Blogs

Crime & Time (May 4 - 17)

5/24/2024

200+ tires... Removed!

5/24/2024

Recap of Zoning Code Review Meeting: Please submit comments!

5/23/2024

The City is going to great lengths to gather community input into the new Zoning Code. The code will have a fundamental impact on our properties, development and community character, so it's important that all residents provide feedback on the proposals.
Several Public meetings are planned over the coming months, but even if you cannot attend a meeting you can read the code and submit comments online.

Courtesy Debra Wathen, Chairman, Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods (UHNA is a member of BCN)
​
Tuesday night’s zoning meeting went through quite a bit of information at a very fast pace.  

The meeting introduced Module 1 which covers regulations related to property form and use.  (Module 2 will Cover Development Standards (Meeting date: September 30) and Module 3 will cover Administration (Meeting date:  December 4.)  
The code document is available on their website and allows for online comments.  (Go to Participate on the home page and it will give you a tutorial on how to make comments on the document).
You should be able to see comments made by others as well.  
The question and answer session for Module 1 will be on July 9th.  
Please see this link for the ATL Zoning Drafts: https://www.atlzoning.konveio.com

Or the Home Page; https://atlzoning.com

Please read the code and make comments.  Do not let this overwhelm you; it takes a moment but it all starts to make sense after a minute.  The notes I took at the meeting are below.
My Notes:
With this zoning code, they tried to reflect the unique character of Atlanta and our diverse neighborhoods.  The zoning code is only one part of the regulations that dictate the way a property can be used.  There are also environmental regulations, tree ordinance, stormwater regulations, and the building code, to name a few.  There will be 2 types of Classifications for each property.  There will be a Form and Frontage District and a Use Classification District.  Just as they sound, the Form and Frontage will dictate more of what a property will look like, and the Use will be how that property can be used.  
I took the following points from the presentation. They were moving fast and there were so many more that I could not begin to get it all on paper:
·      All terms will be defined, and their meaning will be the same throughout the code. For instance, gas stations and fuel stations will have one common name.
·      Current zoning classifications will translate to new classifications. Charts are available to follow how the new and old zoning classifications translate. 
·      Standards for regulations related to certain uses such as gas stations, drive-throughs and public storage units will be the same across the city.
·      Neighborhoods can have compatibility across neighborhoods.
·      No changes were made to historic districts except to ensure that terms in the historic district code matched the zoning code terms. 
·      At this time, they are not changing the zoning of any properties with this code.  Those will still need to go through the usual process for changes.
·      No current overlays will change but they will be adding overlays to a few areas.
·      Mixed-use can be any amount of residential and commercial.
·      There will be standards for the amount of windows required in buildings
·      All buildings will be built to the street without front parking lots
·      They increased the setbacks in R-1 to R-3 zoning classifications.
·      R-3 and R-4 will have height compatibility guidelines.
·      R4 and R5 will be allowed 2 Accessory units on the property. 
·      The code will match the average setback in neighborhoods.
·      Some neighborhoods will have height restrictions which include a limit of 2 ½ stories.
·      There are incentives in the code to create alleyways.
·      With Residential Mix, which is multifamily, some will require ground-floor shops.
·      There will be an Industrial Flex zoning which will allow for some industrial within a residential area.  He used the Habitat Building as an example.
·      There will also be classifications of Industrial, Special Districts such as a College Campus and there will even be Park zoning, again, to name a few.
·      There will also be defined classifications of alcohol and vape establishments.  For instance, there will be a distinction between a restaurant, a club, and a bar.  

​Please go to https://atlzoning.com/review-and-comment/ and provide your own thoughts on the proposals.

Northwest BeltLine Trail & Park Tour June 8 & 22

5/20/2024

Adjacent our area, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership’s newest bike tour route the Northwest BeltLine Trails & Parks Tour highlights newer segments of the Atlanta BeltLine and PATH Foundation trail network and features two of Atlanta’s recently completed green spaces. This new route is about 11 miles long and starts and ends in the Westside BeltLine Connector parking lot located at 900 Bedford St. NW, Atlanta, 30318.
Check out the route map.
More info...

