NBCA OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF NORTH CIVIC ASSOCIATION FALL 2020 NBCA.ORG

Anja fishing in Little Nancy Creek

Ideas for a Better North Buckhead COURTESY OF CHRISTINA GONZALEZ OF CHRISTINA COURTESY CRAFTING THE VISION Toward a Better North Buckhead Wow. North Buckhead is an amazing neighborhood. And NBCA is brainstorming and planning initiatives to make North Buckhead even better. Much can happen if we all contribute our ideas, time, and talents.

There are few other neighborhoods in the country like North Buckhead. Where else combines such sophisticated urban amenities with such natural beauty? We have all that a big city has to offer – abundant shopping, delicious restaurants, dramatic skyscrapers, transit stations, and convenient everyday amenities. We also have a healthy and healthful green environment – Blue Heron Nature Preserve, neighborhood parks, and Path 400 all set amidst towering mature forests, rushing streams, and beautiful landscapes. Add to all that Sarah Smith School, other important institutions, and friendly people. It all makes North Buckhead an amazing neighborhood.

And the potential exists to make North Buckhead even better. This special NBCA Magazine is chock full of ideas for enhancing our public realm, building community, increasing communication, and strengthening NBCA’s ability to better serve North Buckhead. It is also an invitation for you to provide your ideas and help craft the vision for improving our neighborhood.

You can be part of making these ideas a reality. If you are already a NBCA member, thank you. If you are not already a member, please join today at www.nbca.org. It’s only $50 per year and your all-volunteer civic association BUCKHEAD OF LIVABLE COURTESY leverages that modest fee for great impact. And please volunteer your time and talents. The chart on page 3 shows NBCA’s committee and action Table of Contents team structure. Plug in with whatever committee or action team interests you. It makes a big difference in what we can accomplish. Crafting the Vision . . . . 2 See you around the neighborhood! NBCA Committees & Action Areas . . . . . 3 Increasing Communication . . . . . 5 Robert Patterson | NBCA President Enhancing Quality of Life ...... 6-10 Building Community . . . . 11 Partnering with Sponsors . . 12 Improving Public Safety . . . 13 Strengthening NBCA . . . . 14 Representing North Buckhead . . . . 15.

2 CRAFTING THE VISION NBCA Committees & Action Areas NBCA MISSION Committee Chairperson Action Area Public Realm Nick Parker North Buckhead Park Per the NBCA Bylaws, & Greenspace [email protected] Streetscape NBCA is a nonprofit Parks Liaison Association under Watersheds & Stormwater the Nonprofit Communications Nancy Apatov Calendar of Events Association Code for [email protected] Announcements civic purposes. It has Neighborhood News Newsletter IRS 501(c)(4) status. NBCA Magazine It is operated to: Website Facebook & Other Social Media ●● Promote the Finance Richard Newton Budget & Financial Reporting common good and [email protected] Tax Returns & Filings general welfare of Insurance the residents of History Gordon Certain History of North Buckhead North Buckhead [email protected] ●● Preserve North Land Use/Zoning Jim Sibley Buckhead DRC Buckhead’s [email protected] City Right of Ways & Utilities quality of life Code Enforcement ●● Foster a spirit Zoning Review of community Membership Dan Berschinski Membership Marketing ● [email protected] HOA/Condo Liaison ● Provide a forum Membership Services for the full and free discussion Executive Robert Patterson BCID & Livable Buckhead of all matters of [email protected] Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods NPU-B Rep interest to the Technology Services residents of Annual Meeting North Buckhead Volunteer Coordinator Master Plan Sponsorships Public Safety Gordon Certain APD Zone 2 CAC [email protected] Program Evaluation Social Rita Christopher New Neighbor Welcome [email protected] Fall Fling & Gatherings Circles Traffic Robert Sarkisian Traffic Mitigation & Calming [email protected] Transit & Mobility Robert Patterson B-Line Bicycle Network [email protected] Walkability Transit

3 Join Now! This NBCA Magazine is bursting with ideas for making North Buckhead even better…

• Enhancing Quality of Life • Building Community • Strengthening NBCA’s Ability to Serve North Buckhead • Increasing Communications • Improving Public Safety …You can be part of making these ideas a reality.

