NORTH BUCKHEAD Civic Association Newsletter - [email protected] December 2015

December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 1 NORTH BUCKHEAD Civic Association Newsletter www.nbca.org - [email protected] December 2015

Mailed four times each year to about 4,300 North Buckhead homes

NBCA’s newsletter archive is online with color photos at www.nbca.org/newsletters.htm

Wieuca/Phipps Roundabout Repaving & Roadway Plans

Traffic congestion has gradually grown during City Council District 7 Office Representative Sal- morning and evening rush hour at the Wieuca/ ly Silver provided this information about Infra- Phipps Boulevard intersection. It is not uncom- structure Bond spending approved by voters in mon for southbound Wieuca Road to back up to March 2015. That bond issue set aside funds to North Ivy Road, about a half a mile away. Dur- begin addressing deteriorating pavement ing the Christmas shopping season, it’s worse. throughout the city. It also provided money to That’s today. But about a thousand apartments each Council District to address other problems. and a hotel are under construction near that intersection. Clearly, action is needed! Fortu- As part of this program, Councilmember Howard nately, hope is on the way. Shook developed a list of streets needing repair is his district. The following list includes North In March, realizing that the bad situation was Buckhead streets slated for repaving: going to get worse fast, NBCA contacted the  Wieuca Road - Peachtree to Roswell Road (Continued on page 8)  Old Ivy Road - Wieuca to Roswell Road

(Continued, See Repaving Plans, page 6) Annual Holiday Tree Sale

NBCA is conducting its annual Christmas Tree Sale. Tree orders may be placed using the coupon on the back cover or on our web site at www.nbca.org/treesale. Even though our sup- plier increased the prices we pay, NBCA will continue to use the same price list as last year. Tree pickup is inside the neighborhood (Sarah Smith Elementary Primary Campus, 370 Old Ivy Road), on the first weekend in December, the 5th and 6th. Order in advance — items will not be available for walk-up sale on Saturday. We need volunteer help and will reward helpers with extensions to their NBCA membership.

Inside this Newsletter

But Did It Rain Here? …………………………………. 2

NBCA Record Membership …………………………. 3

Education Events at Blue Heron ……………….. 4

Blue Heron Nature Master Plan …………………. 5

APD & Fire/Rescue Lunch ………………………….. 6

NBCA’s Facebook Page ………………………………. 6

NBCA Volunteer Night ……………………………….. 6

Neighborhood Planning Unit B …………………… 7

Land Use and Zoning …………………………………. 10

Code Enforcement ………………………………………. 11

Bird Award Helps Neighborhood ……………….. 12

Sarah Smith Walk to School Day ………………. 13

New Business Members …….………………………. 14

Conceptual plan: a roundabout at the NBCA Business Members …………………………… 15

Wieuca Road/Phipps Boulevard intersection. 2015 NBCA Tree Sale Order Form …………….. 16 Page 2 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015 But Did It Rain Here?

By Sue Certain, Associate Editor years of data for several water-related statistics, This is an updated version of a story that first two of which are very useful to residents: pre- appeared in the Newsletter in July, 2007. For cipitation and gage height. homeowners who have yards and gardens, this Internet option can be valuable. In spring and summer, if it doesn’t rain, we need to water our yards and gardens: but rain- fall matters in the fall, too. Many of us put in grass seed then, as well as fall crops like car- rots, collards, and kale. All these things need water, especially new plants and seeded lawns. We can look out the window in the morning and see that it rained. But was it a trace amount? Was it a gully washer that washed all the seeds away and caused flooding? What happened? We know it rained at the airport; we learned about that on TV. But how much did it rain in our neighborhood? We have a way to find out. North Buckhead has its own mini-weather station, accessible from the Internet. The weather station is located in the Blue Heron Nature Preserve by Nancy Creek, On our web page, the default display is the last near the Rickenbacker Drive bridge. It’s run by eight days of precipitation as shown above in a the US Geological Service and is funded by the sample graph from the web site. The reports on City. We link to it from our web site at the web site can be adjusted to show a day or www.nbca.org. Just go to the site and click on more, up to 365 days. We can see from this “Weather” on the right-hand side. graph that there was an inch of rain over the The site is updated every hour or so and retains eight-day period. On October 10, during the early-morning hours, there was almost an inch of rain. On October 13, again in the early morning, there was about a tenth of an inch of rain, raising the total to an inch. The other valuable statistic is “Gage height, feet”, which in plain English means, “How high did Nancy Creek get?” There is a point at which Nancy Creek reaches flood stage. This is useful information. We think many will find this site interesting and valuable. We suggest that you add NBCA’s weather page to your browser’s bookmarks (favorites) list. Then you will quickly be able to find out the answer to the questions, “But did it rain here? And how much?”

