April 2015 - East Atlanta Community Association

EACA Meeting Minutes
April 14, 2015
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Introductions and Welcome
East Atlanta Farmers Market - Katie Hays-Cash
Public Safety and City Council Representatives
Graveyard Tavern Mural - Sydney Sevdalis
Litespeed-BMW Cycling Team - Jeff Blau
Committee Reports - Education, Arts and Culture,
East Atlanta Foundation- EACBF
Approve Minutes and Treasurers Report
Adjourn
The President called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. and welcomed all new attendees,
neighbors and presenters to the April 14, 2015 EACA meeting. New attendees introduced
themselves.
A representative from Councilperson Archibong’s office announced that the 14th Annual
Tire Round Up will be next Saturday April 25th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please bring
discarded (rimless) tires to 815 Old Flat Shoals Road (behind the old Parmalot Building).
Volunteers have been available in the past to pick up neighborhood tires if residents are
unable to deliver them to the appointed recycling location. Call Councilperson
Archibong’s office for more information and to inquire about tire pick up (404) 330-6048
or e-mail narchibong@atlantaga.gov. The fee normally assessed to recycle tires when
you purchase replacement tires is a State-wide issue. Councilperson Archibong’s office
has worked really hard to get that money back into the City budget but there are many
challenges in getting legislation to have those funds reallocated to the local area where
they are assessed. An inquiry was made regarding utilization of the CHaRM Center on
Hill Street for recyclables. For information on this facility, please see their website:
http://livethrive.org/charm.
East Atlanta Corner Project update – The initial meeting on March 19 had enthusiastic
response and support. Input, ideas and suggestions as well as potential challenges were
gathered, a plan has been drafted and the organizing team has scheduled the next meeting
on Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at First Mt. Pleasant Church (815 Maynard Terrace
Rd.). Please see the “East Atlanta Corner Project” Facebook page for more information
and updates.
An issue concerning the use of Uber drivers to and from Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson
International Airport was brought up to the Archibong representative. It is not legal to
use Uber for airport drop off and pick up and an Uber driver was recently ticketed for an
airport assignment. State imposed regulations vs city imposed rules and taxes for limos
and taxi’s dictate the confusion of what classification Uber falls into. City Council is
working diligently on this issue and hopes to get clarification and resolution on this
matter quickly.
Jim Elgar from Council President Caesar Mitchell’s office thanked everyone for
attending the Public Safety meeting last week in Grant Park and he made himself
available for comments and questions. If you need to get in touch with Council President
Mitchell’s office, please feel free to call Jim at (404) 330-6052 or see Council President
Mitchell’s website: http://www.ceasarmitchell.com/.
East Atlanta Farmer’s Market:
Katie Hays, Director of Community Farmer’s Markets announced that the East Atlanta
Village Farmer’s Market (561 Flat Shoals Road) will open this Thursday April 16, 2015
from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and will be commemorated with the annual planting of a peach
tree at 4:00 p.m. The space, owned by Georgia Power, is being transformed into vendor
and family friendly green space thanks to grants and donor contributions of $15,000.
Another $5-7,000 is still needed to complete the project. Citizens have donated picnic
tables and Big Daddy Biscuits has donated a pet waste station. Commercial grade
lighting will be added as an enhanced safety feature. An effort is underway to get the
space added to the City of Atlanta’s parks list so that the City will assist in upkeep and
supply running water to the site. An expanded weekly vendor list includes two new
dinner options, chef demos will continue this year, many of the farmers who have
supported the EAVFM for several years will return and increased neighbor and public
safety patrols are underway as just some of the things we can look forward to during the
2015 market season. In its previous use as a parking lot it was a liability to the
neighborhood because of the lack of lighting and security. The space was never intended
to be used for parking. EACA presented a check for donation to the funding and running
of the Farmer’s Market to the Community Farmer’s Market.
Public Safety:
Lieutenant Tim Carter of APD reported that there have been two arrests made in
connection with the Moreland Avenue Kroger murder –both the shooter and driver have
been apprehended. Several Zone 6 robbery spree suspects have been identified and some
suspects have been charged. There has been a slight rise in burglary cases in East Atlanta
and East Lake with ongoing investigations. Efforts are underway to keep suspects in
multiple offenses from being released from custody so quickly. There has been an
approximate 30% reduction in crimes in the area since last year but an increase in month
over month crime statistics and trends (a “month” in terms of police activity equals 28
days). There was a shooting in unincorporated Dekalb County earlier today (4/14/15) but
Lt. Carter did not have any specifics to report about it at the time of the EACA meeting.
A concern was raised about the ongoing problem of car racing on Moreland Avenue
between I-285 and Custer Avenue on Sunday evenings, the most recent of which resulted
in a fatality. Multi-services cooperation in stopping the races from happening is ongoing.
Major Jones has been promoted and a new Major, Major Johnson, has been assigned to
Unincorporated Dekalb County.
Graveyard Tavern Mural Proposal:
Sydney Sevdalis with TomorrowWorld Festival proposed the idea of a festival sponsored
mural on the portion of the outside wall at The Grave Yard Tavern near the entrance to
the basement venue and asked for feedback. There was concern from the community that
the artwork project would include an advertisement for the Festival. If you would like to
submit an artist’s name who would like to get involved in the mural, please let Sydney
know at Sydney@tomorrowworld.com. The project is in the beginning stages so input
must be submitted soon to facilitate the approval process with the City of Atlanta.