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUNG LEADERS (RISING 11TH AND 12TH GRADERS)

5/20/2024

The City of Atlanta is looking for civic-minded young adults who want to take active roles in their communities and speak up on issues that matter to them.

Participants will gain valuable leadership and communication skills, learn about local government and civic engagement, and connect with like-minded peers and mentors.

If you are a motivated and passionate youth leader who wants to make a difference in your community, this program is the perfect opportunity.

Apply today and be a voice for your generation! 
Atlanta City HallMonday - Friday
June 3 - 7, 2024
9:00 am - 4:00 pm$450 stipend, 30 hours of community service, and a certificate upon completion

May 13 Underwood Hills Neighborhood Association General Meeting

5/15/2024

The regular quarterly meeting was held 7pm Monday May 13, in Person at Round Trip Brewing and remote via ZOOM.
After waiting a few minutes for late arrivals (and beer orders) the Meeting was called to Order around 7:10pm.
It was a friendly, casual, low-key meeting consisting largely of brief Reports and updates from the various UHNA executives and sub-committee chairs. 
President Steven Lindsay reported on progress towards 2024 goals, including a very successful Membership Drive and the continued implementation of existing programs, such as eNews & social media messaging, Kilometer kids (completely its 5th year), Adopt a Stream (nearing its 3 year milestone) , Social events such as Playgroup and community service like Teen Committee and the recent Park cleanup.
Treasurer Beth Stedman was an apology so President Lindsay delivered an update; UHNA is in good financial health and on track to deliver the approved 2024 budget well within available funds.
Communications Chair Eugen Gassman delivered the continuing Survey results, with high satisfaction from respondents. He also emphasized the request that members help reinforce UHNA messaging by engaging on social media, which helps boost the visibility via the algorithm. Also announced was the upcoming quarterly newsletter. 
NPU-D Rep Eva Nason reported no issues for Underwood Hills currently before NPU-D. The executive meeting is tomorrow night, at which the agenda is set for the upcoming public meeting. She will advise if anything concerning our neighborhood arises. 
The Beautification chair was absent so the President provided an update on recent activities including some reseeding in the Park and a cleanup in preparation for the Spring Social. 
Membership Chair Mary Aldrige presented the great results of the membership campaign, yielding 172 paid-up members. The new automated renewal system makes it much easier for members to track payments and remain current.
Interim Traffic Chair Rob Wheeler reported his plans to have  Zebra stripes installed at stop signs on Defoor Avenue to make it safer for residents crossing that busy road.
Teen Committee Coordinator Jan Swink was an apology. The president reported on continuing activities engaging neighborhood teens, particularly leveraging volunteer activities enabling them to earn the required Community Service Hours for graduation.
Safety Chair Cynthia Williams was an apology due to attending the Atlanta Community Emergency Response Team training, which runs every Monday night until May 20.  This is the FEMA-sponsored program for local communities to be able to help themselves when fire responders are overwhelmed by a major disaster, such as Hurricane Katrina, etc.  It is the program that  led Cynthia to develop the UHERO program. The firefighters from Station 23 will be at the Spring Social.  Cynthia is also hoping to be able to have a fire extinguisher demonstration at the Spring Social. The Family Fire drills continue to be offered. Anyone Interested can contact safety@underwoodhills.org

Social chair Chris Lecraw provided Quick Spring Social update - we are looking good for May 18th! Thanks to our sponsors (Melissa Blair shout out!) we have several major costs covered, which should be a healthy boon to our fundraising efforts! More details are available in other posts. In the meantime there are two key needs; 
-please continue to submit raffle items!  add social@underwoodhills.org to any emails
- day of volunteers! Please add your name to the Volunteers sign up sheet.  We can always use extra hands to help set up the morning and work the intro tent from 4-6.
Playgroup organizer Shane Murphy also reported on the last couple of playgroups until end of term, with a Kona Ice van booked for the final on May 24.

Other  matters  
UHNA Member Bruce Kaufman presented information on the Narcan program which is part of efforts to combat the Fentanyl crisis highlighted at the last BCN meeting.
Bruce mentioned the story of his daughter's  friend that tragically died due to an overdose of unidentified fentanyl.
The Narcan nasal dose counteracts narcotics and is available free to anyone after completing a brief training. UHNA will investigate how we can support and implement Narcan availability in the community.

