English Avenue Neighborhood Association Visioning Session

English Avenue Neighborhood Association Visioning Session

FINAL REPORT – 4.26.16

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Meeting Agenda .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Meeting Purpose ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Meeting Attendees .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

What We Love About English Avenue .............................................................................................................................................................. 6

Focus Areas ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Group Discussions ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Mattie Freeland District ............................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Next Steps...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

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FOREWORD In June of 2015 the U.S. Attorney General's Office, Northern District of GA effectuated a long planned experimental drug project: Drug Market Initiative, carried out under the banner of "The Phoenix Partnership". The intent of the project is to remove a level of drug trafficking in the English Avenue neighborhood that would provide a transformed environment in which residents would have a window of opportunity to put into place renewed activities to bring about human and environmental redevelopment. The members of the English Avenue Neighborhood Association, a Phoenix partner and former Weed and Seed participant, voted to establish a Working Group that would define five (5) priority sustainability directions.

The Working Group effectively achieved this mission and on December 7, 2015 the following strategy for neighborhood development was adopted:

• Advocate for zoning recommendations from 2008 EA Redevelopment Plan Update to be adopted by Atlanta City Council;

• Building partnerships/obtain resources to create set of commercial and residential design standards, per redevelopment plan;

• Adopt a node/district approach for planning and implementation: o Mattie Freeland Park District o English Avenue Campus District o Alexander/Brawley District o Ecology District (Lindsay/Oliver streets & Urban Ecology Center)

This report represents a next step in the English Avenue Neighborhood Association’s (EANA) efforts to advance these adopted Redevelopment Plan Update strategies to include further visions for the districts/nodes and overall neighborhood. Although several other plans have been created in recent years like the Proctor Creek North Avenue Watershed Basin – A Green Infrastructure Vision, and the Westside TAD Strategic Redevelopment Plan, the last to be adopted by city council (2008) as the guiding document for the community was the 2006 Redevelopment Plan. It has been 10 years since the English Avenue neighborhood has been able to update its redevelopment plan and many

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things have changed in that timeline. While the EANA gained support from partners to create this updated vision, it also established partnerships with several key organizations to support the adopted district development momentum throughout the community. These partnerships are outlined in the document and are the guiding elements of vision.

The goal of the visioning exercise is to create an updated vision in specific district areas of the neighborhood as adopted by EANA. The session enabled residents to express visions that have potential for affecting and directing change while taking into consideration any recommendations from previous plans if applicable. The Working Group of the EANA spearheaded implementation efforts on preliminary focus areas, driven by the creation of partnerships and an understanding that concentrating efforts/resources on defined nodes within English Avenue would allow for change that is tangible and catalytic. The primary goal of the visioning process is to start the conversation based on these existing assets recognizing that the adopted targeted opportunity areas (districts) needed to be addressed in a manner that could encourage continued positive changes.

This neighborhood-based document was created with two primary purposes in mind:

1. To give stakeholders, investment partners, and future developers a clear idea of what community residents want for the future of English Avenue, especially where partners are currently working within the community.

2. The document would also serve as a tool for the EANA to prioritize when and where future partnerships should be created, determine how small tangible change can be obtained, and give residents ideas of how they can be part of the redevelopment of the community.

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MEETING AGENDA Arrival and Breakfast

Opening Remarks & Welcome

“What Do You Love about English Ave?”

Meeting Purpose

BRIEF Presentations on Various Initiatives

• 740 Cameron Alexander Blvd (5 min) • English Avenue Campus (5 min) • Mattie Freeland Park (5 min) • Drug Market Intervention (DMI) • Home Renovation Assistance • Westside Roots: Homeowner Rehab Program

Visioning Exercise: Rotate through District Stations and Overall Community Station

Report Out

MEETING PURPOSE The English Avenue Neighborhood Association has been working in recent months to develop an updated vision for their neighborhood. The English Avenue Community Redevelopment Plan Update was completed in 2006, which gives a detailed redevelopment strategy for the neighborhood. The Proctor Creek North Avenue Watershed Basin – A Green Infrastructure Vision created in 2010 focused on the protection of the Proctor Creek Watershed and thus prescribed how specific areas of the neighborhood should be redeveloped. The Westside TAD Strategic Redevelopment Plan created in 2013 focused on short term catalytic projects in both English Avenue and Vine City neighborhoods.

