Rehoboth area drew a line in the sand on July 1

Preface: This is an abbreviated (and editorialized) report on a public meeting held on July 1 at Rehoboth Baptist Church—mostly intact from notes I provided to the CAN listserve. A similar meeting was held at the Atlanta Homebuilders’ Association building at Brockett Rd and US 78 last week by neighborhoods in that vicinity. That meeting was announced in the Atlanta Journal Constitution as one for those who care about the Northlake area.

I attended the Rehoboth Baptist—Liquor Store/US 29-I-285 revitalization meeting two nights ago. The pastor’s approach and skills established a productive tone compared to many urgent-issue community meetings. To my liking, the meeting had nearly as much of an economic development, planning and community building rationale as complaint over crime and zoning battle. It was all there and seamlessly so.

One productive aspect of the 600 person strong meeting was that “weekly-stay” hotel owners and property owner of the proposed liquor store property attended. The Master’s Inn owner mentioned $1 million in improvements and described their security measures. The hotel has had a tarp over the roof for a while.

The liquor store zoning issue had earlier play on TV news:

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/dekalb-residents-against-plans-open-new-liquor-sto/nfwkQ/

The liquor store proposal is the subject of a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) application. The SLUP process allows for public input and an official hearing at a County Commission meeting. This particular “town hall” meeting was not that, as the SLUP was only a driver for a much broader conversation about the US 29-I-285 interchange area.

Mathew Miller of Woodlawn Group owns the SLUP property and he said other properties along the US 29 Corridor. He admitted that based on overwhelming community response, he does not expect county commissioners to approve the SLUP, but emphasized that the liquor store use is allowed under law and the site plan and application meets all procedural requirements. He said owning other properties makes him a natural ally in favor of higher uses and improvements along US 29.

The implication by all commercial owners being in attendance is that they have as much at stake in the quality of life in the area as residents, churches and other institutional owners--so will work as partners to clean things up and plan for the future. (Editorial: Unfortunately as always, the objectives and limitations of one group may not agree or allow the partnership to be a full one, but the reminder is helpful).

Three neighborhoods had spokespersons, Winfield Circle (directly next to the Batteries Pls/proposed liquor store property across Montreal Road from Red Roof Inn; Lindmoor Woods (McLendon Road) and Montreal Woods (Montreal Road, eastside I-285 near Emory Spinal Center). Jackie Dial of Montreal Woods, an association of over 50 years, reminded the audience that we were in Central DeKalb, which appears to have no identity (and attention) in relation to that of North and South DeKalb. Her story about break-ins within the context of her neighborhood association’s 50 years told in sad terms how yesterdays’ motels for middle class travelers have only remained viable by serving the poor, attracted to DeKalb’s byways, but with few other appropriate services.

Police Major Tim Voss clarified that a few arrests were made of suspects from Lithonia and Wesley Chapel Road, so the assumption of crime emanating from the hotels should be tempered.

There were questions about the impact of the US 29 widening and isolating two neighborhoods. A gas station and Waffle House apparently closed in the projects’ wake. Will the project slow interest in locating desired commercial enterprises? I didn’t hear any answers.

(More editorial): The presence of 11 county and state officials served to remind us how impotent leadership is at these levels. There is little use in belaboring that point, however the police chief provided the most focus and approach to solving problems. Perfectly in keeping with this leadership vacuum, note that the very spot at the Batteries Plus location is the confluence of four commission districts. As if to provide a clear reminder of our commissioners’ lack of understanding, they suggested that this should be a strength in advocating for the area. However, any community organizer knows those district boundaries define a “border territory”. “Borders” are where most negligence occurs—they are easily ignored due to confusion at best and at worst, corruption. These are border lands—as is most of Northlake—so the onus falls to the community to “lead the leaders”.

The elephant in the room was the nature of “weekly stay” hotels that have been “morphed” from traditional motels. It’s not just a DeKalb issue any more than homelessness can be considered as such. For instance, the former motels are a law enforcement focus for Gwinnett Village CID. However, no one has ever addressed why DeKalb in general is a magnet for the poor in general, including a good share of apartment complexes; why panhandling has come closer and closer to our neighborhoods in the suburbs and how one commercial use (weekly stay hotels) can by their very definition and marketplace, be allowed to negatively impact communities in such an obvious fashion--and why they are in DeKalb county in such numbers.

CEO May said he is forming a task force to monitor and regulate deteriorated hotels which includes law enforcement, code compliance and permitting. However, he didn’t say anything about prevention and setting higher bars (barriers?) for entry to the market. For instance, should it be legal to advertise weekly rates when accommodations weren’t designed for such? Should hotels be within a short distance from bus stops? Should consideration be given to their distance from neighborhoods? What should security requirements be?

Politcs/Economics:

(1)As I mentioned in another post, the new Tucker/Northlake CID, when extended to this area, will probably be the most convenient and applicable driver for highway interchange redevelopment (as well as more immediate regulation of extended stat hotels). This is particularly true if DeKalb County is to focus on it. In fact, the combined activism of business, residential and institutional (church, hospital) interests should press for the CID expansion for this purpose.

(2)Of course, there is no indication that property owners have any interest in developing or selling property which I think has endemically stifled redevelopment in the Northlake area in general. (Northlake Mall being the clearest example, however Simon’s disinterest has caused no where near the condition of the US 29 interchange in its proximity).

(3)Cityhood proposals dovetail with interchange redevelopment of course, as US 29/I-285 is included within each the current city maps and economic development (new commercial and institutional revenue) is quickly becoming known to the public as the primary focus of the new cities.

(4)I am particularly curious about the factors that are leading to redevelopment as close as Frazier/McClendon on US 29 and new buyers for those neighborhoods in contrast to the market lethargy closer to I-285. That deserves looking almost on a property by property basis.