NPU-S Calendar of Events: Sep 26 - Oct 3

Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar!

NPU-S Events:

  • Mon Sep 27, 0:00am. Yard Trimmings Collected. Due to staffing shortages, yard trimmings will be collected every other week until further notice. This week, yard trimmings WILL be collected.

    Trash and recycling are collected weekly as usual.
  • Tue Sep 28, 6:30pm. Oakland City Community Organization (OCCO).

    Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83039203137

    ​Meeting ID: 830 3920 3137

    Passcode: 30310


    One tap mobile +13017158592,,83039203137#,,,,*30310#

    Or dial: +1 301 715 8592
    Enter Meeting ID: 830 3920 3137
    Enter Passcode: 30310

  • Sat Oct 2, 1:00pm. Policy Committee meeting. This committee makes recommendations to the NPU about:
    1. all matters related to the citywide Atlanta Planning and Advisory Board;
    2. all matters related to the NPU's official policies and positions on internal, citywide, and regional issues;
    3. and all matters related to the relationship of the NPU with its neighboring NPUs, neighborhoods, and municipalities.

    Morgan Cooper, Chair: policy@npu-s.org
    The Policy Committee meets every 1st Saturday at 1pm:
    • Video: https://zoom.us/j/99641762467.
      Meeting ID: 996 4176 2467
    • Phone: 1 646 558 8656 US   
      Meeting ID: 996 4176 2467
      (One tap mobile +16465588656,,99641762467# US)

External events
Events held around, nearby, or affecting NPU S.:

  • Mon Sep 27, 2:00pm. Rental Awareness Webinar. Urban League weekly webinar on tenancy responsibilities and obligations. HUD-certified counselors and financial coaches are on staff to provides comprehensive counseling services. Know your rights and options! Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q1HuJTSAQ8OcintiyH6tpA

Public Hearings
City, County, State and other public meetings:

No events on calendar

If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to events@npu-s.org.Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

Candidate Meet & Greet TODAY, 3PM: Larry Carter for 4th District

 


Larry Carter for 4th District Atlanta City Council

Sunday September 26 3pm

At the home of Roslyn Baughn, 1157 Chatham


Z-21-73 MR-MU Proactive Rezoning - UPDATE


From Councilmember Amir Farokhi and City Planning Commissioner Tim Keane:

Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Units –

Over the last two months, our teams have met with NPUs, neighborhood organizations, and individual residents in to listen to feedback and continue to improve the text amendment paper 21-O-0456 (Z-21-74), proactive rezoning paper 21-O-0454 (Z-21-73) and accompanying land use amendment 21-O-0455 (CDP-21-43). We have made amendments to all three papers in response to feedback received in August that we believe addresses many of the initial concerns and have resulted in improved ordinances. We have continued to receive feedback throughout September about these new changes and working on a few additional revisions to the papers before they go before NPUs in October for a vote.

In addition to feedback, we've received about ways to improve the content of the papers, we've also received a good deal of feedback related to the timing of the vote. The majority of this feedback has been in relation to the proactive rezoning paper (and the accompanying land use amendment). With this in mind, we have decided to delay the October NPU vote on ordinances Z-21-73 (proactive rezoning) and CDP-21-43 (land use amendment). We want to allow for additional time to work through specific elements of the proposed proactive rezoning with individual neighborhoods before moving forward with a vote on the proactive rezoning paper. Our goal has always been to find a path forward together with neighborhoods that will allow for a subtle increase in density and affordability near MARTA stations and we want to allow for more time to working through this with neighborhoods. Our teams will hold neighborhood meetings with each neighborhood in the ½ mile walkshed of MARTA stations over the coming weeks and months to discuss the proactive rezoning and work with neighborhoods on how to best move this work forward in their communities.

The text amendment paper Z-21-74 will stay on the October NPU agenda for a vote. This paper proposes changes to three main elements of Atlanta's zoning code: removal of residential parking requirements, updates to MR-MU zoning district regulations, and increased flexibility for accessory dwelling units. The goal of these text amendments is to improve the City of Atlanta's zoning code to allow for a much needed increase in housing supply and more moderately priced housing typology. We believe these changes have the potential to make Atlanta more inclusive and affordable city while still maintaining core elements of our city's physical character and identity. The City Planning team be at every NPU again in October to present on the contents of this ordinance and answer any final questions you have before your NPU vote.

Thank you all for the time and thoughtful engagement that you, and many others in your neighborhoods, have given to this conversation and for your continual dedication to improving the City of Atlanta.

