DHA 2020 Annual Meeting - President's Opening Remarks

I needed some inspiration for comments at a 50th anniversary kickoff. DHA was incorporated with the SoS in June of 1970. Most of what I learned about the early days of DHA came from personal stories with more seasoned members of the board, past and present. The DHA came about at the same time as the Garden Club, the Crier newspaper, and the earliest subdivisions in Dunwoody North and Georgetown. But I needed a place to start for today’s event.

While putting away the parade banners in the storage space, I took a moment to dig around in the filing cabinet where old paper records are kept. The first binder I saw was a collection of notes from 1995 - DHA’s 25th anniversary. Rob Augustine was president at the time. Newsletters were printed and mailed - e-mail, instant messaging and America OnLine were only beginning to take hold. Social media didn’t exist. Correspondence on letterhead with original logos and a list of directors in the margin with many familiar names. There was legal correspondence requesting support for a development project that became Congregation Ariel.

There was organized opposition to a satellite “Dish Farm” on Mt. Vernon Road. A reference to government being proactive towards “affrontery” to Dunwoody’s quality of life. There was a lot of negotiation over signage and commercial buildings in close proximity to homes. DeKalb County was nowhere to be found.

A page of hand-written notes described an early July 4th parade. The number of participants was modest enough that the Harris-Teeter grocery store (where Sprouts used to be) offered breakfast to everyone - FREE.

June of 1995 introduced the idea of an overlay district around Dunwoody Village as a means of improving quality of life. There was even a suggestion that it should be applied to all neighborhood-scale commercial nodes that was called “Dunwoody” at the time. That idea took root in the construction of the Williamsburg center off of Jett Ferry Road and Independence Square off of Peeler and Chamblee-Dunwoody.

This summer of 1995 the board composed a letter to the DeKalb County School System to advise on the qualities of a school superintendent that was being sought. The presidents address at that annual meeting promoted mass transit and freeway improvements that would take commuter traffic around Dunwoody and not through it. This was before the Sandy Springs and North Springs MARTA stations were completed.

Sound familiar?

In 2018 and 2019, there was a lot of interest in what kind of “community center” Dunwoody Village should be. Not only were there plenty of long-time residents but lots of new Dunwoody citizens too. New citizens, who had no idea what an overlay district is, who were not involved with the initial planning of the area. They were passionate about updating a *shopping center* of all things. Why? Why should anyone care so much about a shopping center? And why this one, instead of many others you can find anywhere? Including the Perimeter center?

The answer is because of the DHA’s efforts back in the 1990s to define this center as the “heart”. We can talk about what architectural styles are outdated and what should be kept. Those preferences are going to change with the generations and that’s normal. All of those nice new perimeter buildings going up - condos, new signage around the mall, new commercial buildings, whatever is defined in the updated Village overlay code this year - in another 25 years, someone is going to groan and say, “Good God, what were they thinking?” And then someone will lead a charge to change it again.

The value of the overlay district is not in the styles themselves but by the very act of defining “This place is special.” This place is Unique in all of the Perimeter and will not be infiltrated by the more urban-style development on 285. Dunwoody wants to remain a small town, no matter how big Metro Atlanta becomes. The new “heart” is worth sweating the small stuff and paying attention to the details. We nurture this area as something valuable. And, as a result, we have new generations of Dunwoody homeowners internalizing that same sense of value and they feel so strongly towards it, they want to leave a mark of their own. Even those that hate the place as it is now, believe that it is worth putting time and effort into realizing a greater potential. For those reasons, I call the overlay district of the ‘90s a success - it is still seen as a valuable asset across generations. The DHA was engaged in municipal “placemaking” long before consultants packaged it and sold it to governments for six figures.

The village overlay is one example of DHA’s board and volunteers working together across beliefs and ideologies to accomplish a goal for what would become a city. When you look at the names in the margin, and get to know the familiar ones, you can just imagine that these people normally would not sit around agreeing with one another. I know this because they still don’t today.

Every goal, every initiative includes the phrase “quality of life”. It’s repeated in DHA’s bylaws, on the website, and every candidate for office tosses it around on the campaign trail. But no one ever defines what quality of life *is*. You ask 25 people you get 50 different answers.

In the last year or two, between the nationalization of our local politics and the lack of solutions to our overcrowded schools, there is a more pervasive tension and hostility throughout the community. Any given time, there’s always someone out there with a bone to pick with their neighbor. I’m not talking about that. It’s not just isolated cases. The whole community fabric is being strained. In quiet discreet conversations, fearful questions have become more constant.