If you are not already a member, please join today. It’s only $50 per year and your all-volunteer civic association leverages that modest amount for great impact.

To join, click here . ncba org. INCREASING COMMUNICATION

Communication, NBCA as well as accomplishments Communication, over the past 12 months Neighborhood News Communication! Twice a month, we will send out an email newsletter with three to five brief articles. The content will focus on people and places in our community, activities happening within North Buckhead, and activities of interest within greater . We will also keep you updated on the status of on-going projects.

NBCA Website We will enhance the content by Nancy Apatov NBCA on the website to provide more Communications Committee Chair Announcements information for easy reference. Some information on the website Everyone’s media consumption We will continue to send out will be for members only, such habits are different. Reflecting timely alerts and announcements. as the Member Directory that, we have devised a new These will be short and to (coming soon!). and expanded communications the point. plan that establishes many new communication touch Social Media points. Most of our NBCA Magazine Posts on Facebook communications and Instagram will Twice a year we will issue will be digital, be frequent and wide a larger communication which will allow us ranging. Social media piece focusing on: to communicate on also provides a way a more timely basis Fall: Priorities for for everyone to share with more color and the coming year neighborhood news, post photos, interactive links and and add comments. at a much lower cost. Spring: Annual Report However, for those on financial status of the who prefer printed materials, we will format communications for easy printing at home. » A Call for Volunteers! Please consider joining the Communications Committee. We need writers, photographers, videographers, and editors. We are planning the following Email [email protected]. primary communication vehicles:

5 ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE Making Our Public Realm Even Better What the heck is the ‘public realm?’ It’s everything in North Buckhead that’s not privately owned, including streets, bike lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, public landscaping, signage, streams, and parks. AIMING HIGH North Buckhead Numerous NBCA committees are working on ways to enhance Neighborhood North Buckhead’s public realm. In this section, you’ll read about Master Plan plans for the B-Line Bicycle Network, new 'gateways' to NBCA and Council Member Howard Shook North Buckhead, ideas to make sponsored the development of the North Wieuca our neighborhood’s Buckhead Neighborhood Master Plan. TSW, signature street, ideas to a renowned planning and design firm, improve all of our streets, prepared the Master Plan, completing and handling stormwater. the plan in 2015. North Buckhead is the only neighborhood in the city to have READY, SET, GO! developed a professional Master Plan. Subsequently, the Master Plan was adopted by the Atlanta City Council and Your ideas can make incorporated into the City’s Comprehensive Development Plan. these plans even better! That means that zoning applications and other policies and Please jump into the proposals are in part judged for their conformance to the Master action with your ideas, Plan. However, it does not guarantee funding for projects in the Master time, and talent. Plan. That requires further advocacy and creativity. Many of the ideas in this publication had their origin in the Master Plan and, in turn, the Master Plan will be periodically updated as we continue to expand our vision and initiatives for North Buckhead.

The Master Plan is available at www.nbca.org under ‘About NBCA,’ or CLICK HERE.

6 ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE The B-Line Bicycle Network by Kevin McCauley B-Line Action Area Leader

The North Buckhead Neighborhood Master Plan envisions an extensive network of bike lanes totaling over ten miles. Dubbed the 'B-Line,' NBCA is ●● MARTA rail at the now working to make this Buckhead station network a reality. and bus service on Peachtree, Roswell, Great for Getting Around and Piedmont Roads The B-Line will have many ●● All of our seven connectivity benefits for cyclists. neighborhood parks It will make it easier to get to: and greenspaces ●● Piedmont Center ●● Path 400, and all the things that Path 400 connects to, Great for B-Line including, eventually, North Buckhead Completed the Beltline Path 400 Completed The B-Line will also have many ●● Sarah Smith School Path 400 Under Construction community benefits. Even those (both campuses) MARTA who never ride a bike will benefit ●● Downtown Buckhead and its from the way that the B-Line Ivy, Peachtree, and Wieuca, many shops & restaurants will help calm traffic. The B-Line representing 50% of the ten- ●● Local shops and restaurants creates narrower automobile mile network. To complete the on Roswell Road lanes that naturally reduce B-Line, we will work with the city average speeds. The B-Line to create detailed engineering also increases the number of drawings, paint the lanes, and crosswalks, further slowing traffic. install additional signage. We also On top of all that, the sight of bike want to devise a plan for keeping lanes and people using them the bike lanes clear of debris makes drivers slow down even on an ongoing basis. We will be more. It’s all about calming traffic working closely with our elected by creating neighborhood- city officials and city staff to make friendly streets. progress on all of these fronts.