APAB Community Clean-Up & Outreach - Saturday @ 10

 From the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board and MLK Merchant Association:


  • Staging area - Walmart Parking Lot @ 835 MLK
  • 10 am, Saturday September 25
  • For more info and to sign up visit SafeAtlanta.org



Land Use Meeting occurring *this* Friday, Sep 24, 6:30 pm

This is a makeup for this month's previously postponed meeting. The "Proactive Rezoning" proposals will be discussed at this meeting.

Connection info:
This committee makes recommendations to the NPU about:
  • all matters related to the development of residential, commercial, and other large-scale development projects;
  • all matters related to zoning, economic development, business expansion and retention, and urban design;
  • all matters related to traffic and transportation planning;
  • and all matters related to enforcement of City Codes.
Karen Babino, Chair: land@npu-s.org.

Water service interruption Thursday 9/23 at Beecher / Gaston / Westboro / Rochelle

From the Department of Water Management:
Please be mindful that water service will be interrupted and will affect residence in [NPU S] on this coming Thursday September 23, 2021.The impacted streets include Beecher Street SW, Gaston Street SW, Westboro Drive SW and Rochelle Drive SW. 

For more information, contact Jamal Jackson at jjackson@lewiscontractingservices.com

NPU-S Calendar of Events: Sep 20 - Sep 26

Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar!

NPU-S Events:

  • Mon-Fri. No Yard Trimmings Collected. Due to staffing shortages, yard trimmings will be collected every other week until further notice. This week, yard trimmings WILL NOT be collected.

    Trash and recycling are collected weekly as usual.
  • Thu Sep 23, 7:00pm. Cascade Ave Neighborhood Organization (CANO) (Online). Join Zoom Meeting
     https://zoom.us/j/97987226201
    Meeting ID: 979 8722 6201
    Call In 312-626-6799, access code, 97987226201#

External events
Events held around, nearby, or affecting NPU S.:

  • Mon Sep 20, 2:00pm. Rental Awareness Webinar. Urban League weekly webinar on tenancy responsibilities and obligations. HUD-certified counselors and financial coaches are on staff to provides comprehensive counseling services. Know your rights and options! Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q1HuJTSAQ8OcintiyH6tpA

Public Hearings
City, County, State and other public meetings:

If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to events@npu-s.org.Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

Trees Atlanta is hiring!

 

From Trees Atlanta:

WE ARE HIRING!

Become a part of our team

Trees Atlanta protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating.

Trees Atlanta is looking to hire individuals with a passion for trees who want to positively impact environmental changes in the community. If you have a"can do" attitude, Trees Atlanta might be the perfect place to plant yourself!

Apply at www.treesatlanta.org/careers

NPU-S General Meeting Improvements

We need to streamline the NPU-S General Meeting! Our previous two meetings both lasted three hours, which is clearly too long.

However, the biggest reason for the length of these meetings was that many community members had questions and comments for our speakers.  We don't want to cut people off without them having the chance to connect with the City - but we have official business that must be attended to.

Therefore, we're going to try a few changes that should hopefully allow us to get our official business done while still allowing a robust interaction between the community and the City.

First, we're going to reorder the agenda a bit. Currently, the agenda is:

  • Housekeeping (approval of agenda, minutes, etc)
  • City Department Reports
  • Elected Officials
  • Neighborhood Organization Reports
  • Committee Reports
  • Planner's Report
  • Voting Items
  • Presentations
  • Old Business / New Business / Announcements
We're going to move the committee and neighborhood organization reports towards the bottom of the agenda:

  • Housekeeping (approval of agenda, minutes, etc)
  • City Department Reports
  • Elected Officials
  • Planner's Report
  • Voting Items
  • Presentations
  • Committee Reports
  • Neighborhood Organization Reports
  • Old Business / New Business / Announcements
This should front-load bigger ticket items and put community-scale discussions together towards the back.

Second, we're going to commit to holding our votes no later than 8:30. If it's 8:30 and we haven't yet gotten to the Voting Items section of the agenda, we will pause our current activity, hold our votes, and then resume where we were.  This way, even if the meeting stretches beyond its two hour limit, our official business will be done in a timely manner.

Third, we're going to engage our voting members before the meeting. The NPU bylaws mandate that voting members attend at least three of the last 12 meetings. Thus, we know who the voting members are because we take attendance records to track who can and cannot vote. We plan to send information on voting items to our voting members before the meeting, along with supporting documentation and contact information, so voting members can be fully informed before votes. Hopefully this should lead to not just quicker votes but better outcomes.

