The Making of Modern Atlanta was an eight part TV series put on by WPBA back in 1991 and the Award Winning(I'm not jealous) Atlanta blog, Pecanne Log did a nice recap of the videos.
Well lo and behold, the suburb of Dunwoody was prominently featured in
episode three as being the "ultimate suburb" in 1991 with the
blue-blooded, "Real Housewives of Dunwoody Village" regularly wearing
black tennis outfits to funerals. (I heard the joke before but never
knew the origin.)
“We like the look of the Williamsburg look here in the middle of
Dunwoody Village, but I guess since I’m a child of the ’70s it bothers
me that everything would have to be exactly the same. When Turtle’s
built a new building they had a purple awning on it and some of the
Dunwoody people are fighting it, and I just think there’s so many more
important things to fight about than a purple awning to wreck the
Williamsburg look. I just say relax about it.”
If you are interested in watching the entire series, below are the links to the first four.
DUNWOODY NORTH represents "The Ultimate in Luxury Living." There is none finer! Here you have an unsurpassed combination of features comprised of fine homes superlatively designed and meticulously constructed, select land with an abundance of gracious trees, and accessibility to downtown and all conveniences. Dunwoody North truly defies description and must be visited to be fully appreciated ... it's just that extraordinary! No effort or expense has been spared to establish Dunwoody North as a place to reside, absolutely without equal.
Another interesting discovery was the original list of members of the Dunwoody North Driving Club which is the neighborhood swim tennis association. These original members, borrowed money / put their houses up for collateral to fund the construction of the facility as well as put in an extraordinary amount of their own labor to build the club. I was told that Peachtree Industrial was just under construction during this time and the members hauled excess dirt from that project in their pickup trucks to fill what is now the four tennis courts.
The Dunwoody North Subdivision was developed in 1963 / 1964 by Tom Cousins -- an area still considered "far out" to most of Atlanta's residents at that time. However, Mr. Cousins' first venture in residential development proved to be a huge success. The first homes were built on North Peachtree, East Kings Point Circle, Kingsfield Ct, Brookhurst, Huntington Circle, and Vintage Lane. At the initial development stage, East Kings Point Circle and Brookhurst ended at their intersection, and the southern segment of Huntington Circle extended to Stonington Road, which ended at that point. Original home owners (Davis, Ruffin, Griffith, Coley, Dimling, Curran, Welton, and Dierks to name a few) may still live in Dunwoody North, a tribute to the wonderful neighborhood we all share.
In 1964 shopping, restaurants and entertainment were not plentiful, or easily accessible, like Perimeter Mall is now. Chamblee Plaza was the only place to shop, and Sandy Springs and Brookhaven had the nearest restaurants. 1-285 only went from Roswell Road to Chamblee-Tucker, and Stonington Road had not been extended to Tilly Mill!
The beautiful area where our Driving Club is located was rough land with gullies, donated by Tom Cousins to the residents of Dunwoody North Subdivision with the stipulation that the Swim & Tennis Club to be built there would be used exclusively for the residents of Dunwoody North Subdivision. That way he could advertise his homes as having club facilities, while his competitor developers in Dunwoody Trails, Andover Estates, and Laurelwood Farms could not. That restriction was binding until all lots were sold and the residents of Dunwoody North paid off the note on land improvements, pool and tennis facilities. The second phase of Dunwoody North across Tilly Mill was developed as a result of the huge success of the first houses built on the North Peachtree side.
The story goes that Barbara Keel, a real estate agent and resident, was taking some paperwork to DeKalb County Courthouse to be filed for the club facility, The clerk asked her for the name of this new club facility, and being familiar with the Piedmont Driving Club and the prestige associated therewith, Ms. Keel gave the name Dunwoody North Driving Club. The name has remained and the club is still known as the "Driving Club."
The note for the original club facility was paid off in the mid-80's and membership to the Driving Club opened up to the adjacent subdivisions. This came at a time when members were aging and their children were leaving home and not using the pool facilities. The Club lost members and struggled to maintain itself. Then membership was opened up to anyone who wanted to join, providing they were sponsored by a member in good standing. In 1990, a new clubhouse, designed by our neighbor, Steve Lyman, was added to the Driving Club to attract more members and make the Club membership more attractive to residents who wanted more than just swimming and tennis.
