North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
1
How the North Buckhead Civic Association
concluded the neighborhood needed a
master plan.
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Fall 2013 Survey • Issue - Where to focus• 255 survey participants
• Not just NBCA Members• 68% NBCA members• 32% non-members
• Select NBCA committee studied these results for six months.
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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CommunicationsNorth Buckhead Newsletter
• 16 pages, 4,300+ mailed quarterly• Sent to all single-family houses and
condos in North BuckheadEmails – North Buckhead Update
• 2,100 email addresses in 1,600 homes• 300,000+ email copies sent in 2013• 50%+ open rate• Subject line always lists contents
Surveys – by email, newsletter & web• About once a year• Open to everyone: Residents /
non-residents / businesses
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Crime Reporting• Weekly reports on-line for
NBCA members• North Buckhead Crime
• higher on major streets• Lower in residential areas
Crime maps at www.nbca.org/plan
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Traffic• External congestion sources
• 9,000 residents • 100,000+ daily vehicles
• Antiquated street grid• Need better use of streets • Implement approved solutions
• Piedmont at Habersham• 43% in survey provided
complaints & suggestions
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Land Use & Zoning• Goal: Establish a blueprint for
growth• consistent with protecting
existing single-family areas, and
• avoiding traffic strangling uses• Another bubble?
• 2,500 apartments are planned/ underway in North Buckhead
• 4,000 more in Buckhead• 2,500 more in Sandy Springs
• Traffic and growth intertwined • Are impact fees high enough?
From the Fall 2013 Survey...
• “We can't stop the growth…”
• “Traffic is totally horrible and only getting worse. Build the infrastructure BEFORE any more development of any kind.”
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Sidewalks• Much has been accomplished
in securing sidewalks for North Buckhead
• Critical needs remain
• From the survey:
• “Sidewalks should be available on both sides of [Wieuca Road] from Roswell Rd. to Phipps Blvd.”
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Speeding• Speeding a major concern
• Complaints about speeding are often made about Wieuca and Old Ivy Roads, particularly near the school campuses.
• Infrastructure updates might help• The pavement on some streets
appears to be too wide, encouraging speeding. Restriping, etc. should be considered.
• Need more police enforcement.
From the survey:• “I would like to see more speed bumps
in our area. North Stratford Road is very dangerous with speeders.”
• [Need] “more police presence”• “My complaint is speeding on Old Ivy.”• “Wieuca Road is a cut-through. Too
much speeding.”• “[I’d like] Speed traps by the police
officers; people frequently speed down Wieuca and P’tree Dunwoody. They could make a lot of money.”
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Parks• Our most-used park? Chastain• Favor park projects?
• PATH400 multi-use trail 6 to 1• Mountain Way Common 18 to 1• Little Nancy Creek Park 38 to 1• Blue Heron Nature Preserve 23 to 1• Lowrey-Stevens Cemetery 4 to 1
• 36 text comments: • Many said they were unaware
of our historic cemetery on Loridans Drive near GA 400.
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Parks Complaint• We have to drive to Little
Nancy Creek Park.• N.B. neighbors can’t walk
to it safely -- no sidewalks.• The City paid $2.7 million
for the land.• Need sidewalks on west
side of Peachtree Dunwoody Road!
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Crosswalks• Wieuca Road bisects the
neighborhood • there are two one mile
stretches without crosswalks
Roswell Road is 5-lanes wide• Big gaps without crosswalks:
• One 0.8 miles long• Two 0,3 miles long
• How are MARTA buses supposed to work?
• From the survey:
• “Crosswalks on heavily-travelled roads should be at signalized crossings only. I feel that [having] crosswalks without lights of some kind is asking for trouble.”
• “Crosswalks removed from Roswell Road: hard to cross Roswell Road to get over to Chastain Park.”
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Eyesores, Etc.• Some in the neighborhood
need to perform more upkeep to protect everyone’s property values.
• The ugly traffic islands on Peachtree Dunwoody at Peachtree are a sad gateway to North Buckhead and Historic Brookhaven.
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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Social Events• While lowest in survey
priority, social events provide an important way to build a sense of neighborhood. At our Fall Flings, we have a strong turnout. But it’s not for everybody.
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
BACKGROUND
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North Buckhead needs a plan. • North Buckhead is bigger than many
think. It is as big as a city.• 8,332 residents in 2010.• Atlanta’s 4th most populous
• It has many strengths.• Growing, maturing• Healthy diversity• Transit, X-way and hiking• Wildlife and high-rises• Great shopping and dining
• But it is changing rapidly.• With some big city issues and risks
• NBCA concluded we seriously need a master plan.
North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014
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Draft Master Plan Goals
The goals of the North Buckhead Neighborhood Master Plan include:• Protecting existing single-family areas • Preserving the neighborhood’s character and historic resources• Creating a park-accessible neighborhood • Establishing a blueprint for growth • Addressing cut-through traffic and speeding • Promoting walking, bicycling, and transit use • Targeting key intersections for transportation upgrades• Making efficient use of existing transportation infrastructure • Enhancing neighborhood services