While it's not great that our meetings have gone into extra innings, it's a testament to our community's engagement that we've grown to this size. Hopefully these changes will help us strike a proper balance between informing the community and involving the community .

Thanks, and hope to see you there!

NPU-S General Meeting, Thursday Sep 16 7pm

The NPU-S General Meeting will be held this Thursday, September 16, at 7pm

To register, either go online to http://bit.ly/NPUS-Meeting-Register or call (770) 744-5311 and leave a message with a way for us to reach you.

If you are attending via Zoom you must register with a valid email address! The registration system will send you an email with your personal link to the meeting. 

You can call into the meeting if you wish to attend without using Zoom. To attend the meeting by phone, call (646) 558 8656, meeting ID 993 2987 4388. We encourage phone attendees to also register!

This month we'll have a one voting item and one item for review:

  • Bylaws submission: every year we're require to submit our bylaws to the City of Atlanta. We haven't made any changes to our bylaws this year, so this should be a pro-forma vote, but it has to occur anyhow. Our current bylaws can be reviewed at http://www.npu-s.org/p/bylaws.html; previous versions can be found at http://www.npu-s.org/p/documents.html 
  • Z-21-73/Z-21-74/CDP-21-43 (review only): These are the "Proactive Rezoning" proposals sponsored by Councilmember Farokhi, which aim to increase density in a low-impact manner by allowing "missing middle" (1-12 unit multifamily) development within a half-mile walk of transit stations.  This is working its way through various NPUs - we're scheduled to vote on it in October. We're reviewing this because it's going through our neighboring NPU X. 

We'll also have a presentation by "Neighbors for More Neighbors".

As always,  representatives from the police, code enforcement, public works, and other City departments will call in to give reports, and we'll discuss NPU and community programs for our constituents. Come on out!

Agenda, minutes, and supporting documents can be found on http://bit.ly/NPUS-Meeting-Docs

NPU-S Calendar of Events: Sep 13 - Sep 19

Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar!

NPU-S Events:

  • Mon-Fri Yard Trimmings Collected. Due to staffing shortages, yard trimmings will be collected every other week until further notice. This week, yard trimmings WILL be collected.

    Trash and recycling are collected weekly as usual.
  • Mon Sep 13, 7:00pm. Beecher Hills Community Association. BUZZ Coffee and Winehouse, 2315 Cascade Rd SW, Atlanta, GA 30311, USA. Join Zoom Meeting
    https://zoom.us/j/96697956397
    Meeting ID: 966 9795 6397
    Dial-In646-558-8656, access code,96697956397#
  • Tue Sep 14, 6:30pm. Graymont Drive Neighborhood Association. 1-978-990-5490 Access Code 182 9403#
  • Wed Sep 15, 7:00pm. Assistant Services Committee Meeting. This committee makes recommendations to the NPU about:
    1. all matters related to special programs and services for senior citizens, including but not limited to housing and home repairs, financial assistance programs, and social services;
    2. all matters related to education, including but not limited to primary and secondary education, adult education, parent-teacher relationships, and after-school programs and activities;
    3. and all matters related to the youth of the NPU.

    Ruby Simmons, Chair: assistant@npu-s.org
    The Assistant Services Committee meets every third Wednesday at 6:30 pm. 

    • Video: https://zoom.us/j/92130603409. Passcode: 964881 Meeting ID: 921 3060 3409.
    • One tap mobile. +16465588656,,92130603409# US (New York)
    • Phone: 1 646 558 8656 US (New York)  Meeting ID: 921 3060 3409.

  • Thu Sep 16, 7:00pm. NPU-S General Meeting. https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0udeCgqT8pEtycXQZ9s7Tk4_0J_73DZmQD. Our monthly community meeting! Find out what's happening in your neighborhood and let the City know what you think. 

    To attend over videoconferencing, you must register beforehand at  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0udeCgqT8pEtycXQZ9s7Tk4_0J_73DZmQD

    Otherwise, you can call in at 
    Phone: (646) 558 8656
    Meeting ID: 993 2987 4388

    Supporting documents, including the agenda, can be found at http://bit.ly/NPUS-Meeting-Docs
  • Sat Sep 18, 10:00am. Westridge-Sandtown Community Organization Meeting. By video: meet.google.com/oig-rtct-yhd. By phone: +1 747-202-2723 password 942081556. Covers the Westridge, Sandtown and Venetian Hills neighborhoods
  • Sat Sep 18, 5:00pm. Lorenzo Drive Neighborhood Block Assoc.. Chick-fil-A, 875 M.L.K. Jr Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA.