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In the past year, EANA has established partnerships with several key organizations to support development and momentum in districts throughout the community. These partnerships include:

• Development of an Urban Ecology Center with the Community Improvement Association (Lindsay/Oliver Ecology District).

• Project for Public Spaces tactical urbanism assistance and development of Mattie Freeland Park with New Life Covenant Church (Mattie Freeland District).

• Transformation of the former Kennedy Headstart Building into a youth development center with the Atlanta Police Foundation (Alexander-Brawley District). Other partners include the Atlanta Police Department, CHRIS Kids, Street Smart Youth Project and Boys and Girls Club of America.

• Exploration of a state-of-the-art library facility and community space in the former St. Mark's A.M.E. Church with Rev. Winston Taylor (Alexander-Brawley District).

The goal of the visioning exercise is to create an updated vision in specific areas of the neighborhood where residents can affect and direct change taking into consideration any recommendations from previous plans if applicable. The Land Use & Development Committee of English Avenue Neighborhood Association (EANA) worked on creating preliminary focus areas for the meeting with an understanding that focusing efforts/resources would allow for change that is tangible and catalytic. The focus areas are primarily residential and internal to the neighborhood. The primary goal of the visioning process is to start the conversation on assets within those areas, problem areas that need to be addressed, and proposed positive changes that can occur.

MEETING ATTENDEES The Visioning Session was held on February 13th, starting at 9am at New Life Covenant Church. Approximately fifty-five (55) residents and stakeholders attended the visioning session. Thirty-five (35) attendees represented that they lived in the neighborhood by marking a homeownership map located beside the sign-in-table with a dot. Several family members signed in individually but only placed 1 dot in their place of residence which may explain why there are more attendees signing in than dots on the homeownership board. Other stakeholders/partners mentioned that

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they lived or worked outside of the neighborhood including West End, Old Fourth Ward, Morningside, Fairburn, and Vine City.

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT ENGLISH AVENUE At the beginning of the meeting residents were asked to share with the group what they loved about their neighborhood. Residents shared the following comments (combined in the image below):

• The people • African American history and legacy • Proximity to downtown, accessibility,

convenience and walkability • Excitement of the redevelopment • Affordability, especially for the location • Resilience and spirit of its residents • Potential and possibilities • Its diversity • It is a place where you know your neighbors • Memories • Place where you learn the value of

community and community work • Unity of the community • Kid friendly place • Its celebrations like the Festival of Lights, house parties, etc. • Its seniors, especially those that have lived in the neighborhood for a long time.

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FOCUS AREAS The Land Use & Development Committee of EANA selected four (4) areas within the neighborhood that have key infrastructure projects that have been recently implemented or will be implemented in the short term. The idea is to use these infrastructure commitments as catalysts, and focus additional resources into these pockets within the neighborhood.

These areas are also defined by a concentration of owner occupied houses and Habitat homes and lots, in an effort to stabilize areas where most current homeowners reside today. The thought is that as these districts continue to redevelop and stabilize they will get larger and broaden to cover the entire neighborhood.

LINDSAY/OLIVER ECOLOGY DISTRICT

The Lindsay/Oliver Ecology District boundary is defined by Lindsay Street to the West, Proctor Street to the south, Paines and Oliver to the West, and North Avenue to the north. The District’s major infrastructure project was the construction of the new Lindsay Street Park. This area ties to the Lindsay Street Park to the future Proctor Village Ecology Center proposed at the corner of Joseph E. Boone

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Boulevard and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard.

ALEXANDER/BRAWLEY DISTRICT

The Alexander/Brawley District has been a focus of recent redevelopment plans because it is at the heart of the neighborhood and unfortunately has a history of criminal activity. The district is bound by Neal to the south, English Avenue to the west, Meldrum to the north and Griffin to the east. Most recently the owner of the St. Mark’s Church property has shared an interest with the EANA to redevelop his property. This district also includes the Kennedy Headstart Building which is proposed as a redevelopment project by the Atlanta Police Foundation.