“Will the person I sit in church with on Sunday think I will bring down their home value if their child comes to my family’s school?”

“If I take a stand for a Dunwoody improvement,, will I have any friends left?”

“Will the people next door snub me if they don’t like who I vote for?”

“Will my application be treated fairly at city hall, even if I didn’t vote for the winners of the last election?”

“Is my home at risk if someone thinks I have the “wrong” campaign sign in my yard?”

“Will I be accused of racism or some other kind of “ism” if I disagree with a redistricting plan?”

“If our family is redistricted over our objection, can we trust the staff and PTO to care for my children? Or will they retaliate against me through my child?”

And since Dunwoody is filled with entrepreneurs and small business owners, and corporate executives,

“If I make a statement for a campaign or issue, will someone retaliate against my business?”
“Will neighbors actually try to boycott or “cancel” my business presence?”
“Will I still be able to provide for my family?”

These are not hypothetical or fictional scenarios, nor are they exaggerations. They are all very real and they have all become a constant in our lives in Dunwoody.

Because these fears are more constant, it is a sign that there is less of a fundamental trust between the human beings in our city. When you have trust, you can dislike a neighbor, even intensely, but still be confident that they won’t try to harm you in some way.

Because that trust is weakened, I submit to you, that the quality of life in Dunwoody that we think we have is nowhere near where it should be.

And no amount of redevelopment in the Village, green space, bike trails, school buildings, home values, or ARC awards can substitute for that mutual trust.

Dunwoody incorporated as a city because we could not trust DeKalb county leadership to make good zoning or planning decisions that benefit the residents here.

Today, there are a lot of homeowners who don’t trust GDOT or their expansion plans for I-285 and don’t feel secure in their homes. I can’t say I blame them when GDOT glorifies toll lanes in the media for commuters from the outer ‘burbs but are silent about the value of Dunwoody homes and neighborhoods that will get destroyed in the process.

Real estate developers are behind the 8-ball when it comes to public trust. Promises to dovetail peacefully with established neighborhoods are greeted with skepticism. All good will flies out the window when tax abatements are demanded. That hasn’t changed in 50 years and I don’t know what it will take to get that to improve.

What’s different now is that breakdown in trust has come from regional institutions, down into our very neighborhoods.

Trust is the foundation on which the rest of our “quality of life” trappings is built. When you can trust the people you live and work with, it’s easier to compromise, without gettign the sense you’re being taken advantage of.

When you’re trying to compose policy for a diverse community with a wide range of needs, or solve a problem that’s been festering for years, compromise is the only way forward. When you can trust the people around you and compromise, then the home values and the strong school communities, and the new amenities in a land-locked city will follow. Without compromise, based on trust in the good will of other citizens, there will be no improvements and the community stagnates.

So how do you adjust that course and get that foundation back?

Well, you can’t legislate it. You can’t enforce an ordinance.

This was the toughest part of coming up with these opening remarks.

Again I looked back through notes from years past. Whenever there was a major conflict that threatened to blow the group apart, the focus was brought back to whatever goal needed to be accomplished or problem that needed solving. One by one, everyone involved made the choice to make the common goal the first priority and any disagreements were tabled for later. It sounds simplistic but it works. These past few months when Dunwoody was stressing (again) over the the prospect of school redistricting, I found myself bonding with new friends with very different worldviews when we could find some common ground over a personal struggle and a warm beverage.

If enough people make the personal choice to put human relationships above politics or fears, our city can become that close-knit community again, and diversity will be an even greater strength.

GDOT Releases a Video Rendering of Toll Lanes Over Dunwoody Neighborhoods

For years, Dunwoody has been telling GDOT and anyone else who would listen under the Gold Dome that paving 285 isn't alleviating congestion and it's time to invest more into rail and other alternatives.  They're going to pave anyway and there is a significant negative impact projected for Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, Chamblee, and Doraville.

From the Dunwoody Reporter Newspaper:



DHA meeting from February 2019
First 80 minutes.  More is available on the DHA Facebook page.

GDOT will give two updates in Dunwoody on Tuesday, January 28 at St Luke's.

Dunwoody High School Baseball Celebrates Grand Opening of New Field with Ribbon Cutting, Scrimmage and Fundraiser

Members of the community are invited to attend the scrimmage and Marlow’s Tavern Fundraiser on January 25, 2020.


