DeKalb Wants Resident Input on Zoning Code Update

Comments can be made online.

DeKalb county wants to know residents' thoughts about the zoning code update. The update "is to implement the policies of the DeKalb County 2015 Comprehensive Plan. Its goal is to create a user-friendly document and to balance greater design standards," the DeKalb County Planning and Sustainability website states.  According to the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association, the DeKalb Board of Commissioners will vote on the update on May 28, and it goes into effect  August 2013. Commissioners Jeff Rader, Elaine Boyer and Kathie Gannon represent portions of Chamblee Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Decatur and north Atlanta. There is plenty to review about the update on the site, from public drafts to proposed districts and more. You can leave a comment …

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Decatur OK's Sales Agreement for Callaway Building

After purchasing from DeKalb County, the city plans to sell the property to a developer who will turn it into a mixed-use development.

The Decatur Urban Redevelopment Authority (made up of city commission members) voted 4-0 Monday night to move ahead with the purchase of the Callaway Building and surrounding property from DeKalb County. The authority voted on the sales agreement. The city plans to sell to Cousins Properties, which would demolish the building and convert the property into a mixed-use development, though that project wouldn't be finished for years. "That will put the property back on the tax rolls, which has been the objective from the beginning," Assistant City Manager Lyn Menne said. Before signing a contract, the city has 90 days to perform due diligence on the Callaway Building and the surrounding five acres. If city buys the property, the county would …

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Ralph Ellis

2:18 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The parking deck stays.   more ›

Opinion: DeKalb County, Residents in 'Abusive Relationship'

The writer says a bill introduced by state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver "locks the doors on those neighborhoods ready to take the initiative of trying to find their way out of the abuse."

By Virginia DuPre Resident of unincorporated Dekalb Abusive Govt Allowed to Lock Residents in with Limits on Annexation (House Bill 22) Within the professional circles that work with domestic violence, the definition of emotional abuse includes: making the abused feel crazy, playing mind games on the abused, controlling what the abused does--who they talk to/limiting involvement and access to others, making light of the abuse, not taking the concerns about the abuse seriously, saying the abuse is not happening, shifting responsibility from the abuser to the abused--blaming the abused for the wrongdoing. DeKalb County is guilty of all of the above in its actions toward its citizens. House Bill 22 introduced by Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver of …

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First Lady Sandra Deal Launches New Initiative to Benefit DeKalb County Families

Great Start Georgia initiative dedicated to ensuring children get a great start in life.

Legislators To Discuss Forming New City in N. DeKalb

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 in Oak Grove United Methodist Church

DeKalb legislators will participate in a second cityhood meeting in Oak Grove early next month focused on the pros and cons of creating a new city in North DeKalb County. Kevin Levitas, a former state representative, and head of the Briarcliff Woods East Neighborhood Association, will hold the meeting in Oak Grove United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Jan. 8. The meeting will follow up on another meeting Levitas held last month that included roughly 100 or so residents at the church. That meeting, which included Fran Millar, DeKalb County's sole Republican state senator, Tom Taylor, a DeKalb state represenatative, and Dan Weber, a former state senator in DeKalb, left many residents frustrated. Many said they felt they were being prodded to …

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The Museum School of Avondale Celebrates New Digs

DeKalb charter school begins new chapter.

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Southbound Lanes Of I-285 Blocked By Wreck That Killed Two

The crash happened about 5:30 a.m. near the East Ponce de Leon Avenue overpass.

Report: 30345 ZIP Code Fattest in DeKalb County

Health officials have determined the 30345 ZIP code has the most obese people in the county.

I found this rather surprising: The 30345 ZIP code has the most obese people in DeKalb County, health officials said. Nearly two-thirds of that ZIP code, which includes the Lakeside High School area and the Henderson Mill community, is obese, according to a WSB-TV report yesterday. Most of that ZIP seems to be a relatively high-income area though a good chunk of it covers areas west of Northeast Expressway between Buford Highway, a low-income area. Obesity rates tend to be higher in low-income areas, so I imagine that smaller area probably accounts for a larger obesity percentage. According to the report, health officials don't seem to be certain why such a high number of residents are obese, but one suggested a lack of sidewalks and the …

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Avondale Estates a Haven for Gay Couples

Census study recently performed by California think tank

Avondale Estates has the state's highest population of gay couples per household, according to a California think tank that recently conducted an analysis of new U.S. census numbers. According to a recent Georgia Voice article, the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found Avondale Estates had the highest concentration of gay couples, 49.30 per 1,000 households. Decatur came in second, with 39.37 per 1,000 households, although the study did not break down city residents vs. unincorporated DeKalb residents who have a Decatur address. North Druid Hills (36.87 per 1,000), Scottdale (32.36 per 1,000) and North Decatur (30 per 1,000), followed. Fulton County had the highest total of same-sex couples at 5,554. DeKalb County ranked …

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Daily 10

Daily PatchCast: DeKalb Restaurant Controversies, A New 9/11 Memorial, and a Pink Christmas in July

The day's top headlines for Monday, July 18, 2011.

Dash Receives Complaints From Neighbors, County. A Hot New Poncey-Highland Spot Under Construction. Tucker To Be Home of 9/11 Memorial. American Legion Post 66 Hosts Deployment Ceremony. Southwest Atlanta Artist at High Museum. Pink Christmas in July.

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