The original residents worked harder than we can imagine to develop this area into the beautiful neighborhood we now take for granted. It took a lot of foresight, determination, and pure physical labor to get things going. For instance, the pool and driveway area at the club were located in a ravine. Arrangements were made with DOT for the dirt being removed from the Chamblee-Tucker/1-85 interchange to be brought in to fill the area. Well, guess who had to get it smoothed out and packed down!
The first pool was treated with chemicals in buckets. It wasn't until the early 70's that a chlorine system was installed and enough money was available to upgrade the bath house facility. Around 1970 the first two tennis courts were built, with lights added later. Peachtree High School was completed in 1969, two years ahead of schedule, due to the diligent work of neighborhood parents who completed a survey of the area showing the number and ages of every child in the area. They took this information to the County proving enough enrollment potential for the school to be completed. Before Peachtree High opened, students attended Sequoia in Chamblee and elementary children went to Hightower on Tilly Mill. Chesnut Elementary was opened in the early 70's.
Over the years Dunwoody North had an active Civic Association overseeing area development and keeping a watchful eye on zoning to maintain the residential character of our community. Everything was quiet and under control in the late 1980's when the Civic Association went dormant for about five years. In 1993 nude clubs, traffic, and air plane noise were the dominant topics that brought the Civic Association to life again. One of the first items on the agenda was to add the adjacent subdivisions of Dunwoody Trails, Laurelwood Farms, Andover Estates, Briars North and Brafferton to the Dunwoody North Community.
Today our neighborhood is thriving and real estate prices are soaring because of our "close in" location. New houses are being built along Tilly Mill and young families are revitalizing the area schools. Just recently the parents of Chesnut Elementary elected to convert to a Charter School where the Parents are setting the standards and helping the administration run the school. The Dunwoody North Driving Club has just completed a major overhaul of the facilities by resurfacing the pool, renovating the pool house and reconstructing the four tennis courts. The Club also has the highest membership total in the thirty five years of existence.
What once started out as a "far out" suburb has now become the premier location in all of Atlanta to live. We have easy access to transportation, shopping and dining, yet are just minutes from the high tech commercial and medical districts of the Atlanta metro area. We have mature tree lined streets with good schools, low crime, well built housing and nearby recreational facilities. Dunwoody North has it all going for it, and the Civic Association is working hard to make sure that it doesn’t change.
Note: Information for this article was provided by Frank Welton, one of the Founding Residents and his information was originally published in a 1994 Civic Association article.
Running a city is a complicated business with many intermingled moving parts but reviewing the city purchasing website will sometimes give you a glimpse of how we are serving you, what we are spending your money on and therefore to certain aspect, what our priorities are for improving the quality of life for the residents. The typical Dunwoody homeowner with a $350,000.00 dollar home pays about $18 per month for all City of Dunwoody services and the City Budget goes into much greater detail on exactly how we plan to spend those tax dollars.
On Monday, the City Council is discussing a proposal for a possible Tree Canopy Obstacle Course at Brook Run Park that would operate at no cost to the city and in fact it would provide revenue as well as an amenity to the visitors of the park. The proposed obstacle course would be situated in the roughly four acres to the west of the vacant dormitory building. The city would ensure the exact course maintains adequate buffers to protect residential property bordering this part of the park while rejuvenating an underutilized part of our parkland. The sketch of the proposal is attached here and of course there will be lots of questions at the meeting on details not outlined. Thoughts?
The City of Dunwoody is again soliciting bids from qualified contractors for Brook Run Park Dog Park Construction at a new location. Back in December, I attempted to find a workable and less expensive solution to keep the dog park where it is and the Brook Run Dog Park Association presented a serious proposal to operate the facility and mitigate any issues. The Council quickly compared the BRDPA proposal against a proposed contract to construct a new dog park but walked away from making any decision at that time. The new dog park contract was deferred in December as Council had questions on cost
and location of the proposed new park vs the cost and effectiveness of the proposed repairs to the current park. Several on Council were leaning towards and "hoping" for a compromise and since that time Council member Riticher has joined our ranks but little else has been done. The City released the latest proposal to again move the dog park for a possible decision as soon as June. The patrons of the dog park and the Brook Run Dog Park Association members are not pleased with the updated proposal and they are voicing their concerns to council in emails as well as on their Facebook page. Residents of Lakeview Oaks who live behind the dogpark, as well as the new trail, want the dog park moved therefore Council will be weighing all sides and proposals to make a decision in the coming months.