External events
Events held around, nearby, or affecting NPU S.:

  • Mon Sep 13, 2:00pm. Rental Awareness Webinar. Urban League weekly webinar on tenancy responsibilities and obligations. HUD-certified counselors and financial coaches are on staff to provides comprehensive counseling services. Know your rights and options! Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q1HuJTSAQ8OcintiyH6tpA
  • Mon Sep 13, 7:00pm. NPU-V. (location varies).
    NPU V comprises the neighborhoods of 
    • Adair Park
    • Capitol Gateway
    • Mechanicsville
    • Peoplestown
    • Pittsburgh
    • Summerhill
    https://zoom.us/j/99211320112
    Meeting ID: 992 1132 0112

    Dial-In 646-558-8656, access code, 99211320112#
  • Wed Sep 15, 7:00pm. NPU-I. Zoom - To join the remote meeting, click here. Dial-In: 301-715-8592, access code, 92613332610#. Meeting ID: 926 1333 2610   Passcode: 905252.

    NPU I is comprised of the neighborhoods of:
    • Audobon Forest
    • Audobon Forest West
    • Beecher Hills
    • Cascade Heights
    • Chalet Woods
    • Collier Heights
    • East Ardley Road
    • Florida Heights
    • Green Acres Valley
    • Green Forest Acres
    • Harland Terrace
    • Horseshoe Community
    • Ivan Hill
    • Magnum Manor
    • Peyton Forest
    • West Manor
    • Westhaven

Public Hearings
City, County, State and other public meetings:

If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to events@npu-s.org.Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

Quality of Life Committee Report - Aug 2021

Friends of John A White Park - Dawn Brown Committee Chair - alta.wessinger@gmail.com

Look out for a virtual meeting in Sept. to kickoff parks & greenspace cohort of interested people who want to become friends of JAW Park. The next volunteer day will be 9/11 from 11-12noon at JAWP. Please email Dawn Brown for details.

Friends of Rev James Orange Park - Jamida Orange Committee Chair – Orangejamida@yahoo.com

If you are interested in being a friend of RJOP please contact Jamida

Affordable Housing – Kate Little kate_s_little@hotmail.com

Proposed changes will include Up zoning to provide multi-family housing within .5 mile from MARTA Station. If it's more than 4 units, builders will then have to set aside units dedicated to affordable housing. A public hearing will take place in September. This is a way for the city to begin addressing affordable housing around MARTA stations. However, affordable is determined by using City’s 80 % AMI which is very high but, in some instances, can be as low as 30% such as in the Grove Park community. There is a discussion to start looking at parcels owned by the City and use proceeds of sale to build affordable housing through joint ventures. Properties considered do not include APS or AHA properties. Karen Babino will hold a meeting to discuss proposed zoning changes with our community.

Transportation – Alex Dileo – 01alexdileo@gmail.com Please email Alex with any questions or comments regarding Transportation. Items introduced in the last City Council Transportation committee to be considered next week includes - A resolution requesting the Atlanta Department of Transportation and Atlanta Fire Rescue Department assess the streets surrounding all existing and planned senior citizen facilities to determine the need for traffic safety measures. Please send Alex comments or questions on this matter.

Neighbors on Westmont are concerned that, with the construction on Cascade Ave their one-way street will be temporarily converted into a two-way street to allow for construction detours. This would be dangerous given the blind corner at Cascade and Beecher. Their preference would be for detour routes to point elsewhere -- a safer route with better visibility and more suited to a higher volume of car

Meeting was held to discuss Campbellton Road Overlay on August 10. Kenyetta Holmes is presenting an updated summary soon of the meetings regarding this subject.

MARTA - Campbelltton Road Corridor / Light Rail or Rapid Bus?

Open House on Saturday August 21,2021 from 10am-2pm @ Andrew Young YMCA, 2200 Campbellton Road to discuss the Campbellton Road Corridor Transit Project.

Avon/Westmont Traffic Signal Based on study findings, ATLDOT would like to test two signalization scenarios before selecting a final plan for implementation. Handled on a monthly basis, the first change will occur on August 23, September 8 and August 24. Last change October 4 includes a review by ATLDOT. See detailed email in meeting documents.

Public Safety – Put your hands together! I am excited to announce that Geno Yoscovits and Daniel Nester are our new Public Safety committee members. Please support Geno and Daniel as they get familiar with public safety issues in our community. You can email Geno at gyoscovits@gmail.com if you would like to work on the Public Safety Committee.