The B-Line is Already 50% Complete » Please consider joining Of the entire ten-mile B-Line the B-Line Action Team. network, the City has already Email [email protected]. installed bike lanes on Old 7 ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE Gateways to North Buckhead by Nick Parker The City and BCID have asked Buckhead and the forested natural Public Realm & Greenspace NBCA to help devise and approve beauty of our single-family Committee Chair the landscape design for the residential area. As public art, the roundabout and the new North roundabout will feature a dramatic We are proud of our neighborhood Buckhead Park. sculptural element specifically and want the most traveled commissioned for the park. entrances into our community The park will function as a pass- to represent the beauty that lies through space, not a space We expect design approval by within. We are currently working where people will spend hours the end of the year and project on landscape plans for one of time. North Buckhead’s other completion sometime in 2022. major entrance and starting to parks already serve that role in brainstorm what could be done a wonderful variety of ways. Our Other Entrances at other neighborhood entrances. hope is that pedestrians will find We are just starting the process delightful moments to pause of developing ideas for other North Buckhead Park as they WALK through, perhaps entrances to North Buckhead, & Roundabout to admire the beauty of the including at Wieuca and Roswell plantings, capture a view (or a The City of Atlanta and and on Old Ivy at Habersham. The selfie!) with a striking sculpture the Buckhead Community design of these other entrances in the roundabout, or chat Improvement District (BCID) are and of other improvements within with a friend. planning a roundabout at the North Buckhead will most likely intersection of Wieuca Road and Horticulturally, the landscape follow the design approach at Phipps , as described plan will be an 'Ode to the North Buckhead Park. in previous NBCA newsletters. Piedmont' featuring a showcase As part of the roundabout’s of native plants. As a gateway, installation, North Buckhead Park, the greenspace will create a » Please consider joining adjacent to the intersection, will transition between the urban the Public Realm and undergo a complete renovation. excitement of Downtown Greenspace Committee. Email [email protected]. LANDSCAPE RENDERING BY POND & COMPANY LANDSCAPE RENDERING BY 8 ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE

Overgrown kudzu and debris frequently Let’s Make clog our sidewalks and bike lanes Wieuca Our Signature Street by Nick Parker Public Realm & Greenspace Committee Chair

Robert Sarkisian Traffic Committee Chair One big idea for North Buckhead is to make Wieuca our signature street. bicycling route. It’s hard to go ●● Banners Why is Wieuca so important? for a walk or jog on Wieuca ●● Attractive neighborhood Well, for starters, Wieuca is our and not see several neighbors & functional signage single longest street. It connects that you know. For bicycling, it ●● Lower speed limit us to Downtown Buckhead at one sports two recently widened bike ●● Camera-based ticketing end and to Roswell Road at the lanes. It’s our Main Street. And at Sarah Smith other end. Whether one is going to it’s a huge priority to make it as a fancy restaurant in Downtown accommodating as possible. ●● Raised crosswalks Buckhead or going to a quick- ●● Flashing lights at crosswalks Unfortunately, its convenience serve restaurant on Roswell Road, as a thoroughfare is not lost ●● Additional radar speed signs it’s the way to get there. Along the on literally thousands of ●● Signature streetscape way, Wieuca connects with 17 of cut-through commuters every elements (drive through North Buckhead’s neighborhood day. Slowing them down so that for examples) streets, Path 400, and Sarah they can enjoy the ride and we Smith’s new campus. can enjoy our neighborhood is ●● It’s also an historic street. It’s on another huge priority. Add your all the old maps. Was it really Making Wieuca our signatureidea here! So how do we make Wieuca our named by an early local leader street is a big idea for North signature street and encourage for his three daughters Wilma, Buckhead. Let’s make it happen. commuters to slow down and Eunice, and Catherine? Some say respect our neighborhood? yes, some say no. But it’s the story There are lots of ideas: that we’re going with. The remains » Please consider volunteering of an old grist mill, the mill pond, ●● Neighborhood Gateways for the Traffic Committee and a spillway are still visible just or the Public Realm & ●● Additional sidewalks above where Little Nancy Creek Greenspace Committee. flows into Nancy Creek. ●● A landscaping program Email [email protected]

