PHNA Neighborhood Meeting Notes - August 8th, 2018

Lt D. Crowder, APD zone 6 night captain

  • Auto theft issues - reminder about clean car campaign

  • Bike theft: Use a bike lock to secure your bike

  • Package and mail theft: Get to know your neighbors so they can receive and hold your packages

  • Major Klotzer is open to calls. Can also ask for Crowder, 2p-10p

  • Can also email: Djcrowder@atlga.gov

Jay Tribby, District 2 update

  • - Mayor has inherited a lot to deal with from ransomware attack and previous administration

  • Budget is finalized. Very collaborative with council.

  • $661 mm general budget. Increase from next year.

  • Sworn police officers and fire fighters given a raise.

  • - Parks and rec got an additional $2 mm in funding.

  • Somerset and other streets - issue in delays in picking up yard trimmings - they’re operating at 50% equipment and supply situation right now due to old and broken down trucks. New city budget anticipates getting back to where they were with trucks and hiring new solid waste workers. If you get to that two week point and have made a few 311 calls, don’t hesitate to let Jay and Amir know — they can call and email folks from there. By end of summer or early fall should be addressed. Thank you for your patience. Email or call the office. 404-330-6638?

  • Mayor Franklin had pothole posse. Mayor Bottoms is reinstating that. Will also address dumped tires, furniture, etc.

  • Amir was able to get mayor and colleagues to double city arts budget from $1 mm to $2 mm. It’s a competitive process that helps artists and art organizations get partial funding for projects. - On Thursday June 28 the city is sponsoring three open houses to finalize Monroe/boulevard complete street program. New crosswalks, medians, pedestrian activations, etc. 6:30-8:30 simultaneous open houses. One meeting will be at Grady. Core of District 2 (Ponce to Dekalb) will be held at new MLK center in Hilliard. Third is further south and you can find location online. This is your opportunity to weigh in.

North Highland land use application - parking lot by Manuel’s.

  • - Jim McMahel explains land use process to members. PHNA is tasked with helping the applicant bringing best application possible, but it’s really NPU and the City who makes the decisions.

  • Adam from Selig: selig purchased property in January 2016. Previously Green St owned and rezoned to apartments. Selig is doing townhomes.

  • - How many parking spaces did you add? 6.

  • There are 3 stories above grade with exception of back row. Back row is 2-story in back and in drive it’s 3 stories plus an unconditioned covered rooftop patio across whole roof.

  • - Putting a retaining wall in at Freedom Park side. Trying to create as fast of a yard as possible. Will not be at grade with the park — around 6 feet elevation difference.

  • Will there be access to the park? Sidewalk improvements? There will be something in corner when they hardscape architect is brought in. On previous plan there was a bridge with access. Here we have yard with retaining wall so we don’t feel it’s necessary. City has also kind of kicked the can on park access.

  • - Where is existing fence line? (Adam shows it runs along yard and back of parking area).

  • So it’s 5-6’ in from the existing fence? (Adam shows and explains where trees are and plans)

  • Currently you’ve shrunk the yards to accommodate landscaping, right? Yes.

  • What do you plan to do to address parking? Initially it was all retail at street frontage plus 75 units. They didn’t have enough parking in the deck. Townhomes have 2-car garages so we’re covered. Manuel’s owns 154 spaces. Code requires 86. We will have roughly 90-100 spaces when we’re finished and it will be strictly retail.

  • So for now does parking deck plan behind Manuel’s go away? Yes. And we’re looking at restriping current lot. We would have to go back through city and repermit/rezone.

  • Is there going to be a gate around community? I don’t think so. We didn’t feel like a gated community would fit in the fabric of the neighborhood.

  • Dumpsters or trashcans? Looking at trashcans. Where picked up? Wheeled out along Williams Mill, or city/waste management come pick up in driveways.

  • Will yards be fenced in with white brick? Yes. We added that later on.

  • Proposal is not to reclaim alley. With it on current property line and neighbors line, that’s where setbacks start.

  • Sidewalks and bike paths? 6’ sidewalk with 5’ planting area to city midtown standards planned. Shifting curb line a little. About 33’ wide to north highland to about 26’.

  • 12’ wide alley. Old pins in alley from old survey.

  • When is NPU and BZA? NPU is next Thursday at 7p.
    Motion presented and seconded to approve request.
    25 in favor. 1 opposed. 0 abstentions. (27 residents present).

Renew Atlanta

  • - Jay explains Renew Atlanta process. $400k+ for each neighborhood. Kwanza.

  • Beth explains PHNA’s involvement. Complete streets is coming down North Ave, so we stayed away from those projects.

  • Whatever money we saved from the changes we put back into more improvements.

  • About 10 areas with sidewalk improvements and ADA. Changes will be ADA compliant.

  • Somerset - no tree damage or removal for improvements. Floating sidewalk over tree roots.

  • Barnett - street paving would have been $280k. We did fix sidewalks there.

  • Linwood and Ponce - striping and turtleheads. No parking.

  • Blue ridge: No parking and marked bulbouts and signage that there’s a stop ahead.

  • -  Inappropriate tree planting’s near Publix - Trees are dying. They will be replaced.

  • -  Sidewalks along that area - Blue ridge and north highland - we won’t touch because

    complete streets is going to work on that and retaining wall might collapse.

  • Seminole - relief there at intersection with blue ridge. Issues with storm drains not being there. Curb and drainage is too cost prohibitive. Requires milling. We were not able to get the project there at the time so we will leave that project for later. We won’t be able to improve that intersection, even painting crosswalk because it’s not ADA compliant. But we’re going to get on that list of roads to be fixed.

  • -  Sidewalks all the way to north and Moreland - improvements.

  • -  Gateways into park - too costly. But we do have ramps on the list and potential for

    gateway markers.

  • -  Connectivity from poncey-highland into carter center - tried to get bus stops moved but we really going to get with carter center on that.

  • -  To save money bidding out as one project. Work will start fall 2018 or early 2019.

  • -  Is there money to add ramp in freedom park where there are steps? No but we’re working on ramp at crosswalk. Steps also have to be Ada compliant and add rail.

  • -  How do we get sidewalk like Cleburne? These will likely be brushed concrete. If it’s hex they replace it with hex. If they touch sidewalk they have to make it all Ada compliant.

    We stamp some concrete to make it look like hex. It will be looking great!

  • -  North Highland where there are tree roots - how to address? We have what we call a bridge - gravel and stones and an impervious layer over it before concrete. Goal is to protect trees and work around them.

PHNA