Dunwoody, GA – January 6, 2020 - Baseball season is right around the corner and we can’t wait to play on our new field! As some may recall, last season we were unable to play any home games on the Dunwoody High School baseball field due to unsafe playing conditions. In addition to the visible surface issues, it was discovered that a large drainpipe running across the outfield was severely damaged.

Thanks to our friends at Dunwoody Senior Baseball we rescheduled and played most of our home games at the Brook Run Park baseball fields.

The Dunwoody High School staff and the Dunwoody Diamond Club began collaborating with the Dekalb County School System to explore remedies for restoring the DHS field to acceptable playing conditions and get our games back on campus. This collaboration began in March and many options were considered. Through exploration and constructive dialogue with DCSD, a plan to mutually invest in repairs was put into action. This required the Diamond Club to leverage the hard work of our recent fund-raising efforts to invest in field improvements.

What happened next? Both the Diamond Club and DCSD made substantial investments and a plan was devised to begin the repairs immediately. Starting in July, the field was fully re-graded with appropriate drainage, resurfaced, and the damaged drainpipe repaired.

We are happy to report that the DHS baseball field has been repaired and is now fully operational. Games for the 2020 season will commence AT HOME beginning in February.

These accomplishments could not have been completed without a successful collaboration between Dunwoody High School Staff, DeKalb County School System, Dunwoody Senior Baseball, Dunwoody Diamond Club, Marlow’s Tavern and some brainstorming with The Dunwoody Crier, The Aha! Connection, local residents, former legislators and Dunwoody City Council members.

To celebrate our success, the Dunwoody Diamond Club will be hosting a grand reopening of the field on January 25, 2020. DHS teams will play an inter squad scrimmage to kick off the season immediately followed by a fundraiser to be held at Marlow’s Tavern! Marlow’s reported the most successful fundraiser so far was the one they held for us last spring. They are very excited to help again and are donating 15% of all sales back to our program. Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward a few remaining repairs and ongoing maintenance costs to protect our gorgeous “new” field! Please let Marlow’s know that you are present at the fundraiser in support of the DHS Baseball.

We will be raffling off an autographed Nick Chubb / Cleveland Browns Jersey and an autographed Sony Michel / New England Patriots Jersey. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the field between 2 and 5pm or at Marlow's Tavern in Dunwoody between 5:30 and 7:30 PM. The drawing will take place at 8 PM at Marlow's.



Grand Re-opening of DHS Baseball Field, Saturday, January 25

Ribbon Cutting and Celebration 2PM – 2:30PM

Game 2:30PM – 5:30PM

Baseball Gathering and Fundraiser 5:45PM



For more information regarding Dunwoody Baseball, please contact Bob Cucchi, Dunwoody Diamond Club President: 770.330.2971, racucchi@gmail.com.

Dunwoody High School address: 5035 Vermack Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338

Marlow’s Tavern address: 1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway, Dunwoody, GA 30338

BelleauWoody 2019

Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence
Over Belleau Wood that night
For a Christmas truce had been declared
By both sides of the fight
As we lay there in our trenches
The silence broke in two
By a German soldier singing
A song that we all knew

Though I did not know the language
The song was "Silent Night"

Then I heard my buddy whisper,
"All is calm and all is bright"
Then the fear and doubt surrounded me
'Cause I'd die if I was wrong
But I stood up in my trench
And I began to sing along

Then across the frozen battlefield
Another's voice joined in
Until one by one each man became
A singer of the hymn

Then I thought that I was dreaming
For right there in my sight
Stood the German soldier
'Neath the falling flakes of white
And he raised his hand and smiled at me
As if he seemed to say
Here's hoping we both live
To see us find a better way

Then the devil's clock struck midnight
And the skies lit up again
And the battlefield where heaven stood
Was blown to hell again

But for just one fleeting moment
The answer seemed so clear
Heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's just beyond the fear

No, heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's for us to find it here

This song was based on the Christmas truce phenomenon of 1914: a series of unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front around Christmas 1914. (Garth Brooks)

Scholarship Contests for Dunwoody Students

High School Seniors - time to think about college scholarship applications!

There are two scholarship competitions open now presented by Dunwoody institutions

Dunwoody Womans Club
Student Achievement Scholarships

Open to High School seniors (public or private) residing in one of these ZIP codes:
30328, 30338, 30350, or 30360.

