Dunwoody Homeowners Association Meeting September 10

What's left of Irma is supposed to come to town Monday afternoon.  We're taking care of business Sunday night.  DHA meetings are open to the public.  Please come be part of the conversation.

Board of Directors Meeting

Sunday, September 10, 2017 @ 7:30 P.M.
North DeKalb Cultural Arts Center, Room 4
5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta, GA 30338


1. Announcements and introduction of distinguished visitors

2. Approval of minutes for August 6th, 2017 meeting— Adrienne Duncan

3. Brief review of plans for city council candidate forums on October 15 – Robert Wittenstein

4. Update on Shops of Dunwoody items (Doggy day care and covenants) – Robert Wittenstein

5. Review and discuss Adopt-A-Spot at Peeler/Winters Chapel – Robert Wittenstein

6. Review and discuss proposed terms for support of Grubb Properties redevelopment plan for Perimeter Center Parkway East (Set of 3 mid-rise buildings currently housing City Hall) – Exec Committee

7. Request for sponsorship – Run Dunwoody, Rick Woods, Dunwoody Rotary

8. Request for support for Austin Elementary School Dunwoody Dash, Despina Lamas

9. Request for support for Kingsley Elementary School PTO, Erika Harris

10. Request for support for Peachtree Charter Middle School CV Classic, Allegra Johnson and Fran Bartel

11. Request for support for Spalding Garden Club Candlelight Home Tour – Mary Millar Request for support of effort to publish stories of Dunwoody centered around the life of Joyce Amacher, Lynne Byrd

12. Board only session: Votes as needed on any motions including:

Approval to proceed with Adopt-A-Spot plan ($5,000 included in budget)

Approval of sponsorship request, Rotary Run Dunwoody

Austin Elementary School request for funds ($1,000 included in budget)

Kingsley Elementary School request for funds ($1,000 included in budget)

Peachtree Charter Middle School request for funds ($1,000 included in budget)

Request for support of Spalding Garden Club (not budgeted)

Request for support for Joyce Amacher book (not budgeted)

Support or oppose Grubb Properties development of 41, 47 and 53 Perimeter Center East
Adjourn

Next meeting:  Sunday, October 1, 2017

INTRODUCING: Rebecca King for Atlanta City Council District 7

www.rebeccalking.net

Another campaign season is upon us and SDOC gets back to its political wheelhouse.

My good friend and Panhellenic colleague, Rebecca King, is running in City of Atlanta's District 7 race.

My job was to get this site up and functional, pronto.  There's only two months in the election season and everything has to work yesterday.

This site is going to evolve over the next couple of months as more information is available and more events are scheduled.

I was provided with a logo and color scheme and the site was built to Rebecca's specifications.

The key item now is the Donations tab.  That required an e-commerce solution to accept donations, a PayPal setup, and an SSL certificate for security.

Social media is alive and kicking too.  You'll see campaign events planned and statements on the local issues as well as endorsements as the campaign goes on.

If/when Rebecca gets elected, the site can easily be converted to an elected official's portal.

Enjoy, and Happy Labor Day!

Last Call to Qualify for City Council Elections

If you're interested in joining the fray for three of our seven city council seats this November, today is your last day to get to City Hall and qualify.  Get your district straight, make sure you've lived there for at least 6 months and you too can be a candidate.  All of the excitement you can handle will set you back $360 for entering the race.

The rumors and backstories and questions about our current candidates are starting to fly.  The DWG is staying tuned to watch how they develop.  Yes the "home business activity" angle will come into the discussion.  You have been warned.

Here's the lineup as of 10 AM today:

District One:

Pam Tallmadge (I)  http://pam4dunwoodyga.us/  (Original campaign site from 2015)

Joe Hirsch  http://www.dunwoodyjoe.com/

District Two:

Jim Riticher (I)  http://riticher.com/  (Original campaign site from 2013)

Bobby Zuckman  No campaign website yet.  Here's his LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertzuckman/

District Three:

Tom Lambert  http://www.votetomlambert.com/

Henry Bierenfeld  No campaign website yet.  Here's his LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bierenfeld/

UPDATED: Follow up on the Manget Way group home - the status three years later.

In spring and summer of 2014, the Center for Discovery purchased a home on  Manget Way in order to convert it to a treatment facility (or group home, depending upon who you ask) for teens with eating disorders.

