NPU-S

NPU-S Calendar of Events: May 10 - May 17 Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar! NPU-S Events :...Continue reading

Severe weather w/Tornado warnings - be safe! The National Weather Service has Severe Thunderstorm Warnings through 4pm today for our area, including a Tornado Warning (which means tornados expected) through at least 11:15am today. Pick out a sheltered location in your home just in case, away from windows.

NPU-S Calendar of Events: May 3 - May 10 Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar! NPU-S Events :...Continue reading

NPU-S Calendar of Events: Apr 26 - May 3 Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar! NPU-S Events :...Continue reading

Signal Removal- Avon Ave at Orlando St/Westmont Rd From the ATL DOT: The City of Atlanta's Department of Transportation is pleased to inform you that the construction package including removal of the traffic signals at the intersection of Avon Avenue with Orlando Street and Westmont Road is out for bids. The deadline is for bid submission is currently set for Tuesday, May 4, 2021. ... Be advised that planned intersection upgrades will include the replacement of electronic traffic signals with stop signs. Specifically: Removal traffic signal at Avon Ave @ Westmont Rd/Orlando St and conversion to an all-way stop intersection Refreshed yellow center line pavement markings beginning 50 feet back from the stop bar on Orlando St and Westmont Rd Installation of stop signs with "All Way" plaques on the right side at all approaches Installation of stop bar on north approach to Westmont Rd. Installation of ADA-compliant ramps at existing Orlando St crosswalk Substituting grass for existing landscape areas at the corners of Orlando St/Westmont Rd and Avon Ave/Westmont Rd to improve intersection sight distance Because upgrades to the intersection of Avon Avenue with Orlando Street and Westmont Road are part of a large package of signal improvement projects, it is difficult to provide a start window for work on these two intersections. We will continue to keep you updated as the project progresses from procurement to construction in our monthly District and NPU dashboard reports.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY - Full Road Closure on Venetian Dr Full Road Closure on Venetian Dr. SW due to Sewer Services/Main Sewer Line Replacement Work What : Temporary full road closure due to sewer services/main sewer line replacement work Where : 1439 Venetian Dr. SW Between Elizabeth Ave. SW and Kenilworth Dr. SW When : Thursday, January 21, 2021, lasting approximately 1 - 2 weeks, weather permitting. Operational Hours for crew members are Monday Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.... Crews will be replacing the existing sewer services/main sewer line at 1439 Venetian Dr. SW between Elizabeth Ave. SW and Kenilworth Dr. SW resulting in a temporary full road closure to through traffic. Work is scheduled to last approximately 1 2 weeks, weather permitting. Traffic control measures are in place to guide motorists around the work zone. Residents, business owners, employees and customers residing in/near the work zone or needing to enter the work zone will continue to have access to their homes and businesses. Alternative parking will be needed for vehicles usually parked in the street. Residents & business owners will continue to have access to mail and package delivery, emergency services and trash pick-up. Upon entering the work zone for any reason, please proceed with caution, and avoid the area if possible.

NPU-S Meeting Thursday, Jan 21, 7pm The NPU-S General Meeting will be held this Thursday, January 21st, at 7pm . As usual, our meeting is being held over Google Meet. Attendees should register beforehand! If you do not register then we cannot count your attendance or verify your identity on voting matters.... This month we'll have two voting items, a liquor license approval and an ordinance: The liquor license approval is for Arman Food Mart at 1469-B Campbellton Road . The reason for the approval is a change of ownership The ordinance is 20-O-1696, " A substitute Ordinance by Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee to amend the Public Property Vending Code to provide a process for establishing and removing designated food truck areas" As always, representatives from the police, code enforcement, public works, and other City departments will call in to give reports, and we'll discuss NPU and community programs for our constituents. Come on out! To register (please register!) , either go online at http://bit.ly/NPUS-Meeting-Register , or call (770) 744-5311 and leave a message with a way for us to reach you. Agenda, minutes, and supporting documents can be found on http://bit.ly/NPUS-Meeting-Docs To attend the meeting: By videoconference, go to http://bit.ly/NPUS-Room-A By phone, call (515) 599-7285 and enter PIN: 480 291 570#

[Edited] NPU-S Calendar of Events: December 21 - 27 Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar: NPU-S Events:... None this week - Happy Holidays! If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to [email protected] . Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