More info:  https://www.dunwoodywomansclub.com/our-work/scholarships/

Applications are submitted by USPS mail and must be postmarked by March 20, 2020.

Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association Foundation
Scholarships for High School Women
and Collegiate/Alumnae NPC Members

AAPA Foundation is giving a record $20,000 across several scholarships for women in high school, college, or graduate studies.

Eligibility:

High School Senior Honors Scholarship – for female students planning to attend a four-year college/university with NPC sororities on their campus. Applicants must have legal residence in Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Paulding or Rockdale counties.

Collegiate Scholarship – for Rising Junior or Rising Senior NPC sorority members attending Georgia colleges/universities and having a legal residence in the Metro Atlanta area counties of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale.

Alumnae Scholarship – for alumnae with legal residence in the Metro Atlanta area counties of Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding, or Rockdale who is continuing her education.

More info and applications:  https://www.atlantapanhellenic.org/scholarships/
Submissions are made online.  Deadline is 11:59 PM, March 1, 2020

UPDATED: Where are the 2019 Campaign Disclosures for Dunwoody Candidates?

I hope they get posted before Election Day.  Being that we all are open, and transparent, and ethical, and all.

Let's keep watch on this page.  Someone post in the comments when they see the info.

-------------------
Wow, that was quick.
Here is the link to all filings, past and present.
Seriously, link these from the main City of Dunwoody website.  Will save you a bunch of phonecalls, emails, and other time wasters.  ;-)

https://cityofdunwoodyga.easyvotecampaignfinance.com/home?fbclid=IwAR1ilPgDiQOqKDjxRWjTl5GmMCkee83XEZRYiivD5D51BC0ifW9TfzqTeQE

An Open Letter from the DHA to the DeKalb County Board of Education

At the board meeting of September 8, 2019, a quorum of the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to release the following statement regarding the state of DeKalb County public schools within city limits in general and against the GO Bond in particular.

Dear Members of the Board,

The Dunwoody Homeowners Association (DHA) strives to ensure a high standard and quality of life for the homeowners of Dunwoody. An essential component of a strong and vibrant community is quality public schools for every child. Unfortunately, the school facility crisis of DeKalb County Schools (DCSD) is putting the quality of life for all of Dunwoody at serious risk. School buildings are suffering from leaky roofs, mold, malfunctioning air conditioning, non-working bathrooms, unsanitary locker rooms, unsafe multipurpose fields, and catastrophic plumbing breaks. These poor conditions extend to numerous portable trailers which are arriving at an alarming pace with little plan for relief in the next few years. We ask DCSD to prioritize this facilities crisis and school overcrowding through strategic initiatives and alternative solutions, not simply adding more portable classrooms each year.

Through the GO Bond you have proposed, you plan to increase property taxes for homeowners over the next 15 years. While we are quite concerned about the state of the facilities in our schools, we are skeptical of the GO Bond as a vehicle to successfully address these deferred maintenance problems.

We do not support the GO Bond for the following reasons:

• Lack of leadership: Dr. Green is expected to leave by next summer. Many departments are being run by interim leaders who have limited vision and fail to provide a long-term plan for the school system. Strong leadership must be in place to oversee additional taxpayer funds prior to their collection.
• Lack of financial transparency: The 2017 financial audit contained material weaknesses that have yet to be solved. The Athletics department internal audit from October of 2017 found “gross non-compliance due to controls not being in place”. The 2018 procurement audit revealed a risk of liability exposure. We have not seen a 2018 audit even though we are in the 3rd quarter of 2019. A forensic audit, by an objective third-party firm, must be conducted of the athletics, food service, public safety, and procurement departments prior to any consideration of a bond.
• Lack of transparency on the GO Bond process: According to attendees from our community, including elected officials, GO Bond meetings were very confusing and provided no opportunity to answer the public’s questions. DCSD must develop greater trust with the community during the bond approval process.
• Lack of professional acumen in GO Bond construction estimates: Internal DCSD staff compiled the construction estimates, rather than using professional estimators. A construction management firm needs to be hired to manage the entire scope of the Go Bond work.

The DHA has been a long-time supporter of DeKalb County Schools throughout the Dunwoody area and desires to continue this successful partnership. The DHA is proud to be a consistent contributor to all seven public schools and our support goes beyond just financial donations. DHA members are also DCSD parents who support hands-on initiatives like campus clean up days and other service projects to keep our schools strong.