I'll not rehash the entire controversy in this post but here are some historical references:

http://sdocpublishing.blogspot.com/2014/04/zoning-retrospective-group-homes.html
(Commentary from this blog)

From the Dunwoody Crier:

http://www.thecrier.net/news/article_95a74d8c-b99a-11e3-8672-0019bb2963f4.html

http://www.thecrier.net/news/article_a1cf7334-16b3-11e4-9da8-0019bb2963f4.html

http://www.thecrier.net/news/article_e8a04420-1c38-11e4-9c21-0019bb2963f4.html

The denoument where the City of Dunwoody settled the inevitable federal lawsuit:

http://www.reporternewspapers.net/2016/07/10/dunwoody-city-council-settles-lawsuits-manget-way-home/

It is now 18 months after this process was legally resolved.

As per my usual this time of year, I submit ORRs to do research on the status of home-based businesses.  License, physical location, cross-reference code enforcement complaints, etc.   As I'm going through the lists and updating the map, a couple of map points jogged my memory about this event.  On the Dunwoody Home Business map, grey markers are used to note homes that have been involved in some zoning controversy but were not home businesses.  (That is, the home owner does not live in the house full time and work there as a secondary use.  The home was converted entirely to a commercial housing facility.  )  Manget Way was one of those markers.

"I wonder what's happening there now?" I thought.

A little Google fairy dust later generated some interesting results.

The facility seems to be open for business.  Here is their website with a video presentation of the homel:
http://www.centerfordiscoveryatlanta.com/location/

Note the street address is obviously Dunwoody but they list the city as Atlanta.  Six of one, half dozen of the other I suppose.

Then since I had the list of business licenses in front of me for the map project, I did a search to see if there was a business license associated with the property.

There is no business license issued to the Center for Discovery home on Manget Way, or to the LLC that made the purchase, Dunwoody DV, LLC.  The only licenses issued to Manget Way addresses are to other home/business owners.

Then I did a search on the LLC.  There is no sign of any company called "Dunwoody DV LLC" in Georgia or any other state.  There is not even a public record of the LLC being dissolved or terminated.  (Another series of records I look up for the home business map.)

My previous searches on code enforcement complaints came up empty on Manget Way complaints.  I have an ORR in the hopper right now and that will bring out more current answers.

So as a result of this extended legal process, there seems to be a mixed bag of outcomes.  Some homeowners sold their properties and relocated when word of this facility spread.  When someone sells a property, that means someone else is buying and those new neighbors don't seem to have any complaints thus far.  All is quiet according to the code enforcement docket.

On the other hand, a  multi-million dollar company is operating freely without a license and without paying the same business taxes that the rest of us have to pay.   I'll be interested to see if our city government follows up on that.

UPDATE 7/17/2017
It came to my attention that there is some confusion about the information above.

1)  The "business license" in Georgia is a colloquialism for an Occupational Tax Certificate.  So when the blog states that Center for Discovery is operating with out a license, it should be understood that "license" is shorthand for "occupational tax certificate".

2)  Center for Discovery is a for-profit business.  There is nothing about it that qualifies as a not-for-profit that would exempt it from taxes or other regulations (Federal Fair Housing Act notwithstanding).

3)  According to the main corporation's press release (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/02/prweb14076227.htm), the opening of Manget Way was announced in mid-February of this year.  There was reference to an "open house" in the blog post.  According to their Facebook page, that open house was held on February 23.  https://www.facebook.com/events/1360773197295404/.  The ORR for code complaints covering this time period is in progress.  We will find out if there were any code complaints associated with this address.

Insights Into Dunwoody After the GA06 Special Election

Even the most staunch, long-term "I've lived in Dunwoody longer than YOU!!" citizen is coming to realize that Dunwoody's population is not a monolith but a mosaic of assorted lifestyles and ideologies.  Like it or not, there are people different from "us" (whoever "us" may be) living in our fair city.

Not everyone is accepting that fact peacefully.  In fact, a few weeks ago an anonymous Dunwoody resident posted this comment to Stan Jester's blog, regarding where "REAL" Dunwoodians live and that "those others" should be cut off outside of city limits.

But is this right?  Is our city split along district lines, with District 3 being all "those" whackos?

Let's take a look at how Dunwoody voted in the House District 06 special election.  This image was taken from an interactive map that showed precinct results from all District 06 precincts.  (View it in Firefox for best results.  Mousing over or tapping each precinct will highlight the borders and give a final vote tally.)
http://www.myajc.com/news/gen-politics/how-each-neighborhood-voted-the-6th-district-runoff/72ZamHK2RQLoVsvFhcfWjM/

Here is what Dunwoody looks like.  Red and Blue are self-explanatory

What's this we see?  Dunwoody's districts, divided via north/south lines are not the boundaries of the red and blue majority votes.  The ideological divide in this case split along a roughly east-west  through all three districts.  The "blue" segment is a mix of apartments, condos, large-scale commercial space and long-established single family neighborhoods.  The "red" district sees its own share of high-density housing as well.