ENGLISH AVENUE CAMPUS DISTRICT

The English Avenue Campus district boundaries are Pelham Street to the south, Oliver Street to the west, Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy to the north, and James P. Brawley Drive to the east. The English Avenue School campus is the main focus of this district, since its redevelopment directly affects how the area surrounding it revitalizes or continues to decline. Current efforts by Representative Mable Thomas include the revitalization of the property into a community center, art theater, etc.

MATTIE FREELAND DISTRICT

The Mattie Freeland District is located in the northwest quadrant of the English Avenue neighborhood. It is bound by Fox Street to the North, James P. Brawley Drive to the west, North Avenue to the South, and Julian Street to the east. The Mattie Freeland Park recently received funding from Park Pride to create a vision for its redevelopment. This area has the largest concentration of homeowners and Habitat property owners in English Avenue.

ENGLISH AVENUE OVERALL DISTRICT

In order to facilitate discussions on other possible districts, an English Avenue overall district was included to allow residents to share their opinions and vision for areas outside the established districts.

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GROUP DISCUSSIONS Group discussions centered on the 5 districts mentioned above. Large format maps were created with each of the districts and its boundaries, key pieces of infrastructure, owner occupied units, and Habitat lots. Residents were invited to share areas of concern, properties needing to be preserved, vision for specific areas, etc. At the end of a 10 minute discussion, residents at each table were asked to move to the following table where they could share the same types of comments for a different district. Comments heard about each district are shown on the following pages. Numbers in parenthesis show how many times a comment was made during discussions.


BOUNDARY

• The existing boundary should be expanded to attach to the surrounding districts so no blocks are left out of a district (2).

• Make sure to include both sides of the street for any boundaries.

• Once boundaries are expanded, make the proposed Ecology District boundary the ‘heartbeat’ of the area.

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• Move Lindsay boundary south and include the church in the boundary.

ASSETS/VISION

• Beautification trail should move from the Lindsey Street Park (reality) to the Ecology Center (vision).

• 527 Lindsey is a good example of beautification on the streets.

• Water irrigation should be part of the beautification /food district node.

• Lindsay Street Church is strong anchor institution. • Add signage along Lowery as it is a major thoroughfare. • Food district should be established that is tied to the Ecology District. • Address homeownership. • Lindsay Street Park is an attraction to this area. • Create creek bed for drainage into the Ecology Center area. • Specific buildings or features to be preserved: Lindsay Street Baptist Church, Proctor Creek • Increase homeownership or improve park to draw people in • Redevelop vacant multifamily

CONCERNS

• Address the continual dumping in Proctor Creek. • Focus on addressing the flooding issues. • Create retention ponds in the areas of Paines-Neal-Lindsay-Proctor. • Address the water issues • Good next steps for the area: Better lighting, Add trail, have functions in the park to draw people in,

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• Organizations that could help implement some of the recommendations within the neighborhood? Historic West Side Garden, Community Improvement Association

The primary concern is the flooding, primarily in the southern portion of the Lindsay/Oliver Ecology District. Not very many residents were able to provide comments on the District as they were not familiar with the area (either did not live in or adjacent to, or did not travel to the area). However, nearly all of the comments focused on extending the eastern and western boundaries of the area to touch the other Districts.

ALEXANDER/BRAWLEY DISTRICT

BOUNDARY

• The existing boundary should be expanded to attach to the surrounding districts so no blocks are left out of a district.

• The boundaries should be expanded northeast to include 706 Meldrum and 541 Griffin -problem properties (2).

ASSETS/VISION

St. Marks

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• Utilize it for community gatherings. • Use St. Marks as a food district – farmers market. • Redevelop it as a library or educational center (4).

Head Start Building

• The Kennedy Headstart School should be returned to an educational use.

• Turn the Kennedy Headstart School into a youth development center that would overflow to the St. Mark’s church location.

• Need a Child Care facility in the area. House conversion or within the youth development center at Kennedy Headstart School. (Billie Walker at Habitat House 893, 701 North Avenue offered up her property).

• The Kennedy Headstart School should be turned into a community center Other Areas

• This district should include mixed/use commercial development along Cameron M Alexander and James P. Brawley.

• The properties east of Griffin and north of Jett are in a more stable area of the neighborhood.

• Properties along Griffin to the west stabilized in an effort to begin improvements within the district moving west.