Our primary goal is to promote the recreation, health, safety, welfare, benefit and enjoyment of the homeowners within the community. We know this goal cannot be obtained without focusing on maintaining high quality schools. We implore you to be more purposeful with the funds you currently have and pause the Go Bond process until you have addressed our concerns above. We are confident that taxpayer funds will be better spent when a stronger financial and strategic foundation is in place.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors
Dunwoody Homeowners Association



Printable copy on letterhead

The purpose of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association is to promote the recreation, health, safety, welfare, benefit and enjoyment of the homeowners within the community.

Dunwoody's Elections Were Originally Non-Partisan

And yet, we have these text messages posted to Twitter.

If Dunwoody's elected offices become openly driven by political parties, will Dunwoody be better or worse?

Which of our current city council members are supporting partisan recruitment of candidates?

Which of our current county commissioners are supporting partisan recruitment of candidates?

Which of our state elected officials support changing Dunwoody to a partisan elected body?

How will Dunwoody voters know which candidates are running to serve Dunwoody and which ones are running to serve their political party?

Is there a money trail?  If so, where does it lead?

The original tweet where these images were distributed:

The @GeorgiaDemocrat party is launching an initiative encouraging more candidates to run for city offices and my neighbors (some Ds, some not) are getting a blitz of texts today. #gapol pic.twitter.com/VMFstfSDLk

— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) July 13, 2019

DHA Supports Dunwoody Police and Honors Past President Bob Lundsten on June 2

Below is the agenda for Sunday's meeting. We will have reps from Dunwoody PD accepting our donation of an AED device in Bob Lundsten's memory.
We have a funding request from All Fore One for Peachtree MS.
There is also a proposal being submitted to the city next week for a rezoning/redevelopment in the Perimeter area near Ravinia. The site plan is also attached.

To our elected officials and anyone considering running for office: these meeting announcements are your engraved invitation to attend and give your commentary on any of the subjects in the agenda. If you're running for office or considering an announcement, let me know when you arrive (before the meeting starts) and I'll make sure you have a few moments.

During this next meeting I plan to announce the reboot of an older DHA custom - committee reports. Our community has a lot of people who became residents after incorporation and are looking for ways to better impact our city. At the same time, addressing all of the innovations in Dunwoody is more than a one-woman job (read: me) and more than a six-person job (read: the exec board). So the new solution is an old one: committees that gather info on different topics and report on it at board meetings so we can take action if necessary much more quickly. Learn more this Sunday evening.

See you then!

Announcements and introduction of distinguished visitors
Introduction of candidates for office

Presentation of donation for AED in memory of Bob Lundsten
Scheduled: Sgt Robert Parsons, Dunwoody PD

Request for Funding: All Fore One Campaign

Alex Brock of Smith, Gambrell, & Russell, LLP
Proposed rezoning of 11 Ravinia Parkway

Sunday, June 2, 7:30 PM
North DeKalb Cultural Center (Dunwoody Library)
5339 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road
Room 4

Atlanta Business Chronicle interview on the future of Dunwoody housing.

Last month, I was contacted by an ABC reporter for an email interview about Dunwoody housing.. scheduled for the Dunwoody Market Report.  Alas, the article was cut for space.  

So here are all the questions I received and their responses, in their entirety.  Happy reading!

What are the most popular neighborhoods for single family homes?

The desirability of single family homes is tied directly to the perceived value of the elementary school for which it is zoned. All of the elementary schools are overcrowded and require trailers so there is demand all over the city. However, long-time local real estate agents prefer to promote homes zoned for Vanderlyn and Austin. These subdivisions are in the central and northwestern areas of Dunwoody.

What multi-family projects are coming down the pike?

The long-awaited High Street project - across from the Dunwoody MARTA station - is finally supposed to break ground in 2019. That project was approved by DeKalb County in 2007 (before Dunwoody's incorporation as a city) and has been waiting through a major recession and the Amazon HQ2 bidding process before laying utilities in 2018. If it is fully built out according to the latest plan, it will contain 1,500 owner-occupied condos and 1,500 rental apartments in a mixed-use-style community reminiscent of Avalon. The developer is promoting the community on social media but work has not yet begun.

The DHA recently endorsed the Park at Perimeter Center East. This is also a mixed-use community that will transform a commercial area of aging office buildings and huge parking lots into a mix of office and up to 900 owner-occupied condos (if completely built out) with multiuse trails and parks. Dunwoody city council approved the rezoning in late 2018. The project is expected to be built in stages over up to 10 years - again, assuming 100% of the proposal is actually built. A start date has not been set.