NBCA Standing Meetings (NBCA meetings are open to the public) Board — 7:00 pm, 4th Monday of month ex- cept March, Nov., and Dec., Room S-103, Wieuca Road Baptist Church. March meeting: the Annual Meeting. Joint Nov./Dec.: Dec. 7, 2015. Land Use/Zoning — 7:00 pm, 3rd Monday, Room S-103, Wieuca Road Baptist Church. December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 3

NBCA Hits Record Membership High—Needed: 163 More

By Gordon Certain, NBCA President tended their membership for ten additional A year ago, in an article entitled “401 More years — those are the kind of people we call Members Needed”, NBCA Member Marianna Lee true supporters. wrote, “North Buckhead has about 4,300 home- The second reason many joined/rejoined was owner families, of which 674 pay the annual $35 that the North Buckhead Neighborhood Master fee for NBCA dues. Many Buckhead neighbor- Plan, initiated and largely paid for by NBCA, had hood associations have a majority of their been approved by the Atlanta City Council in homeowners as members. Some have far July. That master plan should help protect our more.” She outlined our hope of reaching a neighborhood from high-density mixed-use en- goal of having 1075 of our households as NBCA croachment from the south, and should have a members. Why 1075? It’s 25% of 4,300. good shot at updating and improving the aes- This December I am delighted to say we’ve thetics of the developments along our Roswell made a heck of a lot of progress, and last week Road border. No, the Master Plan won’t protect our membership hit 912 members, which means us from every problem and threat. But we’ll we have picked up 238 households, almost 60% certainly be better off. The Master Plan effort of last year’s goal in just one year. did something else for North Buckhead: leaders in city government are now more aware of the Why the surge? There are a couple of reasons. strengths and weaknesses of our neighborhood First, and this is not remotely what your intui- and have a better understanding of what we tion would lead you to expect, we raised our need and don’t need. dues from $35 a year to $50, for reasons we will explain shortly. Many residents, knowing the For those who have join us since Marianna’s last value NBCA brings to the neighborhood, decided article, we are very grateful and committed not now was the time to show their support for their to disappoint you. But for the rest of you, we neighborhood association. Others, expecting to want to reach at least 163 of you during the to be NBCA members for a long time, paid dues next year and make you part of our member- several years into the future. In fact, two mem- ship. Even with the dues increase, what else bers, one a business and one a household, ex- can give you more value for less than a dollar a week? It’s an investment in your neighborhood. Join us. North Buckhead Area Map

North Buckhead and surrounding areas. Page 4 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015

Education Events at Blue Heron Nature Preserve

By Amy Zvonar November 23, 1‐3 pm. $40, all supplies includ- Education Director, Blue Heron Nature Preserve ed. All ages welcome with children under 5 ac- Growing Up Wild - A new series for young companied by a caregiver. children and adults at Blue Heron Nature Pre- Thanksgiving Break at Blue Heron Nature serve. Join Blue Heron educators for a relaxed Preserve - Explore the bounty of nature this walk at the Preserve, focused on sharing nature Thanksgiving break! Each day, your children will with children ages 0-5. Children must be ac- explore our woods, creek, and wetlands with an companied by an adult. Wednesdays, Novem- experienced environmental educator. Go bird- ber 11, and December 9, 10-11 am. $5 per watching, track mammals, make a seed collec- adult, children free. tion, build forts, and more. November 23-25, Living with Beavers - Take a guided walk at 9 am-noon, for children 4-10 years old. Cost: Blue Heron with a Blue Heron Educator to see $40/day, $110 all three days. Also, save the how beavers have impacted the landscape. Sat- dates for our December Camp, December 28-31. urday, November 14, 3-5 pm at Blue Heron Nature Preserve Entrance on Emma Lane. $10 per person.

Art with Christy Knight at Blue Heron Na- ture Preserve - Elementary and middle school students learn steps in creating the forms of an- imals and plants and then embellish their draw- ings with a variety of vibrant mediums like col- ored pencil, watercolor, oil, pastel and collage.

Wednesdays, 5‐6 pm starting November 4 through December 16 (no class Thanksgiving week). $210 tuition for the six week session. Thanksgiving Break Workshop - Incorporate found natural objects to make placeholders and RSVP to 678-315-0836, Mon-Fri. More infor- autumn art for the Thanksgiving table. Monday, mation or register online at www.bhnp.org. December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 5 Blue Heron Nature Preserve’s Master Plan Completed

By Kevin McCauley Project Director, Blue Heron Nature Preserve Every once in a while it pays to pause and spend some time to think about the future. Well, the Blue Heron Nature Preserve has done just that. Over the past seven months, our staff has worked with our volunteers and the community to determine how to improve on our mission of helping visitors establish their own per- sonal experience with nature. The results of that thought process have been captured in Blue Heron’s updated Master Plan. Leveraging last year’s master planning work done by NBCA for the North Buckhead neighborhood, we set out to update the Preserve’s Mas- ter Plan originally created in 2008. A lot has happened since then which has shaped our thinking and provided new opportunities which we want incorporated into the Master Plan.

