Time: 7:30pm-8:50pm.
Location: In person at the Oakland Cemetery Visitor Center and virtual via Zoom.
Approval of Agenda: The agenda was approved with one amendment for city Council Member Jason Winston’s office to provide updates.
Call to Order and Welcome: President Robert Selby called the meeting to order at 7:30pm and thanked Oakland Cemetery for hosting.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to approve the January 2026 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded and passed without opposition.
President’s Report – Robert Selby: President Selby outlined the 2026 Strategic Priorities: Building Community & Growing Membership: Moving from passive residents to connected neighbors; Civic Influence: Restoring GPNA as a powerful political voice; Operational Sustainability: Formalizing leadership pipelines for long-term success.
Vice President’s Report – Adelee Le Grand
Membership Ad Hoc Committee: Currently categorizing member types (residents, homeowners, renters, business types) to better target engagement strategies. The list will be presented at the next meeting.
Zoo Atlanta Liaison: Update expected in March or April regarding Zoo coordination.
Bylaws Ad Hoc Committee: Reviewing bylaws to ensure they support organizational sustainability and presenting modernized outdated sections. Upcoming bylaws membership meeting to be scheduled in Q1 to discuss potential changes.
Treasurer’s Update – Lynn Lamousin
Financials: Presented the January 2026 income statement and balance sheet. Current assets reported at approx. $78,000 + $5,000 pending deposit.
2026 Operating Budget: A proposed operating budget was presented for review, will be posted to Google Drive and the newsletter for a future vote. Noted increased expenses due to restocking “Sunburst” inventory.
Revenue: A $5,000 check was received from the show Chad Powers for filming in the neighborhood.
Filming Policy: Discussion regarding the need to standardize filming donation rates across neighborhoods.
Public Safety Update – Loyal Charles & APD
Events: HAFI/TAU Charter Day celebration approved for May 2 in the park.
FIFA World Cup: An application for an event in the park was returned due to errors.
Unhoused Outreach: Intown Cares has successfully transitioned a number of individuals into housing over the last year in East Atlanta. GPNA Public Safety to look into this more for application in Grant Park.
APD Zone 6 Update (Sgt. Copeland): Overall crime is down against persons and property. Theft from vehicles remains an issue; residents are reminded to hide valuables. APD advises to secure lawn equipment and record serial numbers to aid in recovery if stolen.
Public Officials Report – Shad (Office of Council Member Jason Winston)
South Boulevard Project: Sidewalk/ADA ramp repairs are halfway complete (est. 3-4 months remaining). Road resurfacing and striping to follow late 2026 (potential delays due to World Cup). Residents will be notified before sidewalk work impacts specific properties.
Council Updates: Winston is now Chair of the Finance & Executive Committee. The city completed a financial audit with no negative findings.
Sanitation: Trash/recycling service is improving. Missed pickups should be reported to ATL311. Yard waste is collected twice monthly.
Stop Sign (Delmar/United): Shad will investigate the status of the requested stop sign.
Economic Development – Mike Walbert
Grant Park Gateway Survey: A community vision survey has been launched regarding the Gateway (parking deck) facility. Link: tinyurl.com/gatewayideas. Goal: 1,000 responses to present to the city/Parks Department to influence future tenants/usage.
Land Use & Zoning (LUZ) – Sky Hassan
Update: Z-25-60 / 1040 Grant Streett (The Beacon area) Proposal: Rezoning from MRC-3-Conditional to MRC-3 for a 285-unit apartment building. Status: The LUZ Committee voted 38-4 to DENY in January. Deferral: The applicant has deferred the application to the May ZRB/April NPU meetings to address possible conditions or site plan changes. Discussion: Residents requested to be informed of any change of the application. Residents raised concerns regarding traffic congestion, infrastructure limitations (dead-end streets), and emergency access at the south end of Grant Park. The developer has been notified of these concerns. President Selby requested discussion regarding traffic to be discussed at the GPNA transportation committee meeting. The Transportation Committee meets the 3rd Monday of the month via Zoom.
Transportation – James Austin
2036 Transportation Vision Initiative: Develop a 10-year proactive vision for neighborhood transportation rather than reacting to individual projects.
Current Focus Area: Alleyways: The committee will explore reclaiming and utilizing historic alleyways (abandoned by the city in the 1970s) for parking or access solutions.
Upcoming Committee Work: Parkside Bike/Bus project and the Sydney/Connolly intersection roundabout.
Grant Park Conservancy – Ceci Villanueva
Canopy Soirée: Annual fundraiser scheduled for March 27 at Zoo Atlanta’s Savanna Hall. Tickets available.
New Programming: “Market in the Park” monthly spring series starts April 19 (Earth Day).
Volunteers: Thanks were expressed to MLK Day volunteers. Signups are available at gpconservancy.org/volunteer.
Announcements
Tactical Urbanism Workshop: February 24 (6:00pm-8:00pm) at the Metropolitan Library (Propel ATL/ATLDOT).
Prison Farm/Memorial & Preserve Master Plan: February 25 (6:30pm-8pm) at the Grant Park Recreation Center.
Publix Marathon: March 1; expect street closures on Cherokee Avenue.
Memorial Drive Greenway Open House: March 17 (4:00pm-7:00pm) at the Oakland Cemetery Visitor Center.
Calendars: 2026 calendars featuring neighborhood trees were provided by Steve Carr.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:50pm.
