Affordable housing in Buckhead

Is your pup keeping you up all night with their incessant scratching, licking and biting? If you think you’re distraught, imagine how your dog feels!

The medical term for scratching related to excessive itching is pruritus — and it is the second most common reason dog’s visit the vet.

One of the first signs of a problem may be the development of acute moist dermatitis, better known as a "hot spot" — a red, irritated area caused by persistent chewing, licking, scratching, or rubbing. Once an area become irritated, dogs relentlessly scratch, lick, or bite, causing hot spots to pop up rather quickly.

UNCOVERING THE CAUSE

Dogs scratch, lick, or chew for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from allergies to boredom to parasite infestation:

Allergies

Scratching is often the result of allergies to food or environmental triggers. Your pup may develop a skin irritation called contact dermatitis when they encounter substances like pesticides or soap.

Boredom or Anxiety

Just like people with anxiety might bite their nails, dogs can show physical responses when they’re upset too!

Dry Skin

A variety of factors, including winter weather and fatty acid deficiencies, can cause dry skin in dogs.

Hormonal Imbalances

If your dog’s body is not producing enough thyroid hormone or putting out too much cortisol, superficial skin infections can occur. You may notice bald spots, and your dog may scratch or lick as if bothered by allergies.

Pain

Be sure to consider the possibility that something is causing pain or discomfort. For example, if you notice your pup biting their paw, it could be a thorn or rock stuck in his foot pad. Compulsive chewing or licking can also be a result of orthopedic problems, such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.

Parasites

Fleas, ticks, and mites are among the most common causes for licking, chewing, and scratching. Don’t assume your pup isn’t suffering from parasites just because you can’t see them — fleas often go unnoticed until there is a large infestation, and mites are microscopic!

From changing food, eliminating parasites, topical medication, behavioral modification and more, there are many possible solutions to this "irritating" issue. As soon as you notice a problem, visit your local Scenthound for a Problem Skin Treatment! This service includes a medicated bath using Zymox shampoo and conditioner that supports skin and coat health, soothes skin and diminishes itching and irritation. If problems persist or worsen, it’s time for a visit to the vet to help you figure out the cause and determine the best treatment plan for your pup.

Buckhead committee chair says more affordable apartments needed

Dr. Jim MacLean

Chief Veterinarian, Scenthound

Dr. MacLean’s rst job was working as a grooming assistant when he was 15 years old. Since then, he has worked in every aspect of small animal veterinary hospitals, has practiced in small animal medicine and surgery for 26 years, and has owned and started multi-doctor veterinary hospitals.

With a mind for both medicine and business, Jim received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from VMRCVM at Virginia Tech in 1994 and his MBA from Georgetown University in 2011.

Coming full circle, he joined the Scenthound pack to bring his expertise and experience to the grooming world. As chief veterinarian, Dr. MacLean guides Scenthound from a health and medicine perspective and helps achieve our mission to improve overall pet health on a broader scale.

Buckhead is prime real estate for apartment developers with roughly 1,500 units under construction and more than 5,000 in the planning stages. But few of those apartments are affordable for much of the affluent north Atlanta neighborhood’s workforce.

The lack of affordable housing came up May 4 at a Buckhead Design Review Committee as members reviewed plans for a proposed 289-unit apartment tower at 3030 Peachtree Road, behind the RH Atlanta showroom. The new building would include a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units.

“I probably know the answer to this but are you doing anything remotely close to workforce or affordable?” Denise Starling, chair of the DRC, asked representatives of M Development, the company behind the project. Starling is also executive director of Livable Buckhead, a nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental sustainability and alternative commuting.

Attorney Carl Westmoreland said there were no plans.

“That is something that we are looking for somebody to start to do in Buckhead,” Starling said.

“I’m sure y’all have heard about our mismatch between our residents and our workforce. We need to be able to get our workforce living in the community. If that is something you can do, even if it is specifically for teachers, firefighters, police — we would love for you to consider that,” she said.

The lack of affordable housing in Buckhead is not new. More than 90% of people working in Buckhead live elsewhere and must commute to their jobs. In 2019, Livable Buckhead and the Buckhead Community Improvement District commissioned a “Buckhead Housing and Commuting Study.” The study showed most new apartments were being built for households making more than $50,000 a year, despite the rise in local workers making that amount.

Last year, Livable Buckhead received an $80,000 grant to study the concept of employer-subsidized affordable housing.

The new apartment tower is planned in the Buckhead Village, a hotspot for multifamily development in recent years. Roughly 3,035 apartment units have been built within a half-mile radius of the intersection of Peachtree, West Paces Ferry, and Roswell roads since 2015, said David Kahn, Southeast director of market analytics for CoStar Group.

Kahn added that recent projects such as The Irby and 3005 Buckhead (formerly Modera Buckhead) are commanding rents of about $3 per square foot, “which are some of the highest rents in the Atlanta metro, highlighting that there is strong demand for high-end rentals in that part of Buckhead.”

Average asking rents in Buckhead are now $2,069 per month for a two-bedroom, according to CoStar. That’s the second highest in metro Atlanta, behind only Midtown.

The area median income for metro Atlanta is more than $86,000. Rent at 80% AMI for a two-bedroom apartment would be just over $1,500. — DYANA BAGBY

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