Litespeed-BMW Cycling Team:
Jeff Blau, representing The Litespeed-BMW Cycling Team announced the return of the
East Atlanta Twilight Criterium to East Atlanta Village for the 4th year. The race is a
2015 Georgia State Criterium Championship. Open to all adult categories, the event will
take place on August 15, 2015. Racing starts at 2:15pm with the lower categories and
races continue through the afternoon and evening and concludes with the Pro 1/2 Men
under the village’s street lights at 8pm. Award ceremonies and Championship jersey
presentations will be conducted at the end of each individual race. The highly competitive
and well-attended kids’ race will take place at 5:30pm and the fan-favorite ‘Bartender’
race will immediately follow. The Team is considering a possible extension of the race
course to include more of Metropolitan, Haas and Flat Shoals Avenues but realizes an
extension would impact more residents. The Team will host a community meeting
during the first week of May to seek resident and business owner input. Improvements
for this year’s race will include better signage, communication and traffic flow on race
day. The post office will remain open and coordination with Race Marshalls will help get
customers in and out. More volunteers are needed if the course is extended. If you
would like to volunteer or get more information, please contact Jeff.
Jeff.Blau@gmail.com or (404)384-3995.
Beerfest:
The 14th Annual East Atlanta Beerfest will be held on May 16 in Brownwood Park from
noon to 5:00 p.m. Advance ticket prices are $40 for general admission and $75 for VIP
access. Please see the website for ticket purchases http://www.eastatlantabeerfest.com/.
This year the Festival will include 200+ Craft Beers for tasting, food vendors and live
entertainment. The East Atlanta Foundation receives proceeds from this event which
supports local non-profit organizations and projects that promote the quality of life in
East Atlanta.
Arts and Culture:
Celebrate your neighborhood by participating in the upcoming Frolic in Brownwood Park
on Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
The 2nd Annual Great American Backyard Camp Out will be held June 27th and 28th at
the Zubar-Jarrell House at 810 Flat Shoals Road. Remember, it’s not just for kids.
Transportation:
Save the Old Atlanta Prison Farm update: An early April AJC article featuring Scott
Peterson and Joe Peery’s efforts to turn the old federal prison farm located just south of
East Atlanta Village into usable community green space has sparked renewed political
and social interest in the project. The next tour of the proposed greenspace will be on
May 2, 2015. Two hundred people have already signed up. It was suggested that a
petition be circulated during tours and within the community to save the farm and let
political leaders know that community interest in the project has increased. Kathy
Gannon supports the project and Larry Johnson was initially in support but has waffled
on his position. Dekalb County has $35 million allocated for green space so please let
your council members know that utilization of the prison farm would be beneficial to
taxpayers in your district. Scott Peterson would like some help in the form of tour guides
(especially for the tour coming up on May 2nd) and trail building. A small stipend is
available for these efforts (an hourly rate for trail building or a flat rate for leading a
tour). An Earth Day party will be held on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, El Mexicano
Restaurant at 6:00 p.m., sponsored by Save the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. Reminder: the
maps of the trails are on the Save the Old Atlanta Prison Farm Facebook page.
Natalyn Archibong’s office is looking for suggestions and support for community based
projects that the recently voted upon bond money could be used for. Please send your
comments to transportation@eaca.net or Natalyn’s office.
LUZ:
The first topic of post-EACA meeting discussions was introduced: Andy is doing a series
of presentations about growth and redevelopment that will affect East Atlanta Village.
EAV has a special kind of quality of life zoning in a commercial district that supports
pedestrian friendly development, local businesses, supports more compact and dense
development and manages the transition between the edges of commercial areas into
residential areas. This ordinance was adopted in 2000. The community at that time
developed a Master Plan and the vision in that plan lead directly to the current zoning
ordinance. Andy’s presentations are meant to refresh the memory of the current
association about the vision and make sure it still represents our priorities so that we are
better positioned as we look at new development proposals and zoning variance requests
that come to us for approval. There has also been a more recent study done for the South
Moreland Corridor in 2008. This study is more transportation and transit focused and
how development along the corridor can support and thrive from a coordinated
transportation plan. This plan also has a vision associated with it for growth and land use
and zoning changes that will impact some the decisions we make.
The first presentation after the regular EACA meeting this evening will touch on vision
and priorities in the two plans with questions and discussion afterward.
The Land Use and Zoning committee meets each 1st Tuesday of the month in the
community room at Eastside Church 7:00 p.m.
The full NPU meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month, also in the community room at
Eastside Church at 7:00 p.m.
The Atlanta Beltline Committee is currently reassessing their strategic plan and
commitment to affordable housing. The original 5600 unit commitment is still in place
but they are proposing a change in where those units will be, citing changes in market
conditions as the reason.
Education:
Last month’s Burgess Peterson Academy parent forum, held at Hodge Podge was very
well attended. A similar event will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2015, at
Argosy at 470 Flat Shoals Road for current and prospective parents of King Middle
School students. The Jackson Cluster Planning committee meeting will be held on May
13, 2015. The monthly meeting with Jackson Cluster principals, members of APS and a
community stakeholder, Louis Cartee, will be the 2nd community meeting and will be
held at Jackson High School at 6:30 pm. The goals and objectives of the Jackson Cluster
meetings have been discussed in previous EACA meetings but if you have questions or
need further information, please contact Louis at education@eaca.net.
Minutes and Treasures report approved by majority vote
Meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.