1. Thank sponsors: ​

After 10,000 comments, Now Ready to Review

5/14/2024

On Monday, May 20th, the zoning rewrite consulting team will unveil the first draft of the new ordinance at the first of several meetings to discuss.
RSVP for the zoning rewrite event hosted by the Department of City Planning.

​
Abundant Housing Atlanta are also hosting a debrief 'happy hour', to discuss the proposal, and have put together a handy guide.
"join us across the street afterwards at Three Taverns Imaginarium for drinks and debriefing! We'll discuss what we heard during the Zoning 2.0 event and chat about next steps."
RSVP for the Zoning 2.0 Debrief Happy Hour here!"

Early voting ends Friday, Election day Tuesday

5/14/2024

There are just four days left before early voting ends on Friday – or vote at your precinct on Election Day next Tuesday May 21. 
Atlanta Civic Circle partnered with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to launch Georgia Decides, an interactive voter guide for the May 21 general primary election. Find out who is on your ballot and how they responded to the candidate questionnaires. (enter your address and choose whether you want a Republican, Democratic or nonpartisan ballot). 
Use this link to find where and when you can vote early through May 17: 
Fulton County

how we spend the money

5/13/2024

200 Tires dumped at Dunkin Donuts

5/10/2024

• Aggravated Assault
  • On March 31, 2024, motorists reported being followed by a vehicle.  The driver, after driving aggressively, reportedly pointed a pistol at the victim.  The incident occurred on Howell Mill Road and continued to 2118 Defoors Ferry (Shell gas station).  The incident is under investigation by the Aggravated Assault Unit.

Family Fire Drills

2/26/2024

​Three of our Underwood Hills families practiced their home fire drills this past Sunday with the help of the firefighters from Station 23.  They prepared their exit strategies in case of fire and refined them with suggestions from the experts.  It was a great learning experience!

Thanks to our wonderful firefighters!!!!

If you would like to have the Underwood Hills Emergency Response Operation and the firefighters help you with your home fire drill, contact Cynthia Williams at safety@underwoodhills.org.

Pictured:  Laura Stevenson and the Stevenson and Vollmer girls with the "friendly firefighter".

Underwood Hills Kilometer Kids registration closes this week

2/26/2024

The Spring 2024 Kilometer Kids program Underwood Hills Trackstars starts this Tuesday.
Registration closes Sunday March 3. See links below.
This FREE program is open to kids in K - 5th grade and is a great way to keep them engaged and moving.  
With Kilometer Kids participants …
    - Get active every week through running games and workouts
    - Meet new friends
   - Learn about goal-setting, healthy habits and teamwork
    - Work towards running 13.1 or 26.2 miles over the 10-week season
    - Earn fun incentives for their hard work and receive an adidas T-shirt

• Practices begin 5:15pm February 27, Underwood Hills Park.
• Registration CLOSES Sunday March 3:  All registration for Kilometer Kids is now done online. It's important all participants are signed up before the season begins. Please use THIS LINK  to sign up.
  • TO REGISTER:
    • NEW log in to the LeagueApps account or create one
    • Parent/guardian create a profile, then a child profile for each child participant under that profile.
    • Select Underwood Hills Trackstars from dropdown menu.
    • Language Options Update: The registration form is now available in Spanish! - click the Google Language icon in the right top corner of the page for the translation to be applied.

Exciting News for Homeowners!

2/26/2024

NPU University is offering a course is designed to empower homeowners with the knowledge to navigate property tax exemptions and appeal processes effectively. 🏠💡
Here's what to expect:
✅ Valuable insights on property tax exemptions
✅ Strategies to reduce your property tax bills
✅ Guidance on appealing property tax assessments
✅ Tips and tricks to meet the annual April deadline
​
Take the chance to take control of your property taxes! 📆 Save the date and join us for an informative session that could save you money! 💰🔍
🗓️ Date: March 14, 2024
⏰ Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
📍 Location: Virtual

Register

UHNA Membership Drive "...but UHNA is not relevant to me if I’m not a homeowner..."