Wieuca is our neighborhood’s ●● Keeping the bike lanes or [email protected]. favorite walking, running, and & sidewalks free of debris 9 ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE Let’s Upgrade

All Our RICH OF ROD COURTESY Streets Bridge over Mill Creek on the NBCA is working tirelessly to Blue Heron Blueway Trail advocate for improvements to all our streets. Priorities include: ●● Pothole repair & repaving Watersheds ●● Expanding the number of sidewalks and improving & Stormwater their maintenance by Nick Parker ●● Increased street cleaning Quinn fishing on North Buckhead is fortunate to enjoy three Little Nancy Creek ●● Pruning undergrowth beautiful streams, providing a wonderful crowding sidewalks amenity to our neighborhood. But when a storm hits, these streams can & bike lanes receive more than their share of runoff from roofs and paved surfaces, ●● Striping narrower automobile flooding yards and houses in the process. Further, these streams are lanes to slow traffic damaged by chemicals, sediment, plastics, and other unwanted debris. ●● Adding speed control NBCA’s Public Realm and Greenspace Committee has organized an infrastructure Action Team of interested residents to investigate these topics ●● Developing a landscape and pursue next steps. program Our major streams are Little Nancy Creek, Mill Creek, and Nancy Creek. ●● Installing streetscape Little Nancy Creek originates in the area near Oglethorpe University elements and flows along Mountain Drive, Mountain Way, and Wieuca. Mill Creek ●● originates in the highly developed area around Tower Place and flows beside the new Blue Heron Blueway Trail. Nancy Creek originates many Add your miles to the north, collecting stormwater from a wide area. idea here! NBCA’s Watershed Action Team is not starting from scratch. Several » Please consider volunteering residents have already been looking into this topic. Sally Silver for the Traffic Committee in Council Member Howard Shook’s office has been working with or the Public Realm & Watershed Management and other agencies about ways to Greenspace Committee. reduce stormwater’s impact on the neighborhood. Together, 400 Email [email protected] the team hopes to continue the progress on this topic. or [email protected].

» Please consider joining the Watershed Action Team. Email [email protected].

10 BUILDING COMMUNITY Forums & Gatherings Fall Fling Part of NBCA’s mission is to Bike Ride provide a forum for community by Rita Christopher discussion. Another part of the Chair, Social Committee mission is to build community. What better way to serve both Every fall, North elements of the mission than Buckhead has to host forums and gatherings gathered together for as interesting topics and fun the Fall Fling, a big block opportunities arise? party with music, food, community, and fun. With the The NBCA Social Committee is pandemic, this is not the time to brainstorming different topics to gather together. Instead, we came gather around. Some might be up with a completely different topics of purely local concern. and 'COVID-aware' plan—the Fall Others might showcase North bunch of restrictions, Fling Bike Ride. Buckhead residents who have but won’t it be great to get deep knowledge of an important On Sunday, November 8 from out in the fresh air and ride and timely issue. Others might 2-4PM, hop on your bike and a bike! And be sure and check provide a discussion with elected come out to ride and wave. The out the great new changes at leaders and heads of agencies. bike route includes Mountain Way, Mountain Way Common while you Other gatherings could be Mountain Drive, and a portion of are there. purely social. North Ivy (see map). The bike ride Given the constantly is open to all and is free of charge. Until it’s safe, we will conduct changing situation, please these gatherings online. Once it’s We are designing the Fall Fling monitor www.nbca.org safe, we will hold these in person Bike Ride in dialogue with Council for updates. or using a hybrid model. Member Howard Shook’s office to be in conformance with Ginger is ready NBCA Annual Meeting 2021 Atlanta’s phased reopening plan for the Fall Fling NBCA holds its Annual Meeting and State of Georgia guidelines. Bike Ride each spring to elect new Board This is a bike ride, not an event. members and vote on other items No stopping or congregating. that require a membership vote. No program, food, beverage, The upcoming Annual Meeting information tables, or activities. will be March 23, 2021 at 6:30PM. Masks required! That’s a whole We expect that we will hold this meeting online. Please mark your calendar! » Please consider joining the Social Committee. Email [email protected].

