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August 8, 2005 MLPA Board of Directors Monthly Meeting draft Minutes
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Call to order and welcome
Thanks for supporting MLPA and MSP!
Membership signup forms at www.mlpa.org (“Join Now”)
July 2005 meeting minutes approved by acclamation
Recognition of elected officials in attendance: None present
Candidates for Office
Mayoral Candidate Tiffany Brown
Green Space Commission, tourism, changing urban design to give the citizens the direction. Homelessness: help people change their lives www.brownforatlanta2005.com
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Mary Pat Matheson & Jeff Dickerson
ABG Master Plan
Parking facility would change the way people come into the Garden.
“Edible garden” to replace current parking area – Garden would face Piedmont Park, and current entrance would be replaced by a new Visitors Center on the Park side.
Reclaim woodland area and make more visitor-friendly. Currently eliminating invasive species. Replace with understory of native species. Canopy walk and classroom amid trees.
If proposed parking deck is not approved, then ABG will have to go back to the drawing board.
ABG approval path: neighborhoods, NPUs, Urban Design Council, City Council
Committee reports
Traffic
BeltLine – Refer to BeltLine Neighbor’s Coalition presentation.
MARTA – HATS meeting to be scheduled for August. Dianne Olansky appointed to Alternatives Analysis panel.
ARC Walkable Communities Workshop – ARC selected five locations outside the City of Atlanta for this round. Morningside will participate in Workshop held for Clifton Corridor September 14.
Neighborhood Traffic Calming - Dianne and Bill met with Transportation Department last week to gain support for traffic calming measures while we wait for ARC’s evaluation of Ansley park plan; asking for treatment of two spots along East Rock Springs, Highland/Johnson/Lenox intersection, North Morningside at Cumberland, and to be prepared for emerging problems on Lanier Boulevard and Pelham Road.
Traffic Committee Meeting – No Traffic Committee meeting this month.
Parks/Environmental Affairs
Motion to pay $476.10 for kudzu removal approved.
The old wooden play structure at Lenox Wildwood Park is crumbling and will be removed by the city. There is no city money to replace it. Several neighbors have begun discussing the possibility of rebuilding it, perhaps with the thought of gearing the new structure to upper elementary and middle school age children since there are already nearby playgrounds for younger children. If you, or your kids, have ideas or suggestions for what you would like to see there, please contact Keith Walker at 404-607-8299 or fosterwalker@comcast.net.
There is also a possibility of receiving a grant from KaBOOM! to put in a playscape in Lenox Wildwood. KaBOOM! is an organization committed to building playgrounds throughout the U.S. Although our neighborhood may be too affluent to be in the running, with your approval, I will submit an application. If we receive the grant, it would mean raising $10,000 by October and volunteering to assist with a community build in November. If we were to build a similar playscape on our own, it would cost $35,000. Motion to submit the above grant approved.
Education
August Headline: Summer Vacation Ends, School Begins, Drive Carefully
Atlanta Public Schools will begin the 2005 – 2006 school year on Monday, August 15. This Friday Morningside E.S. will host its Meet-and-Greet Open House from 9 – 11 a.m., and Inman Middle School’s Meet-and-Greet will run from 2 - 4 p.m. Grady will run its magnet program orientation this Thursday, Aug. 11, and a general orientation Friday morning.
Morningside E.S.
Morningside’s enrollment is continuing to grow as our intown community attracts more families with young children. Currently the anticipated enrollment for 2005/06 is:
Kindergarten: 154 students 9 classrooms and 10 teachers
1st Grade: 153 students 9 classrooms and teachers
2nd Grade: 135 students 6 classrooms and teachers
3rd Grade: 129 students 6 classrooms and teachers
4th Grade: 122 students 6 classrooms and teachers
5th Grade: 109 students 6 classrooms and teachers
MES will be collaborating with the UGA landscape architecture and design department in a Campus Pride Project. 5th year UGA students will be submitting designs in late fall for future implementation. The PTA and School Council will be installling 38 new computers as part of the initial stage of a technology initiative.
Inman Middle School
Kudos to Inman for meeting over 80% of APS Superintendent’s goals in 2004 – 2005 as well as making Annual Yearly Progress under No Child Left Behind guidelines.
Grady High School
The Grady attendance zone is expanding this year to include Coan Middle School, an additional feeder middle school. There will also be students transferring from Crim H.S. to Grady because of Crim’s change from a traditional to a non-traditional high school. Student enrollment figures have not been released yet.
