Call to order, Announcements, Voting rights (3 meetings, or $10). Seeking the following positions to be filled: Treasurer, Woodland Hills Neighborhood Rep. Join as a SAND business member for $50/year!
Zone 6, Sergeant Smith Evening Watch Commander: Vehicle larceny is the largest issue right now. Please keep cars clean. We picked up section from Monroe Drive up to Cheshire Bridge Road. Zone 6 used to have Cheshire Bridge as part of its territory as it used to be Zone 2, beat 213. We’ve added new officers and they are getting trained. Zone 6 has expanded, which also due to Zone 6’s crime rates decreasing over the past couple years. Q: How much are you seeing firearms stolen from vehicles? A: 3-4 reports since the beginning of 2019 that the Sergeant has read. Q: Any update on the car turning over on Moreland? There were drugs and guns lost. A: I was off Friday and Saturday. I will call you on that information. Q: What is the precinct’s attitude regarding the bikers and speeders on Moreland? A: We have traffic agents out, patrolling. The dirt bikers, our chase policies are a touchy subject. But this is all on our radar. Q: Can you speak to the number of new officers? A: 8 officers, brand-new out of the academy. 4 to morning watch, 4 to evening watch. Q: Do you know anything about what happened in TrestleTree North? A: Yes, someone is in custody for that.
City/State/School/Other Elected Officials: Mitsah Henry with Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington’s office: Spring Newsletter with calendar of events. Family Fun Day 5/4 at Oak Hill Family Center. Town Hall discussion with the commissioner at the John Brigarine Center near Lakewood (Tuesday, 4/16, 11am-2pm).
Tax assessments – Fulton County branding. Summer internships for youth ages 12-16 and for 10th-12th grade students. Can they occasionally hold evening meetings? The morning meets are difficult to attend. There were comments about prison running out of space. Is there a discussion between city and county regarding jail capacity? I would like a list of surplus or low-use properties for community suggestions on how they could be best used. Tax assessments should be out for the end of May. A member voiced their support for a new animal shelter in Fulton County. Would it be possible to have someone come explain the impact of the new tax passed by the state legislature? Mitsah will see if we can have someone come out to the next NPU-W meeting to reach a larger audience. Would the county consider a study compare how commercial properties are evaluated? Did the Commissioner send out emails to constituents to people that are 65 and over? Yes. Mitsah’s direct line is 404-613-0203.
Special Guests: Sydney, 678-699-6979 – Skate Park: There is a plot of land by Boulevard and Custer Avenue. We only have 3 skate parks, and we are competing with other cities who have more than 10 skate parks. Next step is to speak w/ other organization that build skate parks, and she has connections in the skate community. Skatewood is the name for the project. Body members recommend reaching out to Beltline as they’ve built out skate parks and reaching out to local schools.
Transportation: Intrenchment Creek trail update. Got a couple applications for ARC LCI grant for South Moreland. Hope to hear back in two months. Placemaking grant with CoA to do some cool things along BKW.
Beautification: Hemlock fig tree has saplings available for people to dig out and use for their own. If not, the saplings will be dug out and thrown away.
Communications: Like SAND on Facebook and follow us on Instagram. Submit any ideas for the newsletter to us.
Treasurer: Amazon Smile / Kroger Rewards. You can link these two to SAND, and a portion of proceeds goes back to SAND. Trolley’s available for $40 unpainted, $50 painted. A couple updates on financial situation – Around $13K, which is normal for SAND. Biggest expense was paying annual fee for insurance.
Education/Schools: Benteen Park is having their annual Spring Festival (April 29, 8:30am-2:30pm event).
Social: Interested in hosting a social hour for SAND at your home? Let us know! Ormewood Park Church – Chalk and Chomp Event Friday, May 3. Eventide Brewery – May 7 (5:30pm-10pm). Every Tuesday they sponsor a nonprofit and on May 7. 10% of sales goes back to SAND. Beulah Heights will have free food festival event 11am-3pm (hot dogs, popcorn, beer) on Saturday, April 13.