11 PARTNERING WITH SPONSORS A Partnership Where Everyone Wins

NBCA has created a sponsorship program that benefits Sponsors, NBCA members, and NBCA:

●● Sponsors receive valuable exposure to North Buckhead residents

●● NBCA Members receive special offers from Sponsors

●● NBCA receives financial support from sponsors to help fund basic operations on Sponsor page for one Sponsorship Cost Sponsor Benefits year. Listing contains link ●● $500 per year ●● NBCA Magazine: One to Sponsor website. ●● Sponsor provides a special quarter-page ad in each ●● Mailer: Listing in email sent issue. Published twice to all new and renewing offer to NBCA Members upon annually in the Fall and members. Email contains presentation of their NBCA Spring (two ads total). link to Sponsor website. Member Card

Ads include link to ●● Welcome Package: Sponsor website. Inclusion in Welcome Learn More ●● Neighborhood News: Package hand-delivered To find out about becoming Listing in each issue, to each new resident a NBCA Sponsor, email NBCA’s twice-a-month in North Buckhead NBCA.communications1@ gmail.com. e-newsletter (24 mentions ●● Sponsorship Membership: per year). Listing includes One-year membership in link to Sponsor website. NBCA commencing upon ●● NBCA Facebook Page: payment. Sponsor may Shout-out twice a year, sign-up as many as based on input from five employees to Sponsor on the best receive neighborhood timing and message for communications and their business. Shout-out attend neighborhood events. includes link to Sponsor Sponsorship Members website. are non-voting.

●● NBCA Website: Rotating ad in ’Sponsor Box’ on main NBCA Welcome NBCA webpage plus listing Package!»

12 IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY

Identify and lobby for action Establishing the 3 to improve specific concerns, such as:

Public Safety Committee ●● Party Houses by Gordon Certain ●● Street Racing Public Safety Committee Chair ●● Illegal Sales & ‘Fundraising’ NBCA plans to create a robust at intersections Public Safety Committee. By virtue of serving on the public Serving on the Public Safety safety committee, members will Committee will be a learning learn about many public safety experience due to North topics, such as: Buckhead’s unusual public safety complexities and challenges. ●● APD Crime Database & North Buckhead is Buckhead’s Crime Classification System largest and most populous ●● APD’s Organization neighborhood. It contains busy & Facilities commercial areas, congested ●● North Buckhead multi-lane roads, 31 miles of Crime Trends neighborhood streets, over 100 ●● The 911 & 311 Systems streets, and numerous public areas. North Buckhead is part of a gun, creating incentive ●● APD’s VIC Camera Network the Atlanta Police Department’s for future break-ins) IMPORTANT NOTICE: NBCA is Zone 2 and includes Beat 208 ●● Legislative Requirements not responsible in any way for (mostly commercial) and Beat 209 for Citizens (For example, the security of North Buckhead (mostly single-family residential). the requirement to register a and any initiatives that NBCA home security alarm system). The Public Safety Committee undertakes to deter crime are will pursue three important Research and develop not a guarantee that crimes activities: 2 proposals for specific will not occur. Research and communicate safety initiatives, including 1 public safety information understanding costs, potential and resources, including: benefits, liability issues, and best practices. This is not to say that » Please consider joining the ●● Crime Information programs will be implemented for Public Safety Committee. Email Downloads from APD all potential safety initiatives, but [email protected]. that we will evaluate a number of ●● Recent Crime Incidents potential initiatives, including: & Trends

