assist Dunwoody area residents to age in place - Meeting Sunday March 1st at 3:30 pm

I received an invitation from a new Dunwoody based non-profit by the name Perimeter North Villages which will be focusing towards assisting senior citizens to remain in their home.  They will be holding an initial meeting on Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 pm at 4360 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Suite 320, (just inside Perimeter), Atlanta 30341 to discuss their programs.   Based on everything I read and saw, I thought that this was worth sharing with my readers.

There’s No Place Like Home: Seniors Hold on to Urban Independence Into Old Age

Perimeter North Villages
Mary Louise Connor, Executive Director
5054 Nandina Lane
Dunwoody, GA 30338
pnvillages@gmail.com  470-223-2768

It Started with an Idea In 2013, some Sunday School class members were concerned that people their class were having to leave their friends and their church when they moved into a retirement community or into assisted living. The class members thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could provide the services so that our friends to stay in their own homes as long as possible?” So members began researching different options, and they found the “village movement” as a way let their friends stay independent and connected.

What's a "Village" ?

A “village” is a network of friends and neighbors connected through a computer program that simplifies communication and organization to help our older adults to meet their goal of remaining safely in their homes. The needs are met through a mix of volunteers and carefully selected vendors within the community. The “village” is built using people-hours rather than bricks and mortar.

The first village was started in 2001 on Boston’s Beacon Hill by a group of friends who wanted to age in place in the neighborhood they loved but recognized that they might need support to do that. What started with a group of Boston residents has evolved into a national movement with its own village-to-village network. There are now over 120 villages around the country, each independent, each controlled by their own members, each providing services unique to their situation.

What’s Perimeter North Villages? Perimeter North Villages was formed in August 2014 and will open in April 2015. We have a grant from the Georgia Division of Aging to get us started. We cover five cities: Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs. PNV is a non-profit organization with a paid full-time executive director. Our office is at 5054 Nandina Lane, Dunwoody, GA 30338 and our phone number is 470-223-2768. Our email is pnvillages@gmail.com. We would love for you to join us, as a member, volunteer and/or service-provider!



Membership Organization We are a membership organization for seniors age 50 or better
Living in Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody, or Sandy Springs.
Join with individual or household annual memberships
$400 per year for an individual
$200 per year for each additional member of the household
Limited number of scholarships are available



Supported by Volunteers Free member services are supported by volunteers
Volunteers are screened and trained
Our goal is a rewarding experience for our volunteers
Contact us at pnvillages@gmail.com if you would like to be a volunteer



Services by Selected Professionals Fee-for-service professionals provide services not available from volunteers
Vendors are screened and complete a background check
Many vendors provide a discounted fee to members
Contact us pnvillages@gmail.com if you would like to be fee-for-service provider

How does it all work The PNV office acts as a coordinator for member requests and activities information. Members can make requests through the PNV web page or by phone. The office will organize a way to meet the request using volunteers or service providers and will contact the member with details on the filled request. The PNV web page also is a bulletin board of available activities. Members can sign up for PNV activities through the PNV web page or by phone. Activities sponsored by other organizations will be listed and a link will be there to directly to the sponsoring organization where the member can sign up.

Links to Additional Information
An AARP fact sheet on Aging in Place:

An AARP story on livable communities