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• Desire to see more single family homes in place of the demolished apartments (504 Griffin) across the Kennedy Headstart School.

• The district should be rezoned and include reasonably priced apartments to break up the single-family land use.

• Need to include mixed use, commercial/ residential development in the district to generate revenue. • The yellow store (500 James P Brawley) should be demolished and turned into a grocery store where residents

can shop. There are no close grocery stores for the residents (especially seniors) to go to in English Avenue (2). • Brawley should be treated as an ‘Education Corridor’ to include internet cafés and small commercial

businesses to attract young homebuyers and students from Georgia Tech.

CONCERNS

• The apartments (504 Griffin) across the Kennedy Headstart School need to be demolished. • Need for safety cameras on the corner of Alexander and Brawley that are regularly maintained. • Need for more street lighting on the corner of

Alexander and Brawley that are regularly maintained.

• The apartments (504 Griffin) across the Kennedy Headstart School should be demolished and turned into a park

The most important thing that should be done in this district is to make the intersection of Brawley and Alexander safe and redeveloped to serve a community purpose. The demolition of the apartments on Cameron Alexander was also seen as a first step within the Alexander/ Brawley district.

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ENGLISH AVENUE CAMPUS DISTRICT

BOUNDARY

• Considering the high number of vacant lots to the south of the school, the Neighborhood node could be expanded 5 lots to the south.

• School node could be expanded south to North Avenue.

ASSETS/VISION

English Avenue School • Daycare Center for 6 months and up and

senior housing could be a considered for the area.

• An area for parking needs to be identified for future use of the school-one possible location is to the south of the school where there are several vacant lots.

• Stakeholders shall consider a partnership between an Art based Charter School and a performing arts center. The sustainable Design Collaborative of Atlanta is being considered to take on the design.

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• Community gardens could be created around the school yard. • Hoops court near school should be fixed up and lighted. • Use the school as a library. • Senior housing component could be incorporated into a renovated school. • School could be developed into a multi-use facility with a technology center, daycare, health/wellness,

performing arts and co-location. • Potential school uses should collaborate with Georgia Tech. • Underutilized or vacant parcel to the south could be developed for graduate student housing. • Programs need to be created to prepare children for the global economy. • Building could be developed in a similar manner to the Ponce City Market-a historic building that was

adaptively reused into mixed use development • Bring in a grocery store and medical facility. • School could be developed as a center for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (S.T.E.A.M)(2). • Goal should be to attract residents from nearby tech companies. • School could become a technology center. • Historical character of the school must be preserved.

Other

• A better connection needs to be created between the school and the Boys and Girls Club found to the north. • C-1 Commercial on corner of Brawley and Hollowell offers potential for daycare, restaurant or retail uses. • Safety needs to be addressed in area. • Area has several vacant and abandoned properties. New single-family infill needs to be considered in the

node.

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MATTIE FREELAND DISTRICT BOUNDARY

• Move boundary south to Meldrum was mentioned during discussion of the Mattie Freeland District Boundary (2).

• Residents want all boundaries to meet each other.

• Need to move the boundary south to include the commercial properties.

ASSETS/VISION

• A community center or library could be located in the vacant commercial building at the corner of Meldrum and Griffin.

• Idea to expand the Blue Store and sell local produce from it.

• Focus on infill single family in this district. • The park area needs better lighting,

especially the block north of the park at Fox Street, Pelham and Griffin

• Improve connections to the park, especially the sidewalks in the blocks surrounding the park.

• An effort should be made to tie the park to other areas.

• The Mattie Freeland node should be where

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resources are initially focused to stabilize existing residents.

• Looking forward to beautification projects. • Infill housing in vacant lots. • Vacant apartment uses need to be renovated. • Access to public transit needs to be addressed. • The blue store could be used for a pop-up market. • Need to keep and renovate apartment buildings

wherever possible.

CONCERNS

• There is a vacant house beside the store at 743 North that is also a problem property.

• The blue store at the corner of North and Griffin is a safety/crime problem that should be taken care of (4). • Neighborhood residents don’t walk to the Mattie Freeland Park because there are a lot of stray dogs in the

area. • There is no/limited handicap accessibility in the area. • Issue with the industrial uses on 657 Echo. Needs cleaning up. • Need to take care of the overgrowth in vacant properties. • Address burnt out homes. • Address junkyard at Echo and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.