Public Safety: 1328 Boulevard (Red’s Beer Garden) – Alcohol Exemption. Kristen Sumpter is the applicant. Letters of support from the 2 residences and the 1 church for Red’s Beer Garden. Parking agreement with the vacant car wash parcel for 2 years. Applicant has letters of support from community members and a neighbor for Red’s Beer Garden. Q: It was expressed at the February meeting that the legislation cannot be specific to one business, it would have to be for that property address in perpetuity. These letters of support are directed to Kristen and Red’s Beer Garden, not to the property. We as neighbors should ensure the churches and affected parties should know that and understand that. KS: Councilwoman Smith has expressed the same thing and asked me to get new letters of support. Q: Is this your first business in the city? KS: Yes. Q: Do you think you can be successful without selling food? KS: Yes. Members expressed support for activating the space and for Red’s Beer Garden as a concept to do so. The body is voting if we support a drafting of legislation to allow for this exemption to occur. It’s a courtesy. It’s a chance for the neighborhood to speak on this. There’s only one person who represents us who can make this legislation (Carla Smith) and she wants our feedback on whether we support this and the legislation. Applicant received support from neighbors from the two adjacent properties and the two behind for Red’s Beer Garden. Motion to provide a letter of support from SAND to Carla Smith (seconded). Vote: 13 for, 6 opposed, 5 abstain. Conditions: Letters from those impacted that the alcohol exemption would be in perpetuity for the property, not just the business. Neighbors expressed a general preference for a re-write of the ordinance to reflect current needs in the communities rather than doing individual variances. (This doesn’t preclude individual variances from being granted.) At the March SAND meeting members expressed concerns that this location not be able to become a nightclub in the future.
Land Use and Zoning (LU&Z): Z-19-002 1131 Glenwood Ave. (aka 525 Moreland Avenue development) – Applicant seeks rezoning of 4 lots from R-4 to MRC-1- C to allow for proposed aggregate development w/ adjacent NC-2 properties. LUZ voted to Approve with condition(s) 11-0-2. Looking to add residential units to making them 100% affordable. Had 25 units and added 17 to go to 42. All 42 will be affordable as that was the minimum needed to make this work out financially. Applicants are applying for affordable housing tax break. Incomes: 40-80% AMI (area median income) $26K for single, $52K for a family of four. Limiting the site to 4 floors. Q: What about the AMI issues? And how many units? A: All units administered through 9% tax credit. Historically been 60% AMI, or 40 or 50%. We’re doing an income average. Units from 40 to 80% AMI rents. Q: How many units are at 80%? A: The balancing points is 58% AMI. Typical rent in Atlanta is 120% AMI. Q: All rental or mixture of rental and purchase? A: All rental. 30-year program? Motion to approve, seconded. Vote: Passes unanimously.
V-019-051 / Z-19-016 1061 United Avenue – Applicant requests rezoning from R-4 to R-G3 to convert an existing church educational building into 18 condominiums. Applicant also requests a variance to reduce the required Usable Open Space ratio requirement from .40 (10,961 sf) to .31 (8,555 sf), pending the above rezoning (Z-19-016). LUZ voted to approve with conditions unanimous. Educational building is being touched and repurposed to residential. Will add stairwell to the front for code. Concerns from neighbors. Parking lot light shielding. Parking lot screening for privacy. Bike racks: Motion to approve; seconded. Vote: Approved unanimously.
Z-19-026 1043 Avondale Avenue – Applicant seeks to rezone the property R4 to R4B/BL. LUZ voted to Deny 8-0-4. The applicant has voting rights and did vote to approve, so it should 1 instead of 0. Scott Jones speaking on behalf of applicant, Albert is the applicant, and both have lived in neighborhood for 30 years. Have applied for rezoning from R4 to R4B, R4BL (BL is for BeltLine, part of the BeltLine overlay). 15 neighbors have signed support, 9 are immediate neighbors. All lots would be at least 7,500 sq feet. The recommendation at the LUZ committee was for 3 lots for R4A instead of R4B. Reason for R4B: Allows to draw lines, while R4A only allows for one configuration. Vote: 5 to deny, 11 to approve, 2 to abstain. Motion to approve the rezoning was submitted and seconded. Vote: 11 to approve, 5 to deny, 2 to abstain.
Approval of March 2019 meeting minutes. Concern and comments were if it could be a nightclub; “strike the phrase about passing.” Add to the February notes about the September vote. They had to appear to the church and get the letter, and that it was not.
Adjourned at 9:27pm.
