Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
53 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 5/1/15”
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Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.
Comments are closed.
Hi all! Trolled past FFFs for this question but need to ask anew: any recs on good home renovators? Planning a redo of dining and living rooms as well as partial master bath. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks.
Doing the same for our kitchen. My advice is to have patience and money. Renovation firms are very busy, so the wait times and pricing are reflecting that. Several local people/firms have good reputations, such as Renewal, Struby and Falcon.
Our neighbor does renovations. He just did his own and it is gorgeous. Century Craft Homes.
We and other neighbors have had good experience with Portico South – Ric at 404-274-7377
Philip Trapkin of Sterling Works. 404-990-4030
He did my addition–great work, great guy, great price!
Ok who else is excited about slide the city? I am, a bit sorry that the little ones cannot play but understand they could get hurt (if you watch the videos on line) One question, it looks like there will be a big turn out for this city wide (Atlanta and other areas not just Decatur) As this is in our back yard, any way for us locals to get a little early or extra time on this rig before the masses have a go at it? Kind of like the Highlands festival that has the concert for home owners before the arts fest.
Second question, as many of you on this site comment on development and your thoughts about scale, shape, and type. I wanted to ask the opinion about one of the new zoning types. The Cottage Court (shown on the new UDC guidelines page 2-8 option “C”)
With the costs of housing going up and up, I think the option to do a shared central court is very cool. you can do multiple single family dwellings, I assume with a simple HOA based land ownership. (Condo docs basically) The deal would be to find what I guess is a multi-family zoning or re-zone for this type of use and then test the market. The closest thing if have found in the city is the development off of Lenore in Oakhurst “Bungalows at Oakhurst Village”. These are nicely done overall but they are not truly the intent of the “Cottage Court” I believe. I would like to see if the city would allow someone to take down a duplex or a quadplex and do some tiny homes (not as small as the “Tiny House Nation” Show) but 1200 sq. ft or smaller ones. I think if you got the land right you could sell them for in the $350K range making ownership in Decatur easier for many. This is something I may try to do and wanted to hear the thoughts of the masses before spending too much time talking to city. I welcome your thoughts good and bad. Thanks
I got the impression while going to presentations and meetings on the UDO that the City is very interested in making the cottage court happen, for precisely the reasons you state. At the passage of the UDO last summer the Mayor said they weren’t going to do any rezonings for the new designations like the cottage court, but I’m betting enough time has passed that a good proposal would be able to be rezoned. Go talk to Planner Amanda Thompson at the City.
Can anyone tell me what is going on across from the street from the Dekalb Farmers Market? Both buildings have been sold and I see construction going on on the white building just wondering what businesses are coming?
Where/how can I recycle Tetra Paks? (The waxed boxy containers in which soups like Pacific Foods are sold.)
Hmmm…I found lots of info online when I Googled “how to recycle tetra pak” and eventually landed here, with a list of ways to recycle these cartons in Dekalb Co.:
http://www.recyclecartons.com/searchresults/?county=DEKALB&state=ga
Basically, they are recyclable via curbside recycling in both Decatur & Avondale Estates. But, according to other info I found online, you should remove the plastic lid or spout and recycle that separately.
These containers may not be included in curbside recycling in the City of Decatur.
http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=108
Yep, that’s what I found as well. And still haven’t heard back from Decatur’s sanitation dept. I just wondered if anyone knew of any drop-offs in the ATL area for these things.
The E. Lake Publix has a bunch of recycling bins, including Styrofoam. I don’t know if there’s one for aseptic containers, but you could call the store at (404) 373-2858.
You must first remove the plastic bits. Then they must be burned in an uncoated brick or ceramic kiln. The ashes should be filtered through charcoal and composted for no less than 4 months at 145 degrees.
Then, and only then, can they be sent to the landfill anyway.
But I do love that shelf stable milk.
Here’s a question for you commercial leasing types or other wildly speculative civilians: The former bank at the west corner of Clairemont and Ponce, empty for so long. What’s up with that? Some have said that its big, concrete vault makes renovation too expensive but I’ve been to a lot of other markets where former banks have been repurposed, including some really interesting restaurants. One where the vault became the men’s room.
