EMORY DEVELOPMENT ALERT

Emory University presented plans for a Graduate Student Housing Project in Haygood Triangle, across the street from Druid Hills High School. Information and updates about the project are posted by Emory here and here. This article from What Now Atlanta provides a good overview of the proposed project and shows initial site renderings.

We Are Listening

The DHCA has been actively engaged with the community to gather input as to their thoughts, concerns, support and/or opposition to the proposed project and to use that input to develop a plan for engaging Emory and the City of Atlanta.

We conducted two surveys regarding Emory’s Graduate Student Housing Project, one online and one door-to-door in the adjacent neighborhood.

There were 197 comments from 80 respondents to the online survey; 20% of the comments expressed support for the project and 80% of the comments expressed concern. In the door-to-door survey of 66 homes in close proximity to the project only 2 of 32 responses were in favor of the project. The top concerns expressed by residents in each survey are shown in the adjacent bar charts and more detailed survey results may be found here.

Where Are Things Now?

After careful discussion about how to best advocate for the expressed concerns of Druid Hills residents, the DHCA adopted a detailed position statement which can be found here.

Given Emory’s policy to protect and buffer surrounding neighborhoods with lower densities at the campus edges, we have requested the project be relocated toward the campus interior. However, should Emory move forward in the Haygood Triangle location, we have requested several actions to mitigate the detrimental impacts of the project on the surrounding neighborhood.

Our requests are based on the residential input we received. We are asking for mitigation related to:

1. The scale and orientation of the proposed southernmost building immediately across from the adjoining neighborhood

2. Traffic and parking congestion

3. Pedestrian safety

4. Tree canopy and greenspace preservation

5. Stormwater management

What Happens Next?

Emory has applied to the City of Atlanta to rezone the Haygood Triangle property and will present it to the NPU-F Zoning Committee on August 23, 2021. The DHCA will state its position at the same meeting.

Once the matter passes through the Zoning Committee, NPU-F will vote on it at its general meeting in September, and then it will proceed to the City of Atlanta Zoning Review Board, currently scheduled for review on October 7, 2021.

What Can You Do?

Druid Hills residents, especially those who live in the immediate area of Haygood Triangle, should contact their friends and contacts within NPU-F to share their concerns about the project. 

Jennifer Ide is the Atlanta City Councilwoman for NPU-F. Druid Hills residents may write to Councilwoman Ide regarding the project at jnide@atlantaga.gov

Upping Our Game

The volunteers in the DHCA are working hard to advocate for all residents of Druid Hills and to communicate what is happening with this and all other issues which affect our community.

The DHCA needs your help to improve our efforts and get better at what we do. We want your input and involvement. If you would like to get involved with any of our committees to work on neighborhood issues and help us continue to do better, please reach out to any of the board members.

OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN

DHCA is excited to begin 2021 by sharing our strategic plan. Thanks to the hundreds of members for supporting our efforts and shaping this vision.  We hope you see reflections of your insights and recommendations throughout our plan.  This plan sharpens our focus and defines the impact we will aim to achieve over the next five years and we encourage our neighbors to take ownership by getting involved.  Please find a broad overview of the plan here.

NEIGHBORS, TAKE ACTION!

Our community is part of the heart of intown living in the metro Atlanta area. DeKalb County and the City of Atlanta have limited funds to tackle a variety of infrastructure and amenity projects, and our neighborhood's needs are often overlooked. The DHCA actively advocates for action with city and county officials, but the loudest voices are most often heard. That's where our residents come in! Please help us write to these officials so that things like our sidewalks, twittens, the train bridge and more might be moved up their priority list. Check out our "Residents, Take Action" page to download email templates, get current contact information, and more!

 NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERS

The Druid Hills Patrol regularly patrols our neighborhoods. It is funded by its membership and is run by volunteers.

OLPA oversees and protects the Olmsted Linear Park, a chain of small parks that run along Ponce de Leon Ave. 

The Emory Village Alliance (EVA) is a nonprofit community organization committed to the vitality of the historic, commercial heart of Druid Hills in Emory Village. Our alliance of volunteer stakeholders includes residents, businesses, property owners, and representatives of Emory University.

Freedom Park Conservancy, a non profit organization, raises money to promote the improvement and preservation of the park for a diverse public.

As the only neighborhood in the South designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Druid Hills stands apart from the other Intown neighborhoods in Atlanta, for the quality and integrity of its historic architecture and for the sweeping wide open spaces and the soaring canopy of its mature hardwoods.

In order to protect the integrity and historic legacy of the neighborhood Druid Hills has been established as a historic district.  Anyone who wishes to make significant changes to their properties must apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) through either the City of Atlanta or DeKalb County, depending on where your property is.  The two principal jurisdictions are the DeKalb County Historic District and the City of Atlanta Landmark District.

Thanks for helping us preserve and protect the unique heritage of historic Druid Hills. Read more about how historic preservation got started in Druid Hills here.