Most of the discussion at the Mattie Freeland Park District centered on the “Blue Store” at the northwest corner of North Avenue and Griffin Street and its redevelopment into a use that is positive to the area. Residents mentioned that they would want this area to continue to be stabilized with infill single family housing with access to the park.

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ASSETS/VISION

• Need for a place for teenagers to congregate and learn. • Identify areas where mobile food trucks/pop up restaurants can come into the neighborhood. • Use vacant properties for open air markets. • Redevelop areas by building affordable residential units where properties have been torn down • Follow up meeting on designs standards for residential and mixed- use uses. • Find/create places to collaborate - a node that is a safe walking distance to the AUC and Westside Works • Increase connectivity between nodes by increasing lighting, improving sidewalks, and installing cameras. • Create safe path on 447 Paines, safe walkways to resources, 395 Griffin • Use of vacant properties for tactical urbanism • Existing plazas on Joseph E. Boone should remain commercial, convenient location.

CONCERNS

• Discussion on 390 Block and 400 block of Elm Street: flooding issues, mosquitos, constant mold and mildew, standing water, and need for the rerouting of drainage to limit the accumulation of water. There are health issues especially with children having allergies and eczema.

• Drainage issues need to be addressed, especially cleaning the leaves and debris. • North Avenue Area (587 and 595): specific uses create issues with parking. Clubs on the weekends create

overflow parking on street. During the week, businesses create additional issue with parking preventing residents from moving freely from one are to the end. Need to create a main entrance/gateway from the eastside of the neighborhood into the community.

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FINAL COMMENTS

• After the table discussions were finalized the group gathered to listen to the comments heard at every table . • Residents expressed concern with the issue of homelessness, especially caused by the people recently

released by the Fulton County Jail which is very close to the neighborhood. • Need to use the vacant properties to rebuild affordable housing in the area.

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NEXT STEPS

CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT

Residents and stakeholders shared many ideas and comments about their neighborhood. An important step to move forward is to identify short term projects that the Neighborhood Association can help spearhead, while longer term projects and issues are addressed. The Implementation Table on page 19 shows a variety of ideas aimed at addressing some of the comments heard during the visioning session. Nonetheless, the Neighborhood Association will need to gain understanding of residents’ interest in participating in any of these short term projects.

1. Engage Community Leadership: it will be important to understand who will be involved in the implementation of specific short term solutions. Will it be the neighborhood association? Neighborhood association with an organizing committee? Engaging community leadership will also give the neighborhood association a sense of the types of activities and short term projects residents have an interest in participating in. As an example, an outdoor chess tournament wouldn’t do too well if residents aren’t interested in that type of use.

2. Mobilize Resources: the group will need to understand the level or resources available or needed for a specific project. Are resources provided by the neighborhood association or a partner?

3. Refine, Plan & Act: even short term projects require some level of planning. The Who, When, Where, and How’s will need to be answered before the project moves forward.

4. Test Ideas: Sometimes doing a “mockup” or small version of a project, is very helpful to understand if the project will go as planned.

Partnerships

The Implementation Table also outlines areas where the neighborhood association can continue to collaborate with specific government entities and partners to implement changes in the English Avenue neighborhood.

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English Avenue Neighborhood Association Visioning Session Implementation Lead Implementation Timing (Years)

Implementation Matrix

Public/NP

Private 6 Months 1 3

SHORT-TERM & LONG-TERM INITIATIVE Overall Neighborhood Stabilize the neighborhood

Action 1: Partner with Code Enforcement to identify problem properties. COA

Action 2: Partner with the city to create awareness and report illegal dumping on vacant properties.

COA & EANA

Action 3: Revamp the neighborhood watch program. EANA AMBFF

Action 4: Coordinate a neighborhood cleanup blitz. COA & EANA

Action 5: Partner with IA's acquisition strategy to identify structures needing board ups

that would be perfect candidates for a temporary mural or painted boards. (TU)

IA & EANA

AMBFF

Action 6: Request support from city administration for additional lighting, patrolling,

and security cameras in areas of high crime. COA &APF

Action 7: Partner with "friendly" property owners to identify vacant parcels surrounded

by homeowners that would be interested in using the space temporarily for a specific use i.e. outdoor living space, temporary urban garden, etc. (TU)

EANA AMBFF

Action 8: Organize a monthly - "We Love English Avenue" meet and greet for residents

where a food truck is invited, a vacant parcel is used for temporary seating and residents discuss how they can improve their neighborhood.