2/20/2024

UHNA’s only mandate is to ‘improve the quality of life of all residents in Underwood Hills’. What this means is defined entirely be the residents- those who become members and engage. We advocate for the neighborhood’s best interests on topics such as traffic, safety, utility works, liquor licenses, zoning permits, etc, by providing access to information, promoting discourse among residents, and representing the neighborhood’s position to elected representatives. 

All Underwood Hills residents are welcome at UHNA social events, such as the spring social, food truck Fridays, playgroup, kilometer kids, and volunteer events such as park cleanups and other events planned by the teen committee. 
​
UHNA Membership Drive
Join your neighbors by becoming a member of the Underwood Hills Neighborhood Association (UHNA)! Joining is easy and only costs $20 for individuals or $40 for family memberships, annually. 

Join or renew

What does the "CDP" have to do with ME?

2/20/2024

Elevated e-coli levels measured in Underwood Hills Park stream

2/19/2024

Citizen Science trained and certified volunteers with Adopt-a-stream conduct monthly chemical and bacterial, and quarterly macro invertebrate testing of the stream in Underwood Hills Park, a tributary of Peachtree Creek and one of thousands of sites throughout the country administered by the EPA.

The latest chemical and bacterial testing revealed elevated levels of e-coli (~20,000cfu/100mL). Safe levels are <300cfu

This kind of outbreak is usually associated with animal feces polluting the stream, either from pets, faulty septic systems or sewerage leaks.

Please always pick up after your pets in the park, and even in your own backyard.

Persons with open wounds should avoid contact with the water, and all park users should be sure to wash after contact, especially before eating.

If you'd like to be involved in local citizen science contact UHNA>

Beltline Northwest Trail Segments 1, 2 and 3 Updates

2/14/2024

Northside Study Group Virtual Public Meeting: Northwest Trail Segments 1-3 UpdatesThursday, February 22, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
JOIN VIRTUAL MEETING ONLINE
​OR CALL IN: 929-205-6099
WEBINAR ID: 848 6379 3499
For more info contact: nsoldat@atlbeltline.org; 404-477-3552

We are excited to introduce the contractor for Segments 1 and 3 of the Northwest Trail to the community. In this meeting, we will also provide design updates for segment 2 of the Northwest Trail.

General Meeting outcome

2/14/2024

Thank you to all that attended in person and online, and to our host Round Trip Brewing and Sponsors
Various reports were presented

• Eugen Gassman made a presentation on engagement, Newsletter and survey outcome.
• Fence variance approved for Russell Toon on Davis Place for NPU-D
• Seaver Lippitt gave update on beautification efforts, Teen volunteers
• Elizabeth Hollister gave an update on Upper Westside CID efforts
• Cynthia Williams provided information on UHERO and Fire Drills
• 2024 Budget was discussed and approved, including the new Teen Committee program

to keep updated on local events subscribe to our mailing list below.
Next General Meeting is scheduled Monday April 8 2024

BCN Hosting a Meeting at the State Capitol

2/14/2024

Morning at the Capitol

Tuesday, February 20, 2024
8:00 – 10:00 am
Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods will host a meeting at the Georgia State Capitol to get to know our House Representatives and Senators.

8:00 am to 10:00 am

Join us in Room 230 at the Capitol, just to the left of the main staircase. We will learn about the bills that impact our neighborhoods. 

Tours will be available. All are welcome.
Save the Date for Our Next BCN Meeting

Thursday, March 14, 2024
6:45 – 8:15 pm

Piedmont Center Auditorium
Building 14, 3535 Piedmont Road, NE
Courtney English, Chief Policy Officer and Special Advisor to the Mayor will be speaking.

Friends of Underwood Hills Park Survey

2/13/2024

Hi neighbors!
We are building a consolidated plan for the Underwood Hills Park and need your help!  We have a short survey (less than 10 questions) to understand how you and your family use the park today and what you want to see in the future.  Your feedback will be used to create our future plans!

Thank you in advance!
Emily and Molly, Friends of Underwood Hills Park Committee

​The Friends of Underwood Hills Park is an organization that partners with Park Pride to steward fundraising efforts on larger scale fiscal grant efforts,  along with City of Atlanta, community organizations and individuals.
​It is supported by UHNA which provides the website, email address and access to the fundraising platform.
In 2020, they were awarded the Park Pride Legacy Grant for $80,000, funded by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation towards the 2021 playground equipment installation.
For more details, contact the friends of underwood hills park.