Touring Brook Run last week I noticed the new trail is really coming along with some sections needing extensive work in order to bring it up to grade, but it is that level of effort that will make it ADA accessible with just minor grade changes that will make it an ideal location for a young child to take a long safe bike ride. During my stroll, I also noticed what appears to be an expanded section of the Dunwoody Community Garden being installed behind the original space for additional plots. With the new orchard that was installed around the garden, it is really a beautiful place.
Another tidbit shown on the city purchasing website is that the City of Dunwoody will be purchasing 22 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles as the newest police vehicles for our officers. The police vehicle currently in use was discontinued and it was decided that the amount of gear carried by our officers, the number of hours spent in the vehicles and the physical size of many of our officers necessitated the larger vehicle.
Finally an email crossed my desk stating that the City is purchasing two Federal Signal outdoor warning sirens with Weather Bug lightning detection to be installed at Dunwoody Park near the baseball fields and at Brook Run Park. As Council already approved these purchases and they were below the $50,000 threshold for formal bids, the Acting City Manager went with the best product at the lowest price.
The Making of Modern Atlanta was an eight part TV series put on by WPBA back in 1991 and the Award Winning(I'm not jealous) Atlanta blog, Pecanne Log is doing a nice recap of the videos.
Well lo and behold, the suburb of Dunwoody was prominently featured in episode three as being the "ultimate suburb" in 1991 with the blue-blooded, "Real Housewives of Dunwoody Village" regularly wearing black tennis outfits to funerals. (I heard the joke before but never knew the origin.)
“We like the look of the Williamsburg look here in the middle of Dunwoody Village, but I guess since I’m a child of the ’70s it bothers me that everything would have to be exactly the same. When Turtle’s built a new building they had a purple awning on it and some of the Dunwoody people are fighting it, and I just think there’s so many more important things to fight about than a purple awning to wreck the Williamsburg look. I just say relax about it.”
The City has just updated the website with a new calendar feature, color scheme and a few other minor improvements but I was wondering what else you would like to see on our website. I posted the same question on the City of Dunwoody discussion board and would like to see your opinions on the subject, please feel free to comment either on the Dunwoody discussion board or here.
Zoning Board of Appeals
I attend most City of Dunwoody civic meetings as my schedule allows, and it is the members of the Dunwoody Zoning Board of Appeals whom I believe have one of the tougher tasks. They alone decide zoning variance requests which sometimes pits one neighbor against another or one business against the entire community. These situations sometimes make for spirited discussions on controversial proposals whereby someone may leave the meeting unhappy. The Dunwoody Crier mentioned one of the items on the agenda for Thursday but I believe several of the items may not be a slam dunk, easy decision to make. If you want to see local government in action, attend Thursday's ZBA meeting at City Hall.
Old Business 1. ZBA09-052: Richard Brown of 1471 Carnaby Court, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338, owner/applicant; requests a variance to the City of Dunwoody Zoning Ordinance, §2C-6, sub-section (e), to decrease a required rear yard setback from forty (40) feet to twenty-four (24) feet, a reduction of 40%, to re-build a deck. The subject property is located at 1471 Carnaby Court, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338, at the western terminus of Carnaby Court. The tax parcel number is 18 375 01 017.
D. New Business 1. ZBA09-061: Dunwoody Village Place, LLC, owner; represented by Rich & Peggy Kernan of 210 Scotney Glen Circle John’s Creek, Georgia request the following variance: (1) to the City of Dunwoody Land Development and Environmental Protection Ordinance: §11 of Article 2 to encroach into an undisturbed state waters bufferyard; The subject property is located at 1536 Dunwoody Village Parkway, Dunwoody Georgia 30338. The tax parcel number is 18 366 06 065. This request was previously assigned case number ZBA09-053.
2. ZBA09-062: The Branches Club, Inc.; represented by Bryan C. Hutchinson, President; of 1318 Winding Branch Circle, Dunwoody, Georgia; requests the following variance: a change of DeKalb County Board of Zoning Appeals conditions to add lights to an outdoor tennis court; The subject property is located at 1318 Winding Branch Circle, Dunwoody Georgia 30338. The tax parcel number is 18 365 03 031.