CINS Presents An Evening with Langston Hughes
For the 2005 – 2006 school year CINS’ fundraising efforts will be spearheaded by a production of Remembering Langston Hughes starring John Lawhorn. He brings Langston Hughes, award-winning author, poet and playwright, to life through this insightful one-man performance.
The performance will take place on Saturday, September 17, at the Grady High School theatre. There are tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities for individuals or businesses at several levels of support. General admission tickets are $20. Proceeds will fund CINS’ Excellence in Education grants program for classroom teachers in CINS cluster schools. For more information contact Barbara Feinberg, bjfatlanta@comcast.net or 404-876-3839.
Communications
Progress Update
Further refined content and created a test environment with our second Association Edge demo site. This site expires August 16th, at which time we will need to pay for a real site.
Successfully linked from the website Join Now page to our PayPal account, so we have initial indications that online sign-up will not be a problem.
Next Steps:
Obtain website content management services through Association Edge website. Launch website by mid September.
Miscellaneous
What can board members do?
We could post information about park clean-up volunteer dates, back to school information, security patrol forms, and general neighborhood goings-on! Take a look at the proposed left hand navigation below, and let us know if you have thoughts for content.
About Us
- Letter from President
- Officers/Committee Chairs (with contact information)
Join Now
- MLPA Annual Membership
- MLPA Tour of Homes
Membership Directory (This will be a password protected area of the site)
Events
Schools
Neighborhood Features
- Walking Tour
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- Walking Tour information
- Morningside Map
- Neighborhood Merchants
Committees and Meeting Minutes
- Monthly Meeting minutes
- eBlasts
- Security Patrol
- Traffic
- Parks
- Zoning
Membership
Draft survey is available; asked Board to review. Ideas include a tree lottery, member information forums, architectural/restructuring design assistance. Survey is intentionally brief.
Proposed logo will be ready for review at September meeting.
Special Events
The neighborhood is now seeking coordinators for all special events since the resignation of this year’s chairpersons. Daniel Cherrix and Chip Bowden thanked for their years of service to MLPA.
North MLPA/Sidewalks
Inquiries but no pending requests; correspondence with equivalent in Virginia Highland for ideas on managing sidewalk program. Will probably gear up in fall.
South MLPA
450 families representing almost 800 children in VHMPA. Currently addressing possible public school re-zoning.
NPU-F Representative
Some highlights from the July 18, 2005 NPU-F meeting
1. Tree Ordinance:
There’s over $1 million dollars available to be allocated for use to remove hazardous trees. A rewrite of the COA tree ordinance is taking place. A motion was passed to request Anne Fauver to have Jack White nominated to be the appointed NPU-F representative for the proceedings.
2. Residential Parking Program:
A motion was passed to approve amending the Residential Parking Program and the residential parking permit component of the ordinance for maintaining the cost of parking permit at $12 for every 2 years.
3. Zoning:
V-05-105: 500-560 Amsterdam Avenue (BZA deferred case to the NPU for a vote)
A motion was passed to deny Applicant, Halpern Enterprises, Inc., from seeking a special exception from zoning regulations to reduce the total required parking from 727 spaces (requirement existing nonconforming characteristic) to 288 spaces (existing on site) for the purpose of converting 10,050 sq. ft. or retail to restaurant.
4. New Ordinance:
A motion was passed to approve an Ordinance by Council Member Ivory Lee Young, Jr. to amend various sections of the Zoning Code of the City of Atlanta, for the purpose of clarifying and/or defining certain terms related to supportive housing; to provide how applications for such uses are to be processed; defining the term community center and removing certain redundant terms related to such use; redefining the conditions under which Dormitories, Sorority Houses and Fraternity Houses are permitted; Deleting Rooming Houses and Boarding Houses as permitted uses in certain districts; and for other purposes.
5. Special Administrative Permit
SAP-05-10: 1370 North Highland Avenue
A motion was passed to deny Applicant, Harry R. Stamper, Agent for Southeast Towers, LLC, to seek a special administrative permit to increase the height of the an existing MetroPCS communication tower to 100’.
A Presentation of the highlights of the month’s activities of the Beltline Neighbors Coalition was made by James Strack, Bill Ellis, and Dianne Olansky. The highlights were as follows:
A. The June 21 Recap Meeting ADA and EDAW plans for Ansley Mall were presented and described.
B. The recent activities of the Beltline Neighbors Coalition were reviewed.
C. The first Draft of the BNC Land Use Plan was presented.
D. The results of the August 7, 2005 local neighborhoods Land Use review meeting was reported.
E. The goals and objectives of the BNC were reviewed and the general concept of the BNC goals and objectives were approved by the MLPA Board.
Finance
No report this month.