$10M break and the Fulton Board of Assessors Decision

1/31/2024

From Julian Bene—retired management consultant & former board of Invest Atlanta member.

You may have seen that Fulton Development Authority (DAFC) handed Musk a $10M property tax abatement last week, for zero public benefit. By now, that's what you'd expect from DAFC.* 

Neither the current Fulton County Commissioners nor our current state legislators will do anything about this.

But all is not lost!  These tax breaks only work if our Board of Assessors (BOA) agrees to a fraudulent valuation of the projects in question.  Since we challenged that valuation method in early December, the BOA has held the Tilford Data Center and other breaks that have come their way, while they figure out if our challenge is right.  It's right! Both a look at the phony bond and lease structures underlying the abatements and the market evidence prove it. 19 recent sales of major abated properties went for an average of 3x their abated value. Not one sold for less than full appraised value before abatement. 

The BOA may not approve arbitrary and unreasonable valuation of a favored few properties. The players who benefit handsomely from the abatement scam have allies at the BOA and are likely exerting maximum pressure.  Some board members and county staff are trying to hide behind a misreading of a court decision on valuation methods; our attorney allies are setting that record straight. 

The BOA plans to hold a work session on this next week on Feb 8.  (Whether before or after their regular 12.30. p.m. meeting is unclear as of now.) Zoom link here: https://fultonassessor.org/current-meetings/

If the majority of BOA's 5 members decide to resume mis-valuing development authority projects, we'll have to take legal action. No public action needed for now. But stay tuned!

Best, Julian

* We managed to reform DAFC, by revealing petty corruption of the leaders, for only a couple of years, from mid-2021 to mid-2023. Our County Commissioners - except for Lee Morris - never wanted DAFC reformed. Dana Barrett beat Lee in the 2021 Commission election and, as soon as she could, replaced reformer Tom Tidwell on DAFC with a telecoms developer's attorney, decisively tipping the balance. In the six months since then, DAFC has squandered $100M of our tax revenue on projects that would have happened without abatements. Those projects also bring almost no jobs or affordable housing units. 

--
Julian Bene
julianbene@gmail.com
404.317.9320

Crime & Time (Dec 30 - Jan 12)

1/31/2024

​I hope you all had a great holiday season and happy new year.  Apologies for the late submission on this one.  The most recent period will follow in a separate email.

In the first period of 2024 (Dec 30 - Jan 12), 45 incidents were reported in Beat 204.  Of those, none occurred in the area we patrol.  A breakdown of other activity reported in the area:

*** This Saturday, Westside Art Series Session #3 w/ George Galbreath (SATURDAY, FEB 3rd) ***

1/31/2024

Tired of loud vehicles?

1/30/2024

The Georgia Loud Vehicles Task Force is asking for your help! They are working with several legislators to have a bill passed to allow noise detection cameras. Currently, these are not allowed in Georgia but they are used across the United States and throughout Europe.

"Noise detection cameras measure the decibel level of vehicles and if the level is above the legal limit, a picture of the license plate with the date, time, location and decibel reading. Then a violation is mailed to the owner of the vehicle. This is much like the school zone cameras. We believe everyone has the right to drive the vehicle of their choice but the impact on the public is important.

Not only are these loud vehicles impacting your quality of life but they are also a health and public safety issue. Noise pollution has been proven to cause stroke, high blood pressure, hearing issues, productivity and many other health related issues. Noise pollution impacts wildlife such as birds not hearing danger, disturbing their sense of when to gather seeds to spread. It impacts your ability to hear emergency vehicles creating a public safety issue.

We ask you to sign our Stop Loud Vehicles in Georgia petition. The results of this will be presented to legislators as they consider the bill. We need your help as we need to gather enough signatures to impress legislators how important this is to you and your neighbors. 

We will be visiting the state capital on Tuesday Feb 20 from 8:00am to 10:00am. This will be a chance to interact with the legislators in person. There is strength in numbers so we need a very large turnout. Please consider joining us at the state capital. 

Here is the Change.org Petition link Stop Loud Vehicles in Georgia and a QR code.
Please sign and share with your network.