EANA AMBFF

Action 9: Partner with "friendly" property owners to identify vacant structure that could

be used as a temporary "pop up market". EANA

Action 10: Encourage resident participation in the Habitat for Humanity Repair with

Kindness and Westside Roots Homeowner Rehab Programs IA, EANA

AMBFF, APD-

U

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Implementation Matrix Public/NP


Lindsay/Oliver Ecology District

Action 1: Organize a neighborhood meeting on site to identify areas where trails can

be established connecting Proctor Village with Lindsay Street Park. Use chalk or temporary paint to draw the trails (TU)

COA, EANA

Action 2: Participate in the planning process for the proposed Proctor Village Park to

incorporate comments on retention ponds and addressing flooding issues in the area.

COA, EANA

Action 3: Identify ways to partner with Lindsay Street Church incl. homeownership and community gardening,

LSBC, EANA

Action 4: Continue efforts on the restoration of the Proctor Creek Watershed. COA, EANA

Action 5: Encourage land assembly and development outside of Proctor Creek flood plain

IA, DP

Alexander/Brawley District

Action 1: Meet with owner of St. Marks Church to determine his interest and capacity to develop property. Determine project feasibility

IA PO

Action 2: Prioritize the acquisition of problem property at 504 Griffin IA PO, APD-U

Action 3: Partner with the Police Department and Department of Justice on crime/safety issues and concerns.

APD, APF, DOJ

Action 4: Refine Westside TAD Neighborhood Strategic Implementation Plan proposed for development at Alexander and Brawley

IA PDPD

Action 5: Prioritize land assembly within 2 block radius of Alexander and Brawley node & prepare development site plans

IA WFF, APD-U

English Avenue Campus District Action 1: Discuss with Representative Able Mable possible temporary uses for the site

that could help bring life to it while long term plans are being developed. EANA PO

Action 2: Work with property owner to fund predevelopment work feasibility analysis including siteplanning, construction estimates, proformas, and marketing package, conditioned on property owner identifying a developer with capacity to finance the development.

IA PO

Action 3: Identifying funding source to stabilize English Avenues School subject to property owner's contributing some portion of the required funds

IA PO & DP

Action 4: On the basis of the project's feasibility analysis apply for Community Improvement Funding for development

IA PO & DP

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Implementation Matrix Public/NP


Mattie Freeland Garden District Action 1: Targeted acquisition of vacant lots and structures for redevelopment

purposes. IA,

AMBFF APD-U

Action 2: Homeowner Rehab program through Habitat for Humanity Repair with Kindness and Westside Roots

IA, AMBFF

APD-U

Action 3: Mattie Freeland Park: acquisition of parcels, procurement of development budget by City of Atlanta Parks Department, Design and Implementation of Park

COA, AMBFF

APD-U

Action 4: Acquisition and development of Mattie Freeland property for use as a Cultural Resource Center

IA, AMBFF

APD-U

Action 5: Convey assembled vacant property to builders and developers subject to design guidelines

IA, EANA

DP

Action 6: Develop a marketing and branding strategy to highlight the history of the area and help attract new residents.

Action 5: Provide technical assistance to EANA to insure long term sustainability to neighborhood redevelopment initiative

EANA, AMBFF

MEETING SPONSOR

Thank you to the meeting sponsor The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

CONSULTING TEAM

APD Urban Planning & Management LLC

Implementation Leaders Public: COA - City of Atlanta APD - Atlanta Police Department EANA - English Avenue Neighborhood Association

Partners: AMBFF - Arthur M. Blank Foundation WFF - Westside Future Fund APF – Atlanta Police Foundation

Private APD-U - APD Urban Planning & Management LLC. DP - Development Partner PO - Property Owners LSBC - Lindsay Street Baptist Church

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APPENDIX A

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Appendix B

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APPENDIX B

RAW RESIDENT COMMENTS


• The existing boundary should be expanded to attach to the surrounding districts so no blocks are left out of a district (2).