National News - The Senate just passed a $1.1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that will make a huge investment in the nation’s roads, public transit, water and broadband across the nation.

Clean Energy

In previous meetings 1) We have discussed how Atlanta’s CEP will help combat global warming for everyone. 2) We have discussed that the city needs to create a budget to support the CEP. Now we need to discuss energy burdens. The top 6 energy burdened neighborhoods in the City are NPU-H, T, S, R, X & Z. NPU-H has the highest burden at 18%. NPU-S is at 9.5%. Metro Atlanta has the 7th highest energy burden in the nation. The national average is 5% of a family’s income goes to pay utility bills. If you would like to know more, please read our NPU newsletter “The Active Neighbor” linked in the chat. Also read Atlanta’s Clean Energy Plan summarized into 20 pages by NPU reps representing the most burdened NPUs in the city. Pay close attention to the map showing energy burdened neighborhoods. Notice that within NPU-s there are areas more affected than others. I attended a solar energy meeting yesterday where Tim Echols, our Ga Public Service Commissioner spoke and he had a simple explanation for this energy inequity. He blamed it on old housing stock on the southside. While it may be simple for him, we know that the answer is more complicated than that. Which is why we need to advocate for more energy audit programs and funds to help homeowners make the repairs needed to make their homes more energy efficient. Remember out self-imposed deadline is 2035! I’m going to coin a new phrase today. “Help is coming but don’t wait on it! Get a tube of caulking and seal up any drafty areas of your home. Take advantage of opportunities listed in this issue of The Active Neighbor by:
  • Sign up for an energy audit
  • Sign up and attend a free and online Atlanta Climate Justice Townhall meeting on 10/2/21 at 11am.
  • Learn about our Youth Ambassador Program

Reminder: NPU-S Quality of Life meeting *today*, 6:30 PM

Our apologies - the weekly Calendar of Events was not published earlier this week, overlooked in the Labor Day long weekend.

Thu Sep 9, 6:30pm. NPU-S Quality of Life Committee Meeting. https://zoom.us/j/99609882969. This committee makes recommendations to the NPU about:

  1. all matters related to social services, health care, police, and fire protection;
  2. all matters related to recreation, parks, libraries, and cultural affairs;
  3. and all matters related to a pleasant and healthful environment, including, but not limited to: sanitary services, water and sewer facilities and services, and noise quality.
Robbie Hunter, Chair: quality@npu-s.org
The Quality of Life Committee meets every 2nd Thursday of the month at 7pm

Notice of Temporary Road Closure & Access to Orlando Street, SW at Avon Avenue, SW


From the Atlanta Department of Transportation:

WHAT: ATLDOT announces a 30-day road closure for a pilot test to determine the safest, most viable options for signals and signage at the Orlando Street SW/Avon Avenue and SW/Westmont Road SW intersection.

WHERE: Closed access to Orlando Street SW at Avon Avenue SW.

WHEN: Weather permitting, the closure and detour will go into effect at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, and remain in place around the clock through Monday, October 11, 2021. Only emergency vehicle access will be maintained for the duration of the pilot closure.

DETAILS:

The following detour routes will begin on Wednesday, September 8, 2021:

Avon Ave SW eastbound:

  • Turn left onto Westmont Rd SW northbound
  • Turn left onto Mayflower Ave SW westbound
  • Turn left onto Orlando Pl SW southbound
  • Orlando Pl SW intersects with Orlando St SW

Avon Ave SW westbound:

  • Turn right onto Westmont Rd SW northbound
  • Turn left onto Mayflower Ave SW westbound
  • Turn left onto Orlando Pl SW southbound
  • Orlando Pl SW intersects with Orlando St SW

Westmont Rd SW northbound:

  • At Avon Ave SW, continue north on Westmont Rd SW
  • Turn left onto Mayflower Ave SW westbound
  • Turn left onto Orlando Pl SW southbound
  • Orlando Pl SW intersects with Orlando St SW

Orlando St SW eastbound:

  • Turn left onto Orlando Pl SW northbound
  • Turn right onto Mayflower Ave SW eastbound
  • Turn right onto Westmont Rd SW southbound
  • Westmont Rd SW intersects with Avon Ave SW at the Orlando St SW closure
Please observe closure restrictions, pay close attention to "caution" and "detour" signs, and watch out for traffic control personnel in the area. Questions and/or concerns related to the temporary access closure to Orlando Street SW at Avon Avenue SW.