Treasurer’s report
Budget adjusted last month; MLPA moving right along with new budget.
Security Patrol/Public Safety
CRIMES REPORTED FOR JULY 2005
(4) LARCENY FROM VEHICLE
- LAR-ARTICLES FROM VE 07/26/05 1189 EAST ROCK SPRINGS RD.
- LAR-ARTICLES FROM VE 07/26/05 875 COURTENAY DR
- LAR-ARTICLES FROM VE 07/16/05 1330 LANIER BLVD.
- LAR-ARTICLES FROM VE 07/10/05 1228 REEDER CIR.
(2) BURGULARY
- ATTEMPT BURG-FORCED 07/21/05 1870 WINDEMERE DR.
- BURG-NO FORCD ENTRY- 07/16/05 1247 PASADENA AVE.
(2) AUTO THEFT
- THEFT OF OTHER VEHIC 07/25/05 629 HILL PINE DR.
- AUTO THEFT 7/16/05 998WILDWOOD RD.
(0) LARCENY
(0) VIOLENT CRIME
CONGRATULATIONS MORNINGSIDE LENOX PARK ASSOCIATION
Our first National Night Out Against crime was a super success.
We had over 50 marchers. As we walked through the neighborhood we encountered several residents who were told of our fabulous Morningside Security Patrol. So, expect new members soon. We want to thank Target, Publix and Briarcliff Animal Clinic for their support and contributions. We extend a special thank you to our Atlanta Police Department and their leadership. Detective Rick Vaszuez, did an excellent job in scoping out the route and providing the “Water Wagon” for our joyous walker neighbors.
The whole City of Atlanta is talking about us. Wait until next year.
Get your vacation request cards to the Morningside Security Patrol before your next trip (but not by mail; drop them off in the lockbox at the Church parking lot).
Beware of your surroundings and be sure to report suspicious activity to MSP and APD.
Zoning
Application Number V-05-194
1216 N. Highland
Applicant: Benjamin Larkin
Property Owner: Benjamin Larkin
Applicant seeks a special exception for a 5 ft. privacy fence (wall) where only a 4 ft. fence is allowed.
Motion to approve the special exception pending letters of support from neighbors across the street.
Note: Fences have been installed on property.
Zoning committee motion passed: 3- In Favor, 1- Against, 2 - Abstaining.
MLPA motion to approve the special exception 6-3-2
Application Number V-05-230
1047 High Point Drive
Applicant: Shawn DeFord
Property Owner: Shawn DeFord
Applicant seeks a variance to reduce the west side yard setback from 7 feet (required) to 2.6 feet to allow for a second story addition to an existing single family house.
Motion to approve variance per the site plan dated 7-15-2005 and pending letter of consent from neighbor at 1431 High Point Place.
Zoning Committee motion Passed: 7- In Favor, 0- Against, 1 - Abstaining.
MLPA motion to approve variance per the site plan dated 7-15-2005 (letter of consent received) Passed 11– 0- 0
Application Number V-05-233
1240 Reeder Circle
Applicant: Kelly Carter
Property Owner: Kelly Carter
Applicant seeks a variance to reduce the west side yard setback from 7 feet (required) to 2.5 feet to allow for a second story addition to an existing single family house.
Zoning Committee motion to approve variance per the site plan dated 6-20-2005 and the drawings dated 8-2-2005, pending letter of consent from all contiguous neighbors. Failed: 4- In Favor, 4- Against, 0 - Abstaining.
Note: Only motion that was presented.
MLPA motion to defer passed 6-1-3
Application Number V-05-234
1092 McLynn
Applicant: David Fowler
Property Owner: Robert O'Gara
Applicant seeks a variance to reduce the east side yard setback from 7 feet (required) to 3.6 feet to allow for a screen porch addition to a single family house.
Motion to approve variance per the site plan dated 7-20-2005 and pending letter of consent from all contiguous neighbors.
Zoning Committee motion passed : 8- In Favor, 0- Against, 0 - Abstaining.
MLPA motion to approve per the site plan dated 7-20-2005 and pending letter of consent from all contiguous neighbors passed 7-1-3
Corner Wine and Art, LLC
Shop at Highland Walk in old Aliya art gallery space. Status is “Wine Specialty Shop.” Limits size and amount of wine sold. No consumption. No parking intensity change.
Motion to approve passed 10-0-0.
President raised the idea of the way Ansley Park handles their Zoning requests. Zoning committee hears the request and that recommendation goes directly to the NPU, bypassing their Board. Just food for thought.
No Old or New Business
The meeting was adjourned at 9:57 EDT.
Respectfully submitted,
William B. Ellis
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