• Make sure to include both sides of the street for any boundaries. • Beautification trail should move from the Lindsey Street Park (reality) to the Ecology Center (vision). 527

Lindsey is good example of beautification on the streets. • Water irrigation should be part of the beautification/food district node. • Lindsay Street Church is strong anchor institution. • Add signage along Lowery as it is a major thoroughfare. • Food district should be established that is tied to the Ecology District. • Expand boundaries to ensure that all parcels and properties are included. Once boundaries are expanded,

make the proposed Ecology District boundary the ‘heartbeat’ of the area. • Address homeownership. • Address the continual dumping in Proctor Creek. • Lindsay Street Park is a draw to this area. • Create creek bed for drainage into the Ecology Center area. • Focus on addressing the flooding issues. • Create retention ponds in the areas of Paines-Neal-Lindsay-Proctor. • The primary concern is the flooding, primarily in the southern portion of the Lindsay/Oliver Ecology District.

Not very many residents were able to provide comments on the District as they were not familiar with the

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area (either did not live in or adjacent to, or did not travel to the area). However, nearly all of the comments focused on extending the eastern and western boundaries of the area to touch the other Districts.

• Specific buildings or features you’d like to preserve? Lindsay Street Baptist Church, Proctor Creek • More homeownership or improve park to draw people in • 496 back to multi-family • Move Lindsay boundary south • Address the water issues • Good next steps for the area: Better lighting, Add trail, have functions in the park to draw people in • Include the church in the boundary. • Organizations that could help implement some of the recommendations within the neighborhood? Historic

West Side Garden ALEXANDER/BRAWLEY DISTRICT

• Utilize St. Marks for community gatherings. • Use St. Marks as a food district – farmers market. • Would like to see St. Marks redeveloped as a library or educational center (4). • The existing boundary should be expanded to attach to the surrounding districts so no blocks are left out of a

district. • This district should include mixed/use commercial development along Cameron M Alexander and James P.

Brawley. • The properties east of Griffin and north of Jett are in a more stable area of the neighborhood. • Would like to see properties along Griffin to the west stabilized in an effort to begin improvements within the

district moving west. • The apartments (504 Griffin) across the Kennedy Headstart School need to be demolished. • It would be nice to see more single family homes in place of the demolished apartments (504 Griffin) across

the Kennedy Headstart School. • Need for safety cameras on the corner of Alexander and Brawley that are regularly maintained

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• Need for more street lighting on the corner of Alexander and Brawley that are regularly maintained • Would like to see the Kennedy Headstart School returned to educational use • The district should be rezoned and include reasonably priced apartments to break up the single-family land

use. • Would like to see the Kennedy Headstart School turned into a youth development center that would overflow

to the St. Mark’s church location. • The yellow store (500 James P Brawley) should be demolished and turned into a grocery store where residents

can shop. There are no close grocery stores for the residents (especially seniors) to go to in English Avenue. • Brawley should be treated as an ‘Education Corridor’ to include internet cafés and small commercial

businesses to attract young homebuyers and students from Georgia Tech • Need to have a Child Care facility in the area. House conversion or within the youth development center at

Kennedy Headstart School. (Billie Walker at Habitat House 893, 701 North Avenue offered up her property) • Problem properties were identified at 706 Meldrum and 541 Griffin. The boundaries should be expanded

northeast to include these two properties. • Structure at 706 Meldrum is a problem property and should be included in the district • The apartments (504 Griffin) across the Kennedy Headstart School should be demolished and turned into a

park • The Kennedy Headstart School should be turned into a community center • The yellow store (500 James P Brawley) should be demolished and turned into a grocery store. • The most important thing that should be done in this district is to make the intersection of Brawley and

Alexander safe • Need to include mixed use, commercial/ residential development in the district to generate revenue. • The demolition of the apartments on Cameron Alexander were also seen as a first step within the Alexander/

Brawley district. ENGLISH AVENUE CAMPUS DISTRICT

• Use the school as a library

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• An area for parking needs to be identified for future use of the school-one possible location is to the south of the school where there are several vacant lots.