Jackie Goodman [email protected] With help from TSW (the same firm that helped with the North Buckhead Neighborhood Master Plan), we invited key stakeholders from the neighborhood, City of Atlanta Parks and Water- shed Management Departments, our program- ming partners, volunteers and other people with Associate Broker a vested interest in what we are doing. Their ideas and input were captured in the Master 404-844-4977 (office) Plan, which sets a course for what we want to accomplish over the coming years. It includes 404-966-9220 (cell) expanding our trail connections within as well as Native Atlantan, 4th Generation outside the Preserve, activating the park in in- novative ways and providing dedicated outdoor Resident of Loridans Drive since 1980 field education and interpretive opportunities. Office address: 1801 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta 30309 Thanks to everyone who participated in our stakeholder sessions providing input and ideas for the Master Plan. The Master Plan is a living “Let my energy, enthusiasm, and document. We welcome any of your ideas for love of North Buckhead work for you!” ways to better serve our community while ful- filling our mission. Please send your ideas to [email protected]. To see the Master Plan for -- Representing Buyers and Sellers since 1994 -- yourself, check out www.bhnp.org/masterplan.html. Page 6 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015 Repaving Plans — cont. NBCA Volunteer Night

(Continued from page 1) Ever wanted to learn what NBCA’s volunteer  North Ivy Road - Wieuca to North Stratford staff does? Ever think, “Why doesn’t someone do this or that?” Or, ever wondered what the  Loridans Drive - Wieuca to Peachtree Dun- people at NBCA are actually like or is there any- woody Road thing I can do to help? Now is your chance.  West Wieuca Road - Wieuca to Roswell Actually, not now, but on Tuesday, January 19 Road (West Wieuca will be paved west of at 7 pm. We will meet at Wieuca Road Baptist Roswell Road to Lake Forrest Drive.) Church, on Wieuca Road near Phipps Boulevard. The meeting is in the Heritage Room, just inside  Peachtree Dunwoody Road - Peachtree Road to City Limits the door to the church’s offices.  Mountain Way - Wieuca Road to the Little We will talk about what each unit of NBCA does. Nancy Creek bridge This includes our Land Use and Zoning Commit- tee, our new neighbor greeting unit, our mem- These additional projects will also receive funds, bership unit, traffic, sidewalks, our various web all in association with the Buckhead CID: sites (yes, sites, we have three), and much  Phipps/Wieuca roundabout planning more.  Piedmont widening (Peachtree Road to We will meet at 7 pm and have a casual even- Lenox Road) ing, 60 to 90 minutes, with snacks and just get  Roswell/Piedmont/Habersham intersec- to know each other. This is a learning oppor- tion analysis tunity — if you attend and don’t see a fit for your skills and interests, there won’t be any Schedule: Not yet known for repaving or other pressure. projects. Some of the things NBCA needs help with re- quire time-availability and appropriate back- ground skills — see “Note” at the bottom of the Land Use and Zoning article, page 10. We also would like someone to maintain a neighborhood NBCA’s Facebook Page events calendar, based on events announced in our North Buckhead Update emails. Other roles NBCA membership has reached new heights, as are simple and take little time. You might have reported on page 3. Our Facebook page has an idea for something needed — join us and more “likes” than ever, too. As this newsletter let’s get to know each other. goes to press, we have 349 “likes”. Follow us on Facebook. You could be #350!

NBCA and Wing Factory Serve APD & Fire/Rescue Lunch

Twice a year, NBCA volunteers (meaning NBCA change. So she negotiated a deal with the board member Rita Christopher, assisted some- Wing Factory, 4279 Roswell Road, at Chastain times by other volunteers) deliver baskets of Square. Working together, they provided lunch Trader Joes’ “goodies” to the police and fire sta- one late September afternoon for the officers at tions serving North Buckhead. This includes the these three stations. Rita used the money we APD Zone 2 Precinct on Maple Drive, the fire normally spend on the baskets to help pay for station on Phipps Boulevard, and the Sandy the lunch, which included wings, salads, French Springs fire station at the end of Wieuca Road, fries, etc. Publix contributed cookies for des- west of Roswell Road. (The Sandy Springs unit, sert. They served 40 to 50 policemen and about which is actually inside Atlanta, handles calls in six firemen at each station, all of whom were North Buckhead in a mutual service agreement most appreciative. with Atlanta.) Thanks, Wing Factory, Publix, and Rita. As much as those public servants have appreci- ated the baskets, Rita thought they might be tired of Trader Joes’ stuff and ready for a December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 7 Report from Neighborhood Planning Unit B

