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City Council to weigh proposal to limit residential fence heights By CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmedia.com
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The 21st annual Collector’s Nationals Hot Wheels convention held April 7-11 at the Crowne Plaza Perimeter at Ravinia helped boost occupancy rates for local hotels. The Dunwoody hospitality industry remains below numbers from before the pandemic hit in early 2020, but it has shown signs of recovery.
Local economic indicators point to business recovery Office, hotel occupancy rates continue trending upward By CATHY COBBS newsroom@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Businesses in Dunwoody appear to be recovering slowly but surely from the economic downturn incurred by the world pandemic, according to several key indicators. Hotel occupancy is up significantly according to year-to-date data.
Workers are returning to offices in the Perimeter area, and restaurants and businesses are seeing a steady uptick in customers in the past few months. City officials say they are encouraged. “We haven’t seen a significant loss of businesses like we thought we
See RECOVERY, Page 10
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DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council was set to discuss a text amendment this week that would limit fence and wall heights to 6 feet in single-family residential areas. The measure, which was to be considered at the council’s Monday meeting, does not have the support of the Dunwoody Planning Commission. In a memo submitted to the council, Dunwoody Planning and Zoning Manager Paul Leonhardt said the 6-foot limit would only impact interior side and rear yards. Fences in front yards and side street yards would be limited to 4 feet in height or 6 feet “in specific situations.” The memo did not spell out out what specific situations would allow for construction of a 6-foot fence. While staff recommended approval of the text amendment, the memo pointed out that members of the Dunwoody Planning Commission voted 7-0 against the change at their March 9 meeting. “(The) main reasons (for the commission’s vote) are a desire not to take away fencing options and a low number of complaints about fence height,” the memo said. “Commissioners discussed options to take height into consideration, however no option that would be easy to administer was found.” The director’s memo indicated that Councilwoman Pam Tallmadge had requested staff to research and draft the text amendment. It listed limitations that are
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in place in neighboring municipalities. Alpharetta, Atlanta and Doraville have 6-foot maximum heights, while Brookhaven, Chamblee, Decatur, Roswell and Sandy Springs have 8-foot maximums. The memo also said that staff supports the change “as long as there is no administrative permit process to exceed the limit.” “Any additional height would have to go through the Zoning Board of Appeals” with the applicant applying for a variance, the memo said. In other action, the council was expected to: Issue a proclamation honoring the Dunwoody Sustainability Committee’s Hero of the Year, Pattie Baker, in recognition of her efforts to advocate for alternative forms of transportation within the city. Swear in two new police officers, Alec Brown and Matthew Hansen. Issue a proclamation honoring the Chattahoochie Riverkeeper organization for its work promoting water safety and testing. Acknowledge the city receiving a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association for its year-end report. Discuss funding sources for the Georgetown Gateway project, which will incorporate sidewalks, share use paths and streetscape improvements on Chamblee Dunwoody Road from Cotillion Drive to Peeler Road. Vote to approve high school student Seamus Stephenson to the Dunwoody Sustainability Committee as an ex-officio member.