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Brookhaven Reporter
Perimeter Business
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Accomplished a lot, mayor says COMMUNITY 2
Call of the wild
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Art show embraces nature
MAY 1 — MAY 14, 2014 • VOL. 7 — NO. 9
COMMUNITY 20-21
It’s a page turner
PAGES 9-15
Council defers decision on city’s largest rezoning request BY TIM DARNELL
Athziri Gonzalez,10, left, and her sister Fatima, 6, read through “Where’s the Party?,” during a Little Free Library dedication at Brookhaven Park on April 26. The Cross Keys Foundation unveiled the book box with a ribbon cutting, and guests were treated to book giveaways and refreshments. View more photos on page 3.
Facing a decision on the largest rezoning project ever to come before it, the Brookhaven City Council voted to defer action on a massive development near Perimeter Mall until May 26. Councilwoman Rebecca Chase Williams, who represents the district where the project is located, said the city needs more time to study the revised proposal at the council’s meeting on April 21. The developers of the Ashford Green office site are seeking permission to build two, 10-story office buildings and 300 apartments. Previously, they were seeking approval for a single, 10-story building and 500 apartments. “Many people in my district are unaware of the changes the developer is requesting,” Chase Williams said. Many residents who live near the project said they only saw the developers’ revisions the day before the council meeting.
PHIL MOSIER
SEE BROOKHAVEN, PAGE 6
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport upgrades facility as it seeks more business BY TIM DARNELL People living near DeKalb-Peachtree Airport who are concerned about noise “have nothing to worry about,” says its newly appointed interim director, even as the airport strives to bring in more business. “The Gulfstream 650 is the largest corporate jet we can accommodate, and they are nowhere near as loud as some of the Cessna Citations and Falcon Jets that were built in the ’90s,” said Mario Evans, who was named interim director on April 17. “Aircraft engine technology
has improved so much over time, and it’s only going to continue improving.” Evans took over the job from Mike Van Wie, who recently retired. Evans had been the airport’s assistant director since 2010, and previously was the airport’s noise and environmental specialist. “We’ve been averaging about 144,000 flights annually, for the last three years,” Evans said. “When I first came SEE PDK, PAGE 7
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