3. ZBA09-063: Seaman Development Corporation, of 400 Perimeter Center Terrace, Suite 800 Dunwoody, Georgia 30346; represented by Carl E. Westmoreland and Jessica L. Hill, of Seyfarth Shaw LLP; request the following variances: (1) Variance from Chapter 27, Section 2Y-10 to increase the lot coverage permitted from eighty percent (80%) to ninety-one percent (91 %); (2) Variance from Chapter 27, Section 4-21 to eliminate the landscaping requirements for parking lots and permit the existing landscaping; (3) Variance from Chapter 27, Section 2Y-7 to eliminate the 50 foot transitional buffer along the west property line where the site abuts the R-150 zoned cemetery property to permit existing conditions to remain. (4) Variance from Chapter 27, Section 2Y-6(c)(2) to eliminate the five foot landscape strip required within the west interior side yard setback;(5) Change of previous DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals condition to reduce the required parking from 4.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of retail as granted through a previous variance to 4.15 spaces per 1,000 square feet; (6) Change of previous DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals condition to reduce the required loading spaces from seven 12’x35’ spaces to zero 12’x35’ spaces; and (7) Variance from Chapter 14, Section 14 to permit the existing non-conforming water quality measures to remain in lieu of implementing the current City of Dunwoody requirements. The subject property is located at the southwest corner of Ashford-Dunwoody Road and Hammond Drive. The tax parcel number is 18 348 02 001.
4. ZBA09-064: Seaman Development Corporation, of 400 Perimeter Center Terrace, Suite 800 Dunwoody, Georgia 30346; represented by Carl E. Westmoreland and Jessica L. Hill, of Seyfarth Shaw LLP; request the following variances: (1) Variance from Chapter 21, Section 12(b) to permit a 150 square foot wall sign on the Ashford Dunwoody Road side of the existing retail building; (2) Variance from Chapter 21, Section 12(b) to permit two additional wall signs on the Hammond Drive façade of the existing building to permit each tenant in the building to have its own sign identifying the main entrance of each store; The subject property is located at the southwest corner of Ashford-Dunwoody Road and Hammond Drive. The tax parcel number is 18 348 02 001.
5. ZBA09-065: Jack D Hudson of 1984 Dellfield Court Dunwoody, Georgia 30338; requests the following: Variance from Chapter 27, Section 2L-6(b)(2) to permit a building addition and remodeling on the rear of an existing single family home. The subject property is located at the northern terminus of Dellfield Court, north of its intersection with Dunwoody Club Way. The tax parcel number is 06 341 01 112.
6. ZBA09-066: Steven J. Campbell, President of the Dunwoody Court Condominium Association, of 306 Dunbar Drive, Dunwoody GA 30338; represented by Doyle P. Jones of Capitol Community Management; requests the following: variance to Chapter 14, the City of Dunwoody Land Development and Environmental Protection Ordinance: §11 of Article 2 to encroach into an undisturbed state waters bufferyard to permit the replacement/reconstruction of an existing retaining wall. The subject property is located at 1010 Dunbar Drive, Dunwoody GA 30338; The tax parcel number is 18 344 08 001.
Charlie Dixon and his friends are worried. Every weekday for the past 19 years, Dixon and his group of almost 70 mostly retired men in their 60’s and 70’s meet at Blackburn Tennis Center for three hours of tennis and fellowship. It’s an important daily ritual that provides the men with good exercise, a chance to get outdoors and companionship. As Dixon puts it, “it helps keep us alive.”
Dixon is effusive in his praise for Jon Niemeyer, who has held a county contract to operate Blackburn since the center opened in 1976. When Niemeyer opened Blackburn on Ashford Dunwoody Road 32 years ago, there were only four courts and a trailer that housed the pro shop. Today, Blackburn boasts 18 lighted courts, along with a fully-stocked pro shop, a staff of five teaching professionals, wheelchair access, ball machine rentals and a junior tennis academy. In 2005, USA Today named Blackburn as one of the top 10 public tennis centers in the country.
