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Planning Commission gives thumbs up to Dunwoody Village Master Plan By CARSON COOK carson@appenmediagroup.com
COVID CONCERNS City pauses non-essential operations amid mounting threats to public health By CARSON COOK carson@appenmediagroup.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — The city of Dunwoody has switched up its regular operations in a number of ways until concerns over the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, subside. Dunwoody Municipal Court operations are on hold for the next two weeks. Those who have a hearing scheduled for the week of March 16 or the week of March 23, can pay their citation online at municipalonlinepayments.com/dunwoodyga or call the court clerks’ office to reschedule. Court clerks are available at 678-382-6973 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Upcoming planning, zoning and variance cases have been deferred until May. This applies to cases before the City Council, Planning Commission
and Zoning Board of Appeals. All public hearings will be re-advertised and notices will be posted on dunwoodyga. gov. Meetings and programs at the North Shallowford Annex are suspended until further notice because the building serves as the city’s backup operational facility. “I want to assure Dunwoody residents that your City Council and city staff are dealing with the challenges presented by COVID-19,” Mayor Lynn Deutsch said in a statement. “Public safety remains our number one priority. Dunwoody’s police chief and city manager are in constant communication with county and state health officials and emergency managers.” For more updates, visit bit. ly/2TMnuvy. The city also operates an emergency alert system, called NIXLE. Register at local.nixle.com/register.
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DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody Planning Commission unanimously supported proposed updates to the Dunwoody Village Master Plan March 10, with amendments to require additional buffers. The next step is for the master plan to go before the City Council for final approval. However, because of concern over the coronavirus, all planning cases have been deferred until May. The Dunwoody Village Master Plan dictates zoning and land use near the intersection of Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Road. Initially adopted in 2011, the master plan envisions transforming the area into a more walkable, mixed-use city center. Last year, the city hired Atlantabased planning firm TSW to review and rewrite zoning regulations in an effort to make the area more attractive to developers. The Planning Commission first heard TSW’s proposal at a Feb. 11 meeting, but ultimately voted to defer their decision for a month. In that time, planners and Mayor Lynn Deutsch met with some 50 people from the neighboring Branches and Wynterhall neighborhoods, according to city reports. In response to community input, the staff made a few changes to the proposed plan, including doubling the undisturbed buffer abutting singlefamily homes on the west of the village from 75 to 150 feet and moving the proposed parking deck located on the
CAROLE SHORT TOP PRODUCING ATLANTA AGENT
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The proposed plans include changes to buffers meant to protect single-family homes.
Dunwoody United Methodist Church farther away from single-family residences. Several residents spoke at both Planning Commission meetings, citing concerns over buffers, building heights, school overcrowding and traffic congestion. Those concerns echo those raised by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, which in February shared its official recommendations.
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