By Chase Miller, EACA President
On Saturday, January 28, the members of EACA’s Executive Committee came together for a morning of visioning, planning, and fun. The session was opened up by Council Member Liliana Bakhtiari who shared her thoughts on what makes East Atlanta special, her priorities for our district, and where she sees the community 5-10 years from now. The leadership team then spent time considering the good parts of East Atlanta and the challenges, after which they made plans for how to improve the community over the coming years.
Key 2023 areas of priority are outlined below.
Public Safety – Strive to make East Atlanta safer and address recent increases in crime by partnering with our Councilmember, Dekalb County Leadership, the Zone 6 Atlanta Police Department, and the community to build solutions that help reduce crime.
Land Use & Zoning – Set a clear vision and plan for attracting the type of development we’d like to see in East Atlanta and partner with developers and the community to make it a reality.
Parks & Greenspace – Create and maintain the greenspaces throughout East Atlanta and make them places where the community wants to come together and connect; re-launch the Friends of Brownwood Park to strengthen our biggest green “heart of East Atlanta.”
Transportation – Address key challenges like traffic calming and solve the parking challenges that plague the Village especially on weekends; make East Atlanta more walkable and bike-friendly.
Arts & Culture, Community Outreach, and East Atlanta Parents Network – Hold opportunities to bring people together, build relationships and community, and support each other by learning from each other, volunteering together, being creative together, and having fun.
Neighbor In Need – Complete 13 strategic projects this year to help low-income, elderly residents take care of critical house projects to keep their homes livable.
Education – Partner with our local schools to continue to strengthen their network and provide vital community support for their initiatives and programs.
To make this all happen, we need volunteers and members! Please consider the list above, find something you’re passionate about, and jump in to help. You can read more about our service areas at eaca.net and you can join EACA at www.eaca.net/join-eaca. If you’d like to get involved, email us at president@eaca.net, or contact one of the Committee Leads whose contact information can be found on our website.
Many thanks to the East Atlanta Business Association (EABA) for their participation and to Council Member Bakhtiari for spending part of her Saturday with us. And a special thank you to Ryan Downey of the East Atlanta Kids Club for hosting the team at the Brownwood Recreational Center.