By Andrea Bennett, NPU-B Chair ephone at 404-233-2228 or via email at [email protected]. The past two months have been busy ones for NPU-B, involving a variety of legislative, zoning, Code Enforcement We also heard from Lt. Joe land use and public safety matters. Cummings, Assistant Commander for Code En- forcement. He can be reached 404-274-9022 or Complete Streets In August we addressed several important pieces of legislation proposed [email protected]. by the city. The first of these was CDP-15-010, Zoning and Land Use Applications NPU-B an ordinance to adopt a “Complete Streets” de- also processed many zoning and land use appli- sign manual. This was presented as a guide to cations. Most concerned relatively straightfor- make city streets so that they are not entirely ward residential modifications and additions. automobile-focused, with the goal that they We also approved CDP-15-02, an application to should also take into account pedestrians and change land use for 16 Wieuca Road lots from cyclists as well as improved lighting and Single Family Residential to Low Density Resi- streetscapes. NPU-B recommended denial. dential. This was accompanied by zoning application Z-14-75, to rezone from the existing R-3 Development near MARTA Stations We also considered CDP-15-011, which dealt with transit and O-I-C classifications to MR-2. These properties are on Wieuca west of Roswell Road, just -oriented development in areas near transit stations. All such areas in Buckhead are already beyond the fire station. All of the exiting property owners approve these changes. The new governed by SPI (Special Public Interest) dis- tricts. Hence this proposed legislation would not development will include 38 detached single family homes, priced at around $1 million each. have directly affected NPU-B, and the text of the amendment and the accompanying maps were Appropriate buffers are included. A large wood- ed area at the street’s end will not be disturbed. amended to confirm that. With those clarifica- tions, we recommended approval. Alcohol Permit Applications NPU-B heard and Bicycle Infrastructure CDP-15-012 is an ordi- approved a number of alcohol permit applica- nance to adopt the Cycle Atlanta Phase 1.0 tions, including Le Bilboquet, a new French restaurant in the Buckhead Atlanta develop- Study. This proposes to create a connected net- work of high-quality bicycle infrastructure in the ment; The Establishment, a new bar and restaurant located at 3167 Peachtree; Renais- core of the city, including five cycling corridors extending from the Atlanta Beltline into the cen- sance residential tower at 3755 Peachtree; Naan Stop, a casual Indian restaurant located ter of the city. These bicycle corridors are not proposed to extend into NPU-B at the present at 3420 Piedmont; Cacao, a chocolate and wine bar at 3035 Peachtree Road; The Palm Res- time. The NPU recommended denial. taurant at 3391 Peachtree Road; Tin Lizzy, Peachtree Road Restriping Although the re- 3639 Piedmont Road; and Superica Buckhead, striping of Peachtree Road is not within the pur- a new Tex Mex restaurant by Ford Fry at 3850 view of NPU-B, we had a number of residents Roswell Road. The NPU also approved the Ma- show up to comment on plans proposed by the cy’s Great Tree Lighting and Parade at Lenox Georgia Department of Transportation. A GDOT Square Mall on November 27. open house was scheduled for October 29, 2015, in the Calloway Auditorium at the Shep- Conclusion/Meeting Schedule It is my honor herd Center. and privilege to serve as chair of NPU-B and I hope that you will join us whenever you can. Peachtree Transformation Project Livable Our Board meetings take place at 7 pm on the Buckhead reported that public input meetings first Tuesday of each month, preceded by our are not yet set for Phases III and IV of the Public Safety Committee Meetings at 6 pm. Our Peachtree Transformation Project. Construction Zoning Committee and our Development and at Charlie Loudermilk Park is scheduled for com- Transportation Committee meet at 7 pm on the pletion in November. Grant funds are being last Tuesday each month. All meetings take sought to develop an updated master plan for place at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 the Buckhead Village area. Peachtree Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305 and are Trauma Kits for APD Garth Peters of the Buck- open to the public. For agendas and other de- head Coalition discussed a program to provide tails, please visit www.npu-b.com. And of trauma kits to Atlanta police officers. These kits course feel free to contact me at andre- are used to stop bleeding in the event an officer [email protected] or at 404-231-4130. is shot or injured. Garth can be reached by tel- Page 8 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015 Wieuca Road/Phipps Boulevard Roundabout —continued

 Neighborhood Planning Unit B  Noble Investment  Park Avenue Condominiums  Parsons Brinkerhoff consultants  Post Properties (Post Alexander apartments)  Simon Properties (Phipps Plaza)  Tishman Speyer (One Alliance Center)  Transwestern  Wieuca Road Baptist Church From a road design perspective, there were no great solutions. We weren’t dealing with a blank slate. The available right-of-way was nar- row, and acquiring added right-of-way would be time-consuming, expensive and likely to lead to legal actions that might take years. We didn’t have years. In the initial meeting several options were proposed, from simple, low-cost signal changes; to the more expensive option of more lanes and better signals; and most expensive of all, a complete replacement of the intersection with a roundabout. None of the solutions were problem free, but the second was quickly discarded. Both surviving options appeared to offer relief. (Continued on page 9)

Closer view of roundabout lane arrangement. Note the dedicated right turn lane from southbound Wieuca Road onto westbound Phipps Boulevard — it skips the roundabout entirely, avoiding merging traffic.