But, Niemeyer’s days operating Blackburn may be numbered. Approximately one month ago, Niemeyer met with a representative of Economics Research Associates, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm. The representative told Niemeyer the firm had been retained by the DeKalb Parks and Recreation Department to assess the operating contracts for the county’s three tennis centers and two golf courses in preparation for the county seeking to rebid the contracts. DeKalb officials are expected to receive the consultant’s report this week.
The news stunned Niemeyer. Not only does he still have two years remaining on his current contract to manage both Blackburn and the DeKalb Tennis Center near Emory, but, according to Niemeyer, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) believes the two tennis centers he manages are the only two public tennis facilities in Metro Atlanta, and perhaps the state, that earn a profit.
“We clearly have the number one public tennis center in Atlanta, so it seems very odd the county wants to do this now,” said Niemeyer. “Every other public tennis center around us is losing money, including the county’s facility in south DeKalb, and the county want to end our contract? Something is rotten, because this just doesn’t make sense.”
Niemeyer said Blackburn had made money despite the county’s refusal to maintain the center’s asphalt courts, as required in the contract. “Our courts are in terrible shape,” said Niemeyer. “The county says they don’t have money to resurface the courts. Because the county won’t fix the courts, we’ve lost the national wheelchair tournament we held for 20 years.” “Worse, we’ve lost the opportunity to host major USTA Southern and national events. Last year, a USTA event we’ve hosted four times in the past brought in $8 million for Mobile, Alabama. USTA has told me they would love to come back here, because of our proximity to Perimeter Mall hotels and restaurants, but they won’t come back until our courts are fixed.”
The county’s desire to terminate Niemeyer’s contract prematurely, and after 32 continuous years of operating Blackburn, infuriates Dixon. “This just isn’t fair,” said Dixon. “How can they do this when he still has a contract? My friends and I can’t understand the county’s rationale. It’s such a no-brainer to keep Jon here. He’s good for tennis, good for business, and he’s good for DeKalb.”
Dixon said he’s heard rumors out-going DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones wants to terminate Niemeyer’s contract before Jones leaves office at year’s end. The reason? To allegedly open the door for one of Jones’ friends to take over the profitable Blackburn and DeKalb tennis center’s contract. However, Dixon said even if the Jones rumors are false, he and his friends don’t understand the county’s reasons for ending Niemeyer’s contract. DeKalb County spokesperson Kristie Swink said the Parks and Recreation Department has no complaints with Niemeyer. Instead, Swink said the Parks Department, like all county departments, was reviewing its operations to find additional revenue sources and reduce spending.
“With the challenging economic conditions we face, the new CEO, Burrell Ellis, has asked every department to go over their existing contracts with a fine tooth comb,” said Swink. “The Parks Department feels it’s in the county’s best interests to rebid Mr. Niemeyer’s contract. No one is saying he’s not going a good job. But, he’s held the contract for more than 30 years. Mr. Niemeyer is welcome to submit a new bid in the next few months when we post the request for proposal. The county wants to make sure taxpayers dollars are being spent wisely.”
Dixon isn’t satisfied with the county’s response. “I’m worried that the county may be strapped for cash, particularly with Dunwoody becoming a city,” said Dixon. “But, Niemeyer is part of the solution, not the problem. This is Jon’s livelihood, and something he’s invested the last 32 years of his life in making a success. Ending his contract now just isn’t right.”
Tennis, anyone? "A lot of sports, over the years, become a game," says legendary tennis star Billie Jean King, ranked No. 1 in the world five times between 1966 and 1972, listed in the top 10 for 17 years and a four-time winner of the U.S. Open, which starts Monday and runs through Sept. 11. "If you are into tennis, it becomes part of your lifestyle," she says.
Today, she is an active promoter of public access and public programs in tennis (70% of all tennis in the USA is played on public-access courts). "I'm a product of the public parks system, and if I had not had my first free group lesson at Houghton Park in Long Beach, I may not have become a tennis player." Here, she shares with USA TODAY's Shawn Sell some favorite public spots to "keep tennis alive in hometowns" and elsewhere.
Blackburn Tennis Center, Atlanta Here in Atlanta, "they really enjoy their tennis," King says, and there is "an abundance of excellent tennis facilities, such as the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, Stone Mountain and Blackburn, an outstanding county facility that features 18 lighted hard courts and instruction for all levels." 770-451-1061
Updated City Website