As we are looking into carpooling on Tuesday Feb 20, please sign up here State Capitol Visit Feb 20 

Thank you for your help. We cannot get our quality of life back without this bill."

Anne McKillips
Chair
Georgia Loud Vehicles Task Force
678-640-0745

Department of Parks & Recreation is seeking feedback on Pickleball

1/30/2024

The City of Atlanta's Department of Parks & Recreation is seeking feedback on the Pickleball Pilot Program that is currently underway. More information on the pilot is here: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation/office-of-parks/pickleball-courts

We'd love to get input from Atlantans on what they like, what they don't, and what could be done differently to enhance pickleball offerings and access in the city. To that end, we've put together a survey where people can share their thoughts and feedback. Can you please distribute the attached flyer within your community? The survey is accessible through the QR code, or through THIS LINK.

The survey will close on March 1. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. 

Thank you for your help!

Rachel 

Rachel Maher 
Deputy Commissioner, Partnerships + Enterprise 
City of Atlanta 
Department of Parks and Recreation 

160 Trinity Ave. SW, 3rd Floor | Atlanta, Georgia 30303 
C: 404.973.9467
ramaher@atlantaga.gov | www.atlantaga.gov 

Teen Volunteer Opportunity- Forest Restoration

1/25/2024

Forest Restoration, c/o Trees Atlanta
Saturday, February 10 ⋅ 9:00am – 12:00pm
Underwood Hills Park
This event begins with a Workshop: learn how to safely identify & remove invasive plants such as English ivy, Chinese privet and bamboo to promote a healthy plant community.
Refreshments provided by UHNA. 
Teens can register for Community Service Hours via Myvoluntier.com

Others, Sign up at Trees Atlanta (Search for Underwood Hills) 

Kilometer Kids- Spring '24 registration now open

1/16/2024

Enroll your child for the Spring 2024 Kilometer Kids program and watch as they turn your child's play into healthy habits. This FREE youth running program is open to kids in K - 5th grade and is a great way to keep your kid engaged and moving this fall.  
With Kilometer Kids your child will …
    - Get active every week through running games and workouts
    - Meet new friends
   - Learn about goal-setting, healthy habits and teamwork
    - Work towards running 13.1 or 26.2 miles over the 10-week season
    - Earn fun incentives for their hard work and receive an adidas T-shirt

• Practices will begin the week of February 26, Underwood Hills Park.
• Registration is OPEN for Spring 2024:  All registration for Kilometer Kids is now done online. It's important all participants are signed up before the season begins. Please use THIS LINK  to sign up.
  • TO REGISTER:
    • NEW log in to the LeagueApps account or create one
    • Parent/guardian create a profile, then a child profile for each child participant under that profile.
    • Select Underwood Hills Trackstars from dropdown menu.
    • Language Options Update: The registration form is now available in Spanish! - click the Google Language icon in the right top corner of the page for the translation to be applied.

Check your Voting Precinct

1/10/2024

Neighbor Grayson Daughters suggested this item;

Please remind UH residents that the recent redistricting and redrawing of congressional and legislative maps in Georgia has impacted the location of many county voting precincts, seemingly ours in Underwood Hills, too. 

Registered voters can check on their latest precinct’s location here:

More information about redistricting from WSB-TV is here: 
​
Thanks Grayson!

​If you have a suggestion for local news... 

Let us Know!

Revel nightclub LRB Application- NPU-D Jan 23

1/10/2024

CALLING ALL CITY OF ATLANTA LEADERS: Free Training in Community Economics

1/8/2024

CALLING ALL CITY OF ATLANTA LEADERS!This June marks the 50th anniversary of the NPU System created under the late MAYOR MAYNARD H. JACKSON!

TO MARK THIS 50th year, WE WANT TO ENROLL 50 ATLANTA LEADERS IN OUR FREE TRAINING WHICH IS OFFERED FOUR TIMES A YEAR:  WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER & FALL
​
Winter 2024 Everydaynomics™ Bootcamp                         Registration Now Open!
Link to Scholarship details Below
On-Demand Lessons Weekly Live Discussions: Wednesdays Jan. 10 - Feb. 7, 12-1pm Eastern