(Continued from page 1) Buckhead Community Improvement District to see what could be done. The BCID is a quasi- governmental non-profit association made up of area businesses which voluntarily tax them- selves to address community concerns, particularly traffic issues. They may only spend money within their territory. Fortunately, the Wieuca/ Phipps intersection is inside their territory. Rep- resentatives of NBCA met with Jim Durrett, BCID Executive Director, and Brian McHugh, BCID Director of Transportation and Planning, and outlined our concerns. BCID responded by engaging a traffic consulting firm, Parsons Brinkerhoff, to analyze the problem. After several months needed for the traffic ex- perts to analyze the situation, BCID set up sessions to present alternative solutions proposed by the consultants. Attendees included a slate of neighborhood and business stakeholders from the following organizations:

 Buckhead CID This diagram isolates the lane arrangement and  City Council District 7 representative exit destinations.  North Buckhead Civic Association (Details in the final plan may differ.) December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 9 Wieuca Road/Phipps Boulevard Roundabout —continued

(Continued from page 8) The question then was, could a roundabout actually function better? We viewed videos com- paring the alternatives. These videos were gen- erated by traffic simulation software which re- vealed the roundabout would work far better that the signalized alternative. At times, heavy congestion was unavoidable for either option, given the amount of traffic the area gets and the lack of resources (land and money) available to deal with it. At Christmas shopping time, as has been the case for years, major congestion was unavoidable no matter what was done. How does a roundabout work its magic? In con- ventional signalized intersections, each side gets dedicated green light time so they can move, and once they start moving, speeds can be fairly fast. An important feature of roundabouts is that traffic moves more slowly, but the action never stops, with each side getting a balanced and simultaneous opportunity to get through the intersection. There’s no wasted time while everyone waits for the green light allocated to pos- A very close-up view of the lane arrangement. sible traffic on an empty street. Note: Details in the church parking lot are the consultants’ proposal to avoid reducing available church parking space. Many roundabouts are designed with a simple

The map images used in this article were provided by the one-lane ring. An example is the one on North Buckhead CID in a 11”x17” image which was far too de- Decatur Road at the entrance to Emory Univer- tailed to reproduce here. Instead, several enlargements sity. Those accommodate simple situations with were prepared by NBCA for this article. The enlargements were recolored and annotated to make them clearer. (Continued on page 10) Page 10 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015 Wieuca Road/Phipps Boulevard Roundabout —continued

(Continued from page 9) one that works well and doesn’t take their land. relatively low traffic volumes. The Wieuca/ The same for the Park Avenue Condominiums Phipps intersection presents more complex is- and every other interested party. Achieving the sues. Accordingly, the proposed Parsons Brink- roundabout will take some complex planning. erhoff roundabout solution provides double Ultimately, using the roundabout will be a com- lanes on parts of the circle and a dedicated lane fortable fact of life for North Buckhead residents from southbound Wieuca to westbound Phipps and workers. But using it will be a learning ex- which skips the roundabout entirely. It should perience. Once we have the final design, it work far better than signalized alternatives. Not would be an excellent idea to review its layout all the issues have been worked out, particularly at your home or office to understand the best how well pedestrians will be able to thread lane selection to reach your destination and per- through the roundabout and what measures haps take a trial run when traffic isn’t busy. might be needed to assist them. Signage need- That, however, is likely a year or two in the fu- ed to help first-time and infrequent drivers navi- ture. First, we need a final design. See gate it needs to be considered. “Repaving & Roadway Plans”, page 1, for infor- For the roundabout to function well, traffic flow mation about action taken to fund the rounda- into the roundabout area must be controlled by bout’s design. traffic signals at nearby intersections, particularly the Peachtree/Wieuca intersection and the Phipps Boulevard intersections at Lenox and Al- Land Use and Zoning exander Drive. It remains to be seen if a signal will be required on Wieuca at Old Ivy Road or to the north along Wieuca. By Walda Lavroff Chair, NBCA Land Use and Zoning Committee The roundabout plan has not reached the stage yet that we know where its exact footprint will After a down cycle of several months (we re- be. That remains to be seen. NBCA will fight ceived no applications for review during June or for one that works well, while not taking land August), building activity in our neighborhood from the adjacent North Buckhead Park. The appears to be picking up, with one application Wieuca Road Baptist church also will fight for received in September and two in October. The September meeting considered SD-15-022 (Subdivision), a request by the owners of 4009 Wieuca Road to divide their property into two R-3 single-family lots. After a site visit and presentation to the committee, we recommended approval, subject to confirmation from the City that the new lots comply with requirements of Code Section “15-08-005 – Lots” (footage angle of the line dividing the two lots (Code Section 15-08-005 – Lots). The technical issue here involves the size of the lots and the angle that the dividing line between the two lots makes at the street. We are in the process of reviewing two applications for our October meeting. One of these applications involves a large parcel on Herrington Drive. These applications will still be under review when this newsletter goes to press. NOTE: Following moves and retirement by some Committee members, the NBCA L/Z Com- mittee seeks one or two new members. They must be members of NBCA; have task-related skills; be able and willing to work with our group on applications which come to us from the De- partment of City Planning by way of NPU-B. More about our process and requirements may be found at www.northbuckheadzoning.com. December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 11 Code Enforcement—What To Do When There’s a Problem

