UPDATE: The time has come to support our livable community initiative (LCI) overlay for the Peachtree Road Corridor. Walgreen's filed their appeal to the Circuit Court last Thursday. We need to raise $15,000 by the Monday after Thanksgiving.
We are raising money to help fight the Walgreens variance request (not Walgreens building) on Peachtree Rd at Colonial Dr which is being appealed in the courts this month. The DeKalb Zoning Board of Appeals denied their request October 12. Because our various neighborhood members face zoning and development issues again and again we the Board of Ashford Alliance Community Association have decided to collect and hold donations to use to support our neighborhood members when we need to hire attorneys to represent us in the courts.
The Situation
Walgreens wants to build their standard, suburban style box on the corner of Peachtree and Colonial. The LCI Overlay (building code) prohibits this type of structure in Brookhaven.
The Good News
Thanks to the hard work of a core group of volunteers, Walgreens was denied another variance at the Zoning Board of Appeals on October 12th. That was a win for Brookhaven!
The Bad News
Walgreens will appeal the decision in our state court.
Our Challenge
To win the appeal, we need to hire a lawyer. And, as you know, lawyers and the work required are expensive!
One generous individual paid $3,000.00 out of their own pocket to pay the attorney that helped us win with the Zoning Board of Appeals. The community now needs to step up. To win in state court, we need to raise between $15,000 and $20,000.
Please join us. Click the PayPal button and contribute whatever you can! We are looking for $50-$500 from every household. We know times are hard. If $20 is what you can give, any amount will help create a community we can continue to be proud of. Alternatively, please explore the option of a $2,000, $5,000, or $8,000 donation from your neighborhood association. To prepare for the appeal, we need to raise the money within 30 days.
Why This Matters
Numerous properties on Peachtree Road are going to be re-developed over the next few years, including the Hastings property. If Walgreens prevails, it will set a precedent for all future development in Brookhaven. If we prevail, we’ll set the precedent.
The question is: Do we want to just let things go and look like this?
Cherokee Plaza today, corner of Colonial Drive & Peachtree Road
Or insist the Overlay be enforced and our community look like this?
The corner of Colonial Drive and Peachtree Road under the Overlay
Net, net . . . do you want Peachtree Road in Brookhaven to look like Buford Hwy or like Brookhaven Village on Dresden Drive?
About the LCI (Livable Centers Initiative) Overlay
Overlay zoning was put in place in 2007 after five years of hard work by many neighbors. It cost $100,000 to create the plan. As one of the first developments under the Overlay, Walgreens is challenging both the bigger vision and every little detail, trying to squeeze an old-style suburban design onto an urban lot. We have worked too hard to create a shared vision to let this happen.
Want to learn more about the details and vision of the Overlay? Here are some great links.
Power Point Presentation on The Brookhaven-Peachtree Overlay
LCI study with images: http://brookhavenlci.info/html/the_lci.html
Current Overlay Ordinance: http://brookhavenlci.info/html/the_overlay.html
We Need Help
The small group of volunteers who have worked on the LCI Overlay for the past several years cannot continue to carry the flag for an entire community. Without more support, the current crop of volunteers will burn out and Brookhaven will be in the hands of developers and corporations who have no interest in our community except for profits.
In the meantime, encourage your neighborhood association to donate, and pass this email along to neighbors. Talk to people about the Overlay. Many don’t know about the vision that so many neighbors worked to create, and that it is in danger. We are strong enough to make a difference – if we work together.