NPU-S meeting this Thursday Dec 17, 7pm The NPU-S General Meeting will be held this Thursday, December 17th, at 7pm . As usual, our meeting is being held over Google Meet. Attendees should register beforehand! If you do not register then we cannot count your attendance or verify your identity on voting matters.... This month there are no voting matters, but there is one presentation of a proposed subdivision at 1055 Westmont, SD-20-18. You can find out more information about this subdivision at http://www.npu-s.org/20//monday-127-community-meeting.html As always, representatives from the police, code enforcement, public works, and other City departments will call in to give reports, and we'll discuss NPU and community programs for our constituents. Come on out! To register , either register online at http://bit.ly/NPUS-Meeting-Register , or call (770) 744-5311 and leave a message with a way for us to reach you. Agenda, minutes, and supporting documents can be found on http://bit.ly/NPUS-Meeting-Docs To attend the meeting: By videoconference, go to http://bit.ly/NPUS-Room-A By phone, call (515) 599-7285 and enter PIN: 480 291 570#

Looking for canvassers for Oakland City area From our neighborhood partners at Oakland City Community Organization: The runoff elections on January 5th are quickly approaching, and as a neighborhood, we want to keep the momentum going! While voter turnout in November increased from previous years, as a neighborhood we can do better. To that end, we are looking for volunteers to canvas the neighborhood (we can break it down into streets), and place flyers on mailboxes. ... If you are interested in this initiative, please email Adriana at [email protected]

Power outage information Friends, it's a mess.... Georgia Power says that they'll have power restored by the end of Sunday. That's a long time to go without power. Check on your neighbors, and if you need help, reach out to your neighborhood association or the NPU. The list of neighborhood orgs can be found at http://www.npu-s.org/p/neighborhoods.html . For updates on the power situation, go to https://outagemap.georgiapower.com/ .

Called NPU-S Bylaws Meeting POSTPONED

NPU-S Calendar of Events: October 26 - November 1 Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar: NPU-S Events:... Monday, October 26 - Trees Atlanta Brownfield Meeting - 6pm, Zoom . The DCP Office of Zoning and Development is working with Trees Atlanta on a grant to cleanup 825 Warner Ave SW. The parcel is in the Oakland City neighborhood in NPU-S and it is very close to the Adair Park neighborhood in NPU-V and the Capitol View neighborhood in NPU-X. Attached is a fact sheet about the cleanup and a meeting notice for an October 26th meeting we are having to present information about the grant and cleanup. Join online https://zoom.us/j/5138774717, Meeting ID: 513 877 4717. Join the call +1-646-558-8656, Meeting ID: 5138774717 # Tuesday, October 27 - Oakland City Community Organization (OCCO) meeting - 6:30pm, Zoom. Join Zoom Meeting Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85441618449 . Dial-in Numbers: +1 253 215 8782 US or +1 301 715 8592 US, Meeting ID: 854 4161 8449. Monthly on the fourth Tuesday. Thursday, October 29 - Called Meeting: NPU-S Voting Bylaws - 6:30pm, Google Meet . This is a called meeting under Article IX, Section 1 of the NPU-S Bylaws . There is a discrepancy between NPU-S's two-year officer terms and City of Atlanta ordinance mandating annual elections. This meeting is being held to change the bylaws to bring them into compliance with the City of Atlanta's requirements. Join by phone (US) +1 515-599-7285 PIN: 480 291 570 #, or at the Google Meet link, https://meet.google.com/rbh-ptwd-efj . External Events: Tuesday, October 27 - MARTA Fresh Market - West End Station , 3 - 7pm. Friday, October 30 - MARTA Fresh Market - Five Points - 3 - 8pm. If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to [email protected] . Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

Future Places Project From the Atlanta Department of City Planning : Future Places Project... Today, the Office of Design - Historic Preservation Studio kicked off the Future Places Project in conjunction with Historic Preservation Week ! This project ensures that Atlanta retains its "historic identity as the city moves forward". Please check out the Future Place Project website, atlfutureplaces.com , to learn more about what we are doing and how you can become involved. Our history is our future!