The putz who wrote the stupid comment above may well change his tune to say, "Well, just cut off that perimeter district" instead of Dunwoody's east side - same difference."

Not so fast there, Skippy.

The perimeter area houses the commercial districts that are paying 70% of the property taxes, which are keeping residential tax rates stable.  And - making the existence of Dunwoody feasible as a city.\

So what did we learn from this week, aside from the fact that if we never see a canvasser again it will be too soon?

• Ideologies and lifestyles are a broad, diverse mix in Dunwoody.  The days of the stereotypical one-type of resident is long gone.
• You probably live next to someone who thinks and lives differently than you do.
• Our districts are all a steady mix of these ideologies.  There is no cutting one off saying "I have no need of you."
• We'll all be a lot happier if we can coexist in spite of these differences.  No one is going anywhere.

DHA June Recap

A closed SunTrust branch is planned to become a hotel with a walkable retail/restaurant center.



Next up, Brent Walker from Dunwoody Parks & Rec reviews the current state of the Brook Run Master Plan.

Who wants to see a former Dunwoody bank transform into something new?

Dunwoody Homeowners Association meeting this Sunday, June 4

Our June board meeting is this Sunday, June 4th at 7:30pm in Room 4 of the North DeKalb Cultural Arts Center at 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road (attached to the Library.) Branch Properties will present their preliminary plans to redevelop the site at Ashford Dunwoody Road and Perimeter Center East that currently houses a closed SunTrust Bank building (see the property on Google Maps here). We will also get a presentation from Brent Walker, Parks and Recreation Director, on the Dunwoody Parks Master Plan with details on the proposed Brook Run Plan.


Here's the official agenda. Print or save to your device and bring it along. See you Sunday!

INTRODUCING: Vintage Barber Shop of Sandy Springs, GA

www.vintagebarbershopatl.com

We've been busy little bunnies these past few month, even with online commentaries and special events and kids' school activities.  Here's the first new website debut of the year.

Vintage Barber Shop is owned by Dunwoody resident Yury Abramov.  If his name sounds familiar, you've probably read his story in the Atlanta Jewish Times once or twice.  Yury contacted me after finding my business info on NextDoor.

Yury specializes in "old school" barbering for men and boys and his shop is every bit the typical 1950s "vibe".  He had two key problems to solve.  1 - the website design.  Stock theme that had nothing to do with the look and feel of his shop.  2 - online appointments.  Yury wanted his shop to accept appointment bookings online and give his business an edge over the competition.

You would think that everyone and their mother would have an appointment booking form online but you would be wrong.  Very few salons of any kind, let alone mens' barber shops have a self-hosted appointment booking form.  Fewer still have forms that can be used from a phone or tablet.  First order of business was to audition several candidates for this WordPress website.  We settled on a form that looks great on every screen, is customized, can handle group appointments (think a dad with several kids) and sends email confirmations to both the customer and stylist.

Make an appointment with Yury or one of his assistants in just a moment by using this website form.

Next order of business was the design.  1950s look meets 21st century technology is not as straightforward as it sounds.  The 1950s saw three distinct fashion trends in design.  First, you have your stereotypical black-and-white sitcom with a pop of pastel.  Think "Ozzie and Harriet" or "Pleasantville".  Then you had Jack Kerouac and the beatniks.  Think Maynard Krebs from "Dobie Gillis" or Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face".  Then you had the quasi-criminal element in Greasers.  Think "Rebel Without A Cause".  

The first draft of the website was definitely more toward the Beatnik label.  (Believe it or not, Ripley, I try to go very funky in designs when I can get away with it.)  Lots of animated diagonal lines and off-centered elements in bright pastels on black.   That attempt got a quick thumbs-down and we moved into the homey "Pleasantville" mode you see today.  

Finally, when a WordPress or other open source content management system website has been around for some time, or when features come and go, there is going to be some left behind "orphan" data.  You know how when you deactivate and delete a plugin, the data is supposed to be removed along with it?  Doesn't happen and WordPress plugins are notorious for this.  Extra data that goes unused not only slows the site down but can also be a security risk.  I went through and uninstalled a mountain of obsolete plugins and then manually removed their data from the back-end database line by line.  Just a reminder:  manually editing a database is not a DIY job unless you've done time as a database administrator somewhere.  If you don't know what you're doing, hire a professional or face the horrors of WSOD (White Screen Of Death) when the site fails.

We're in "soft launch" mode at Vintage Barber today.  The site is live and accepting appointments to flush out any quirks that escaped the previous quality control review and get Google integrated at various points.  Drop Yury a line and enjoy a hot towel w/ the haircut!

Memorial Day 2017