Why is this article here once again? What happens if I report a code violation? Once the complaint is received, the following We want to give you tools you need to help steps occur: North Buckhead. We have a few neighbors  The complaint is entered, printed, and as- who don’t take care of their property. That signed to an inspector. affects everyone. You can help.  The inspector then inspects the property thoroughly for the violations reported, as What is Code Enforcement? well as any other violations seen. If the The Bureau of Code Compliance process is a property is non-compliant and the owner is system for constituents to file complaints re- present, the notice of non-compliance is garding violations of the Atlanta Housing Code, hand delivered at that time. If the property the Graffiti Ordinance, and/or the Commercial is open and vacant or unfit for human habi-

Maintenance and Industrial Code. tation, an automatic criminal citation is is- What are some types of Code Violations? sued, and the court process begins. See Code Enforcement under Public Safety at  Owner research is conducted and a notice of www.atl311.com for detailed definitions. The non-compliance is mailed to that owner. following are examples of code violations:  Upon receipt of the notice, the owner will  Dilapidated structures have a certain number of days to comply.  Poorly maintained open/vacant lots  For follow-up, the property is re-inspected,  Junk vehicles (tires removed or inoperable) or the owner is given an extension.  Excessive rubbish or trash  If the property is in compliance, the process  Fire hazards is finished. If the property is not in compli-  Excessive overgrowth ance, a citation is issued; or if a citation was  Flaking/peeling paint issued due to a property being open and va-  Exterior walls in bad state of repair cant or uninhabitable, the case is prepared  Defective plumbing for court.  Exposed wiring/fixtures  If the City is unable to locate a responsible How do I report a code complaint? party, other actions can be taken. In the City of Atlanta, there are several ways to submit a code violation. They are as follows:  Telephone: Contact the Bureau of Code Compliance at 404-330-6190, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:15 am and 5:00 pm, to speak with a customer service representative. After normal business hours, all phone calls will be routed to the voice message system. You don’t need to talk to any specific officer — just state your complaint to whoever answers.  Print and Fax: Print the form at www.nbca.org/Fax-code-complaint.pdf and fax it to the office of Code Enforcement at 404-658-7084.  Area Survey by Code Enforcement Offic- ers: During an inspection of a specific property, Code Enforcement Officers may also conduct an area survey for additional code violations that exist on adjacent properties.  Email: Send an email to: [email protected].  Via the Internet: Go to http:// web.atlantaga.gov/ocf/violationform.aspx and you will get a form to complete online and submit electronically. Can I report a violation anonymously? Yes, you may choose to report the violation anonymously. Page 12 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015 USFWS Urban Bird Treaty City Award Helps Neighborhood

By Dottie Head efforts,” says Nikki Belmonte, Executive Director Membership Development Manager of AAS. “We are working with partners to con- Atlanta Audubon Society serve migratory birds through education, hazard Atlanta was recently named a U.S. Fish and reductions, citizen science, and habitat improve- Wildlife Service (USFWS) Urban Bird Treaty City. ment strategies in metro Atlanta. We are abso- As part of the designation, the USFWS Migratory lutely thrilled to be recognized as an Urban Bird Bird Program has awarded a $25,000 Five Star Treaty City — and I bet the birds who navigate Grant to Atlanta Audubon Society (AAS) for a through our city are, too.” joint project called Creating Bird-friendly Com- Partners on this project include Blue Heron Na- munities along Atlanta’s Urban Tributaries. ture Preserve, South Fork Conservancy, National The project goal is to enhance and restore sec- Audubon Society, Greening Youth Foundation tions of Emma Wetlands at Blue Heron Nature (Atlanta Youth Corps), and Georgia Native Plant Preserve and the confluence of the north and Society, as well as minor contributions by Trees south branches of Peachtree Creek to make Atlanta and the Georgia Young Birders Club. them more bird friendly and to provide educa- The grant proposal, Creating Bird-friendly Com- tional outreach in the community. munities in Atlanta’s Urban Tributaries, received funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant. The program is administered by NFWF and financially supported by the Southern Company in the southeastern United States. The goal of the grant program is to develop nation-wide community stewardship of local natural resources, preserve these resources for future generations, and enhance habitat for local wildlife. Funded projects address water quality issues in priority watersheds, and focus on the stewardship and restoration of coastal, wetland and ri- parian ecosystems across the country. The goal is to meet the conservation needs of important species and habitats, providing measurable and meaningful conservation and educational out- Adam Betuel, Atlanta Audubon’s Conservation Direc- comes. The program requires a minimum of five tor, at Emma Wetlands in the Blue Heron Nature Pre- diverse partnerships and an education/outreach serve, near Emma Lane in North Buckhead. component that will help shape and sustain be- havior to achieve conservation goals. Adam Betuel, AAS Conservation Director, has Additionally, AAS is partnering on another Five already begun scouting project areas to identify Star project awarded in Georgia this year with birds that are currently using the areas. Inva- Conservation Legacy and Chattahoochee Bend sive plant removal and native plantings are State Park to provide birding opportunities, vol- planned for the area. AAS will continue to mon- unteer support, and educational print resources. itor Emma Wetlands and the Peachtree Creek Confluence to further understand what bird species visit these urban green spaces and how The mission of Atlanta Audubon Society is to they utilize these improved habitats. Early sur- protect Georgia’s birds and their habitats veys have already found beautiful birds like the through education, conservation, and advocacy. American Redstart and Hooded Warbler, Swain- son's Thrush, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks Atlanta Audubon Society’s offices are in North which are long-distance migrants. The surveys Buckhead’s Blue Heron Nature Preserve, 4055 have also found birds of conservation concern in Roswell Road. Atlanta Audubon serves its mem- the southeastern United States, like the Red- bership in the 20-county larger metro Atlanta headed Woodpecker and even the flagship spe- area. See www.atlantaaudubon.org. cies of AAS, the Brown-headed Nuthatch. “Atlanta Audubon Society is excited to bring a bird perspective to regional habitat restoration December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 13 Sarah Smith Walk to School Day a Big Success