• Daycare Center for 6 months and up and senior housing could be a considered for the area. • Considering the high number of vacant lots to the south of the school, the Neighborhood node could be

expanded 5 lots to the south. • Stakeholders shall consider a partnership between an Art based Charter School and a performing arts center.

The sustainable Design Collaborative of Atlanta is being considered to take on the design. • Community gardens could be created around the school yard • Hoops court near school should be fixed up and lighted • A better connection needs to be created between the school and the Boys and Girls Club found to the north. • School node could be expanded south to North Avenue • C-1 Commercial on corner of Brawley and Hollowell offers potential for daycare, restaurant or retail uses. • Senior housing component could be incorporated into a renovated school • School could be developed into a multi-use facility with a technology center, daycare, health/wellness,

performing arts and co-location • Potential school uses should collaborate with Georgia Tech • Underutilized or vacant parcel to the south could be developed for graduate student housing. • Programs need to be created to prepare children for the global economy • Safety needs to be addressed in area • Building could be developed in a similar manner to the Ponce City Market-a historic building that was

adaptively reused into mixed use development • Bring in a grocery store and medical facility • School could be developed as a center for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (S.T.E.A.M)(2) • Goal should be to attract residents from nearby tech companies • School could become a technology center • Historical character of the school must be preserved

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• Area has several vacant and abandoned properties. New single-family infill needs to be considered in the node.

MATTIE FREELAND DISTRICT

• Move boundary south to Meldrum was mentioned during discussion of the Mattie Freeland District Boundary (2).

• The blue store at the corner of North and Griffin is a safety/crime problem that should be taken care of (4). • There is a vacant house beside the store at 743 North that is also a problem property. • A community center or library could be located in the vacant commercial building at the corner of Meldrum

and Griffin. • Idea to expand the Blue Store and sell local produce from it. • Focus on infill single family in this district • Neighborhood residents don’t walk to the Mattie Freeland Park because there are a lot of stray dogs in the

area. • The park area needs better lighting, especially the block north of the park at Fox Street, Pelham and Griffin • Improve connections to the park, especially the sidewalks in the blocks surrounding the park. • There is no/limited handicap accessibility in the area. • Issue with the industrial uses on 657 Echo. Needs cleaning up. • Need to move the boundary south to include the commercial uses. • An effort should be made to tie the park to other areas. • The Mattie Freeland node should be where resources are initially focused to stabilize existing residents. • Infill housing in vacant lots. • Vacant apartment uses need to be renovated. • Access to public transit needs to be addressed. • The blue store could be used for a pop-up market.

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• Need to take care of the overgrowth in vacant properties. • Address burnt out homes. • Looking forward to beautification projects. • Residents want all boundaries to meet each other. • Need to keep and renovate apartment buildings wherever possible. • Address junkyard at Echo and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway.


• Discussion on 390 Block and 400 block of Elm Street: flooding issues, mosquitos, constant mold and mildew, standing water, and need for the rerouting of drainage to limit the accumulation of water. There are health issues especially with children having allergies and eczema.

• Need for a place for teenagers to congregate and learn • Drainage issues need to be addressed, especially cleaning the leaves and debris. • North Avenue Area (587 and 595): specific uses create issues with parking. Clubs on the weekends create

overflow parking on street. During the week, businesses create additional issue with parking preventing residents from moving freely from one are to the end. Need to create a main entrance/gateway from the eastside of the neighborhood into the community.

• Identify areas where mobile food trucks/pop up restaurants can come into the neighborhood. • Use vacant properties for open air markets. • Redevelop areas by building affordable residential units where properties have been torn down • Follow up meeting on designs standards for residential and mixed- use uses. • Find/create places to collaborate - a node that is a safe walking distance to the AUC and Westside Works • Increase connectivity between nodes by increasing lighting, improving sidewalks, and installing cameras. • Create safe path on 447 Paines, safe walkways to resources, 395 Griffin • Use of vacant properties for tactical urbanism • Existing plazas on Joseph E. Boone should remain commercial, convenient location. • Current and former volunteer resides in 580 Griffin

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English Avenue Neighborhood Association Visioning Session

News & Politics

Transcript of English Avenue Neighborhood Association Visioning Session