Called meeting on NPU-S election bylaws, Thursday Oct 29, 6:30pm The Problem: Late last month, after our September NPU meeting, NPU-S received a message from the City about our bylaws. For nearly a decade, we have had two-year terms for our elected officers, which means that we have held elections every other year instead of every year. Turns out, this violates City ordinance: ... (https://library.municode.com//at/codes/code_of_ordinances ): Sec. 6-3017. - Elections. (a) Elections shall take place during October or November of every calendar year. If an election(s) has not been held by November 30. Said election(s) shall be conducted by the bureau of planning during the month of December. (Code 1977, 6-3017; Ord. No. 1995-68, 1, 10-24-95; Ord. No. 1999-81, 1, 11-10-99) Although this has not created any problems for us, the current director of the NPU programs has been doing a lot of work to make sure that all the NPUs are operating by the book, and given the chaos that some of our own neighboring NPUs have gone through, particularly with elections, this effort is entirely understandable. Possible Solutions: After a discussion with the director, there are two possible solutions that we've identified. One solution would be retention elections . Basically, in November, we hold an election saying "do we want these officers to continue in their role for the remainder of the term?" Any officer who receives a majority disapproval would be removed from office and replaced in a snap election held the next month. The other solution would be to one-year officer terms with annual elections . This would require more extensive changes to the bylaws, but it's certainly possible. The Path Forward: These are not the only possible solutions, but they're the simplest solutions we can think of. However, whichever solution we choose, we need to change our bylaws to be able to hold a vote at our November meeting. Therefore, as announced at our October meeting, and in keeping with NPU-S Bylaws Article IX, Section 2, we are holding a Special Called Meeting to amend our bylaws to comply with the City's requirement for an annual election. This meeting will be held: Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 pm Via Google Meet at https://bit.ly/NPUS-Room-A Or you can join by phone (US) +1 515-599-7285 PIN: 480 291 570 # All NPU-S residents over 18 are eligible to vote on bylaws. NPU-S covers the neighborhoods of Bush Mountain, Cascade Avenue, Oakland City, Venetian Hills, and Ft. Mac. If you are uncertain of your NPU, or if you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to reach out to the Chair, Nick Hess, at [email protected] or (404) 890 0089.

Community Food Giveaway - Thursday, Oct. 22 from 8 a.m. to noon District 4 Council member Cleta Winslow is co-sponsoring a community food giveaway event with Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ and World Visions from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 22 at the church, located at 1137 Avon Avenue SW. The boxes contain fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as milk and cheese. The event is first come, first served and 1,000 boxes will be distributed. Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ and World Visions, 1137 Avon Avenue SW

Section 8 Application Window Open October 21st-22nd The Housing Authority of Fulton County (HAFC) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is opening soon. ... Must be a Fulton County resident to apply. Applications will be accepted from October 21, 2020 at 12:01 am, until October 22, 2020 at 11:59 pm ET. This is a short window to apply, so mark your calendars to be sure you get your applications in. Online application can be found in the link below: https://affordablehousingonline.com//Housing-Authori/GA264 Requests for reasonable accommodations can be made by calling 404-588-4950.

Community Discussion, Pt 2: Short Term Rental Policy Last Saturday, a group of 15 NPU-S residents gathered via videoconference to discuss our thoughts on Atlanta's proposed legislation addressing Short Term Rentals (Airbnb, VRBO, etc). The ordinance, Z-20-69 , defines Short Term Rentals (STRs) as ... a rental of a residential dwelling unit or accessory building for periods of less than 31 consecutive days. and proceeds to ban them from single-family residential zones (R1, R2, R2A, R2B, R3, R3A, R4, R4A, R4B, R5, PDH). After a period going over the legislation itself and discussing how other cities manage STRs, there was a lively discussion going over the pros and cons of STRs in our neighborhood. This ultimately led to a vote (10 aye, 3 nay, 2 abstain) declaring that NPU-S feels that regulated system of STR management was preferable to an outright ban. This second meeting is to determine what sort of regulation we'd want to see to make STRs acceptable to the community. When: Saturday, October 24, 1pm. Where: http://bit.ly/NPUS-Room-A or call (515) 599-7285, PIN: 480 291 570 # This meeting is primarily for residents of NPU-S, but it is open to the public. We invite you to come share your thoughts on this important topic. A copy of the proposed ordinance is at https://drive.google.com//1ioWD6FckXNs3XxF7CJY5YNYlba/view .

NPU-S Calendar of Events: October 19 - 25 Coming up this week on the NPU-S calendar: NPU-S Events:... Tuesday, October 20 - Beecher-Donnelly Community Association Meeting - 7pm. Thursday, October 22 - Cascade Ave Neighborhood Organization (CANO) meeting - 7pm, Zoom. Join Zoom Meeting Online: https://zoom.us/j/97987226201 . Dial-in Number: +1 646-558-8656, Meeting ID: 979 8722 6201, Access Code: 97987226201 #. Monthly on the fourth Thursday. External Events: Tuesday, October 20 - MARTA Fresh Market - West End Station , 3 - 7pm. Wednesday, October 21 - NPU-I , 7pm, Zoom. To join the remote meeting, click here . Dial-In: 301-715-8592, access code, 92613332610 #. Meeting ID: 926 1333 2610 Passcode: 905252. NPU I is comprised of the neighborhoods of:Audobon Forest Audobon Forest West Beecher Hills Cascade Heights Chalet Woods Collier Heights East Ardley Road Florida Heights Green Acres Valley Green Forest Acres Harland Terrace Horseshoe Community Ivan Hill Magnum Manor Peyton Forest West Manor Westhaven Friday, October 23 - MARTA Fresh Market - Five Points - 3 - 8pm. If you have any local events that you'd like to see on the NPU-S calendar, please send email to [email protected] . Please be sure to include the date, time, and location of your event!