By Robert Sarkissian NBCA Vice President & Traffic Liaison These are three of many pictures I took on Wednesday, October 7, International Walk to School Day. They were taken at the Sarah Smith Elementary School on Old Ivy Road, a Primary Campus which serves students in kin- dergarten through the second grade. I counted nearly 500 students, parents, and pets walking to school this year. It was a picture-perfect day compared to some other years. It is safe to say that we had greater than 70% participation as noted by the lack of car pool activity. Page 14 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015

North Buckhead Update Provides Timely Information

This newsletter is published only four times a (Why not more than 55%? Many residents have year, but neighborhood news happens more of- two addresses on our list.) ten, sometimes so fast we can’t cover it here. Join our list at www.tinyurl.com/NBCAEmail or Each NBCA email’s subject line lists the contents send an email to [email protected]. so recipients can (and we hope, do) skip emails Neither NBCA membership nor North Buckhead about topics they don’t care about. residency is required. It’s free to everyone. NBCA has 2,000+ addresses on its email list. Still not convinced? Check out a sampling of Our typical 55% “open rate” means that NBCA recent emails so you can see the kind of infor- emails do get read and are not mostly ignored. mation you missed. See www.nbca.org/update.

New Business Members

We reserve this space for new NBCA business  Peachtree Mosquito Control - Grant Nor- members. A full listing of NBCA business mem- wood, [email protected], 404-447- bers is at the top of page 15. Joining us this 6607. Owner Grant Norwood is a North issue are: Buckhead resident on Glengary Drive.  Rand Fisher, Realtor - ENGEL & VÖLKERS,  Laura Dew, Realtor - Atlanta Fine Homes Buckhead Atlanta, [email protected], Sotheby's International Realty, 3490 Piedmont Road, Suite 1000, 770-833- [email protected], 3290 0230, www.buckheadatlanta.evusa.com. Northside Parkway NW, Suite 200,c 404-822 -8316, o 404-974-4372,  Park Regency Condominium Association www.atlantafinehomes.com. Laura Dew is a – A luxury high-rise condominium located in North Buckhead resident on Wieuca North Buckhead behind Phipps Plaza. Amen- Terrrace. ities include: 24/7 on-site security, gated entry, valet parking, lobby concierge, 24th floor rooftop terrace with gas fireplace and breath-taking views, two newly renovated Lost Cats and Dogs guest suites and Club Room, wine cellar, swimming pool, spa, fitness center, and sau- If you lose a pet or find one, send an email to na. Individual units have private balconies [email protected]. Please include with skyline views. your contact information and a description of the pet. Include a photo if possible. Please do not use [email protected] for lost/ found pet reports (or anything else) — that email account has been deactivated. NBCA Officers, Board, Committee Chairs and Liaisons NBCA Board NBCA Officers Land Use and Zoning Pedestrian (Sidewalk) Andrea Bennett [email protected] 404-231-4130 President Gordon Certain Chair Walda Lavroff Liaison Peter Rogers Vice Pres. Robert Sarkissian Vice Chair Andrea Bennett Carolyn Brown [email protected] 4/405-7603 Secretary Bob Young Social/Special Events Membership Michelle Carver [email protected] 404-579-7127 Treasurer Dieter Franz Liaison Adam Pollock Gordon Certain [email protected] 404-231-1192 Liaison Gordon Certain Carolyn Brown Rita Christopher [email protected] 404-237-5878 Beautification Sustainability & Recycling

Dieter Franz [email protected] 404-261-8697 Liaison Rita Christopher Liaison Open Neighborhood Markers Waldtraut Lavroff [email protected] 678-686-4575 Kevin McCauley Liaison Open Adam Pollock [email protected] 404-233-1706 Kim McCauley Traffic Pete Rogers [email protected] 404-239-9004 Liaison Robert Sarkissian Christmas Tree Sale New Neighbor Greeting Robert Sarkissian [email protected] 404-504-9444 Liaison Rita Christopher Liaison Robert Sarkissian Volunteer Coordinator Bob Young [email protected] 404-255-1315 Code Enforcement Liaison Open Newsletter Liaison Michelle Carver Editor Gordon Certain Assoc. Ed. Sue Certain Online Services Crime Reporting NBCA Gordon Certain Online services Proofreader Jackie Goodman Liaison Peter Rogers Zoning Andrea Bennett NBCA www.nbca.org NPU-B Representative Facebook Sue Certain NBCA Zoning www.northbuckheadzoning.com Greenspace & Environment Liaison Open Andrea Bennett Tessa Turner Facebook facebook.com/NorthBuckheadCivicAssociation December 2015 North Buckhead Newsletter Page 15 Area Businesses Support NBCA

These businesses support your neighborhood association with their NBCA business memberships. Please support them.