What is unique or special about the residential environment in Dunwoody? How do single family homes and condos/apartments/townhomes “coexist?” What are the multi-family home communities like?

What makes Dunwoody unique is the combination of traditional small-town community, where families/households are interconnected within the community, juxtaposed with its location in a major urban area. The "small town" feel is something usually found in isolated communities where interdependence is unavoidable. In Dunwoody, residents choose to live here because we choose to depend on each other. Even with other major cities and their amenities close by.

The coexistence between single family homes and multifamily housing is a work in progress. Dunwoody residents view townhome communities in the same category as single family homes. Homeowners in general view rental apartments with great concern as they represent instability in school populations, density that places a greater strain on aging infrastructure, and recent memories of a county government overbuilding the area as a preemptive punishment for incorporation. But our population is changing. The same people who coveted the traditional single family home in the '80s and '90s with a large yard and trees have seen their children grow up, move on, and have their own families. They don't want or need the large home any more. They want less maintenance, less space, nearby shopping, and no stairs. Now that multifamily housing starts looking not-so-bad. There will always be a market for the single family homes due to the area school communities. But the definition of desireable owner-occupied housing is broadening.

Multifamily housing is itself a spectrum. There are apartment developments of varying ages throughout Dunwoody and along the edges of the city on major highways (285, PIB, etc). Some cater to lower-budget renters. Others have renovated to improve their features, or even converted to condos. On the higher end, you have Dunwoody's only high rise luxury residential building, The Manhattan. When residents talk about "aging in place" and condominium living when they no longer need their large home and yard, this is the type of low maintenance housing they have in mind.

What amenities do people want?

Dunwoody is a surprisingly diverse community in terms of ideology and lifestyle, as well as stage of life. Thus, different types of residents prefer different community amenities. Younger families relocate here for the schools and their respective parent communities. Families also enjoy the numerous community events put on by city government, the DHA, or other entities. More established residents who have weathered many storms with county government want to see infrastructure improvements - rebuilt roads, improved utilities and traffic mitigation to name the most commonly mentioned. A survey taken several years ago indicated a great demand for "walkability" to use a trendy phrase. So city government has responded with expanded building of sidewalks on major roads. A major initiative also included a multi-use trail system beginning in Brook Run Park and extending gradually throughout the city as time and money permit. The current conversation is how to add sports fields to city property so that families can participate in sports close to their homes without having to travel to other cities. There is also an ongoing conversation about how to modernize our neighborhood-scale commercial districts (symbolized greatest by the Dunwoody Village shopping center) while reaffirming the small-town identity they represent and serve.

How do residents feel about all the development in Dunwoody and at the Perimeter?

The feelings are very mixed. Some look forward to new opportunities for retail options and special occasion / social experiences. Those who would prefer to see less development are usually those who have to drive on Ashford Dunwoody in rush hour traffic to get to and from their jobs. It's interesting to note that everyone talking about the density of Perimeter development - including supporters - live in single family homes! There is always concern about the impact on the school communities. DHA has been careful to endorse those projects that provide for the growing need for housing for empty nesters and young professionals, while avoiding density that would put a strain on an already overcrowded school cluster. DHA has also reminded developers that greenspace should be a part of any major project.

Dunwoody residents know that the single family subdivisions we have are a precious commodity that are worth preserving. Whatever talk goes on about how to develop or repurpose properties, they know that we cannot let the good intentions and progress of urbanized development diminish the single family neighborhoods on which our city was built. Once those traditional neighborhoods are gone, they're gone. So an equilibrium between our "two Dunwoodys" is essential to our present lifestyles and the future.

SDOC Uupdates: Dunwoody Woman's Club

While working on some larger projects I make sure to find time to help neighbors close to home.
The Dunwoody Woman's Club contacted me  to help with updating their website.  It has great bones but got hung up when WordPress updated to version 5 and the new Gutenberg editing interface.  Lots of websites needed retooling with that change.  There was also a need for the site to be secured with SSL.

A lot of old tools and obsolete plugins had to be pulled out and rebuilt.  There's only a few simple differences but DWC members and supporters will know they're in the right place.  Most importantly of all the club leadership will be able to do their own edits.  Check out the new calendar page!

Thank you to the DWC for the opportunity to help your club serve more efficiently!