Delay of face-to-face instruction in Atlanta Public Schools From Aretta Baldon, Atlanta Board of Education, District 2: Today, our superintendent, Dr. Lisa Herring, announced that Atlanta Public Schools will delay its return to face-to-face instruction due to an unfavorable trend in COVID-19 cases in our community and in consultation with public health officials and healthcare experts. That means the district will postpone all reopening plans for in-person learning until Ja...nuary 2021. Dr. Herring shared this decision in her blog and her weekly address The Week (https://talkupaps.wordpress.com/ ), both of which provide more details about the decision and ongoing plans for Atlanta Public Schools. In addition, Dr. Herring will proceed with our practice of monthly health data checkpoints and present the next update at the November 2 Board meeting. The superintendent and her team will also continue to explore ways to support our most vulnerable learners, particularly our low-incidence special needs population and our youngest students, including their potential return to some in-person services prior to January 2021. The difficulties and uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic require us as a school community to be prepared for different teaching and learning scenarios. I assure you that the APS mission to give EVERY child a quality education has not changed. APS and our schools need your support and engagement now more than ever. As Dr. Herring herself says to the community in her blog and video, we all look forward to the day when we can welcome all of our students back into our buildings safely, embrace them, and teach them face to face. Thanks for your ongoing support. Please message me with any questions or further concerns. Ms. Baldon can be reached via email at [email protected] .

SurveyATL.org: Participation beyond elections, from the Center for Civic Innovation From the Center for Civic Innovation : When people are engaged, cities make better decisions. Take this survey on community engagement in Atlanta.... SurveyATL.org Today, we’re launching a citywide survey to better understand how Atlanta residents engage in their community now and how they want to engage in the future. We will use this information to guide short- and long-term recommendations on how we can all strengthen civic participation in our city. Please take the survey and share it with your neighbors and networks at SurveyATL.org For the survey to be truly reflective of Atlanta, we need your help in getting it in front of as many different people as possible. Take the survey here: SurveyATL.org We believe that community engagement is at the center of solving inequality in Atlanta. Much of our inequality was intentionally designed so it will require intentional design to correct it. Community engagement isn't just a checkbox it’s an ongoing, trust-building process that brings the needs and voices of residents into decision-making processes. With so much attention on the national election, it's important to remember that civic participation is more than voting. Voting is critical, but our voices are equally important in neighborhood, school board, city council, and PTA meetings. Regular participation makes the outcomes better and more reflective of what people actually need. This effort is a part of our ongoing work to strengthen neighborhood power in Atlanta through our NPU Initiative. You can learn more about that work and also find which Neighborhood Planning Unit you live in at civicatlanta.org/npu-initiative .

Citywide Virtual Neighborhood Watch Training - Virtual, November 7, 9:30am From the City of Atlanta Police Department Crime Prevention Unit: First Virtual Citywide Neighborhood Watch Training... Saturday, November 7th, 9:30am to 11:30am Sign up by emailing [email protected] and [email protected]

Community Discussion: Airbnbs and the City. Sat 10/17 1pm The City Council is currently considering legislation effectively banning all Airbnbs from our neighborhoods . The ordinance, Z-20-69 , defines Short Term Rentals (STRs) as a rental of a residential dwelling unit or accessory building for periods of less than 31 consecutive days.... and proceeds to ban them from single-family residential zones (R1, R2, R2A, R2B, R3, R3A, R4, R4A, R4B, R5, PDH). Currently, there is no definition in city code that covers STRs, and so technically an Airbnb in a residential area is an improperly zoned, unlicensed hotel . This legislation thus takes notice of Airbnbs and applies a remedy. But is it overkill? NPU-S has had a love-hate relationship with Airbnbs. While several have been nuisances to our community, there are people who feel that they're a way for homeowners to make extra income. Although this legislation is being brought up for review and comment at Thursday's NPU-S meeting, there's likely not going to be enough time at that meeting to thoroughly explore our opinions on the topic. So we're holding a separate meeting on Saturday the 17th at 1pm via Google Meet to gather facts and feelings about how we'd like to regulate STRs. When: Saturday, October 17, 1pm. Where: http://bit.ly/NPUS-Room-A or call (515) 599-7285, PIN: 480 291 570 # This meeting is primarily for residents of NPU-S, but it is open to the public. We invite you to come share your thoughts on this important topic. A copy of the proposed ordinance is at https://drive.google.com//1ioWD6FckXNs3XxF7CJY5YNYlba/view .