Atlanta Audubon Society ww.atlantaaudubon.org Park Avenue Condo Association 750 Park Ave

Blue Heron Nature Preserve www.bhnp.org Park Regency Condo Assn. 700 Park Regency Pl

Buckhead Coalition 3340 Peachtree Road#560 Peachtree Mosquito Control 404-447-6607

Buckhead-Midtown Vacuum 3872 Roswell Road Piccadilly Puppets 404-636-0022

Buckhead Realty-Jim Cosgrove, Broker 404-841-9000 Private Bank of Buckhead 3565 Piedmont Rd#210

Chapter Two www.chaptertwo.net Realtors, *The Hinsons * 404-231-1113

Crème de la Crème Buckhead4669 Roswell Road Regent Partners www.regentpartners.com

Diazo Specialty Printing 4285 Roswell Road Remarkable Real Estate Services 404-233-MARC

Laura Dew, Realtor-Atl. Fine Homes 404-974-4372 Scotland Wright Associates www.scotlandwright.com

DWH Interiors DWHInteriors.com Selig Enterprises, Inc. seligenterprises.com

Rand Fisher, Realtor [email protected] Jennifer Sherrouse, Realtor www.jennifersherrouse.com

Eclipse Fitness Studio 295 W Wieuca Road St. James United Methodist Church www.stjamesatlanta.org

Goodyear of Buckhead 3830 Roswell Road Stellar Bodies 3872 Roswell Road # A1

Jones & Kolb, CPAs 404-262-7920 Suzy Smith, Realtor 404-307-0347 Kazoo Toys 3718 Roswell Road Tuxedo Pharmacy 164 W Wieuca Road

Nan T Moore Interiors [email protected] William Word Antiques 707-709 Miami Circle

Can you think of another way to get visibility for your area business for so little cash? Businesses, join

NBCA and get listed here. Send $100 (non-profits, $50) with the coupon below or join online.

NORTH BUCKHEAD CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP  Join  Renew Pay Online at www.nbca.org/dues.htm Or Mail to: NBCA, PO Box 420391, Atlanta, GA 30342

Name(s) ______Date ______Please print carefully Address ______Year you came to North Buckhead ______

Email #1 ______Email #2 ______Join our email list. Please print very carefully so you will received NBCA’s Emails Updates.

Phone (Home) ______Cell #1 ______Cell #2 ______Able to Help North Buckhead? Pay By Mail

 Christmas Tree Sale  Parks / Playgrounds Dues: $50/year—Business $100 One year Two years $100/ Bus $200  Code Enforcement (Eyesore Resolution)  Security $______

 Landscaping / Streetscape  Sidewalks / Crosswalks Optional donations:

 Legal/Professional Services (for NBCA)  Social Events (Fall Fling & etc.) Park Landscaping $______

 Membership  Houses  Condos  Business  Stuff Envelopes Legal Fund $______ Neighborhood Cleanup Projects  Traffic Greenspace $______ Neighborhood History and Art  Web site / Facebook Master Plan / General Fund $______ New Neighbor Greeting  Zoning/Land Use Total Check Amount $______

 One-time, quick volunteer jobs  Other ______Make check payable to NBCA Comments, skills, interests, questions:

______

NBCA is a 501(C)(4) Georgia Non-profit Corporation. Page 16 North Buckhead Newsletter December 2015

North Buckhead PRSRT STD Civic Association US POSTAGE PAID MARIETTA GA PO Box 420391 PERMIT NO. 774 Atlanta, GA 30342

Please Deliver By November 5

2015 NBCA Tree Sale Order Form (Complete price list and on-line ordering are available at www.nbca.org/TreeSale)

Name:______Address:______

Phone: ______E-mail: ______(print carefully)

IMPORTANT: ORDER ONLY BY MAIL OR ON-LINE! Order pick-up: Saturday, Dec. 5, 8:30AM-1PM; Sunday, Dec. 6, 1PM-3PM Quantity Amount Item Price

______$______Trees: 10’ – 13’ See web site

______9’ – 10’ $100 ______8’ – 9’ $75 ______7’ – 8’ $50 ______6’ – 7’ $40

______5’ – 6’ $35 ______Large Wreaths $25 (Other sizes on web site)

______Small Wreaths $15

______Garland (75-foot roll of white pine) $30 (Fir garland on web site)

______NBCA Dues $50 (See mailing label for your exp. date) Total $______Checks: NBCA, PO Box 420391, Atlanta, GA 30342

Your order must be received by Dec. 1, 2015. Questions? Email [email protected]