●● Survey Data from ●● Neighborhood Watch Neighborhood Surveys ●● Camera Systems ●● Guidance on Deterring Crime ●● Security patrol (For example: don’t leave cash or guns in your car. ●● Security programs for Ten percent of Atlanta neighborhood parks car break-ins yield the thief ●● Home-based camera systems 13 STRENGTHENING NBCA NBCA MEETING More Involvement SCHEDULE & Better Operations The NBCA Board meeting schedule for the latter part NBCA is a 501(c)(4) non-profit association that promotes the common good of 2020 and 2021 is provided and general welfare of North Buckhead. We are neighborhood volunteers below. For the foreseeable pitching in to get things done. The NBCA Board has set ambitious goals future, all meetings will be via for membership, volunteers, systems, and the bylaws to help ramp up Zoom. All are welcome to attend. NBCA’s effectiveness. In order to speak at the Board meeting, you must pre-register. MEMBERSHIP At the beginning of October 2020, NBCA had approximately Please email your interest to 600 members. The Board has launched a major membership effort to attend by the preceding Friday increase membership to 1,000 members by the Annual Meeting in March at 5PM in order to receive Zoom 2021. Why? Because the additional membership will provide needed funds information and, if speaking, and because a larger membership gives us more clout as we represent to be placed on the agenda. the neighborhood with the City and other entities. Send your email to VOLUNTEERS The more North Buckhead residents who volunteer, the [email protected]. more impact that NBCA can have. Please contribute your energy and talent to NBCA! The chart on page 3 and the many ‘Call to Volunteer’ boxes throughout this publication provide many options for plugging in. 2020 We are all busy, so we have created many “bite-size” volunteer OCT 26 Board 6:30PM opportunities tailored to your interests and availability. DEC 7 Board 6:30PM SYSTEMS We recently adopted a state-of-the-art online app to host membership management and the website. The app is called 2021 MemberClicks and serves organizations across the country but is JAN 25 Board 6:30PM located right here in North Buckhead. The app manages member data, automates payments, facilitates communications, and hosts the website. FEB 22 Board 6:30PM MemberClicks offers additional functionality which we will unveil in the MAR 23 Annual 6:30PM months to come. Meeting (No Board BYLAWS Sounds boring, right? But bylaws are actually vital to NBCA Meeting) conducting business in a businesslike way. As a ‘public trust,’ it is APR 26 Board 6:30PM important for NBCA to follow defined election, voting, and transparency rules. Under the guidance of Lisa Aman, NBCA’s Secretary, several bylaw MAY 24 Board 6:30PM changes were adopted by the membership this past April, strengthening JUN 28 Board 6:30PM NBCA’s committee approach and providing for virtual meetings among JUL 26 Board 6:30PM several items. Lisa anticipates additional bylaw changes at the Annual Meeting in March 2021. AUG 23 Board 6:30PM

SEP 27 Board 6:30PM The NBCA Bylaws are available at www.nbca.org under ‘About NBCA,’ or CLICK HERE. OCT 25 Board 6:30PM

DEC 6 Board 6:30PM

14 REPRESENTING NORTH BUCKHEAD

Chris We Speak for You NBCA Volunteers represent North Buckhead in numerous Damon & Jessica important forums. Collectively, they communicate North Buckhead’s perspective and defend North Buckhead’s interests in everything from APD to Zoning.

Entities in which NBCA volunteers participate or regularly communicate with include:

●● Atlanta Police Department Elizabeth Citizens Advisory Council ●● Buckhead Community Improvement District ●● Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods ●● Buckhead Development Review Committee Selene holding Freya ●● City of Atlanta – Numerous Departments ●● Fulton County – Numerous Departments ●● Livable Buckhead ●● MARTA ●● NPU-B ●● Watershed Management Jennifer with Joy ●● Zoning Review Board

Bobby 15