The building itself sits in one of our restaurant sweet spots because it has a tall building on its western side, ensuring a shadowed patio/courtyard in the summertime starting early afternoon. String some lights, do some modifications and that courtyard seems screaming for some kind of outdoor dining or gathering. Maybe even white tablecloth. So what’s the deal?
There’s an old bank up Covington Highway that’s now a church.
Drive-thru communion and/or absolution could be a big draw.
I thought some healthcare-related business moved in there a while back. I remember thinking that to be quite disappointing news as the building would be a great restaurant space with the tall windows and ceilings.
I believe at one time I’d heard it hinted from the city that someone was seriously considering it as a restaurant. (That might have been a few years back.) Obviously, maybe of the reasons you note, it never went forward.
The vision is clearly there, restaurant demand still seems strong, so there can only be a few reasons why it hasn’t happened.
Maybe it could be a school? 😉
That hasn’t been vacant for a couple of years. It’s office space for Emory Healthcare.
Well, dang. I guess that explains the absence of anything new happening. Thx.
If I have this right, this building was occupied by a bank that got bought out by another bank that already had a local presence, so it sat empty with several years left on its lease. (That bank that got bought out by another bank (Wachovia) that got bought out by another bank (WF).) A sublease wouldn’t have been for long enough to be worthwhile for a new business. The owner had little motivation to arrange a sublease/lease agreeement, so they just collected rent on an empty space. The building was then for sale at a ridiculous price (that didn’t include the land) and then, when it went on the rental market, was extremely expensive. It was eventually bought by a REIT and then leased by Emory Healthcare.
Scott if you are referring to the long narrow building with all the glass at 101 West Ponce, it is occupied by Emory Health Care
Are any Decatur bars or restaurants showing the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight tomorrow night?
Don’t know about Decatur, but I know most Hooters locations are. There was an article yesterday about them choosing to pay the $5200 per location to televise the fight.
What?!? How is that trackable vs just paying the normal fee to watch at home?
Not sure I understand your question. Commercial establishments are charged more than residences for sports pay-per-view, though I’m sure this is much higher than normal given the hype for this match. If you’re asking how they determine if it’s a commercial customer, I guess that’s done by their cable/satellite provider.
Here’s an article about it:
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2015/5/1/8530411/mayweather-vs-pacquiao-ppv-price-hooters-buffalo-wild-wings-boxing-news
And there are HUGE fines for commercial establishments that try to skirt the commercial viewing fee.
Got it. That all makes sense.
Los Bravos in the Big Kroger shopping center is!
Can anyone recommend a company or product for natural (no insecticides) mosquito yard treatments? I really don’t know what to do- obviously have to get rid of these mosquitos but I don’t want to keep spraying chemicals all over my property. Thanks folks.
You would need to rid the yard of all sources of standing water, even tiny ones. That’s difficult to do if your yard has lots of bushes and trees.
I’ve never tried it personally, but back when I was researching this topic, I found this: http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/index.html.
Thank you. I might give it a try.
One of our neighborhood blogs is recommending bat houses. Apparently bats eat mosquitos at an alarming rate. Would love to know if anyone’s given this a try.
It is absolutely true. When the wave of tear-downs & renovations got seriously moving through Oakhurst about 10-12 years ago, I remember seeing at least one attic-based bat colony up the street from me displaced and noticing the mosquito population increase. One year, an Eagle Scout built and installed some bat houses in the big storm water retention field between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. I don’t know whether or not those houses were successfully colonized–bats are pretty particular. But I did notice a slight increase in bat activity after that.
Professional wallpaper removal – any recommendations? And there’s a lot of it!
Hi all. For those of you who love Creature Comfort’s Tropicália but haven’t been able to find any recently, we just got a new shipment. And by we, I mean Cooks and Sherlock’s. The brewery has been having a very hard time keeping up with demand so supply has been spotty. I thought I’d give Decatur Metro readers a head’s up (we only got so much) as a thank you for your support and shout-outs. Have a great weekend.
Scored! Thanks.
You’re welcome.
Not to undercut you all, but Trackside Tavern also has it on tap as of last night at least. It is delectable.
Anyone know a good DIY stone source? I’d like to build a stepping-stone path and a small patio. Is there a particular stone yard people recommend? Doesn’t look like many options near Decatur. Thanks.
Try Cummins Landscape Supply – 724 Memorial Drive, between Oakland Cemetery and Habitat for Humanity. Great customer service and prices.
Atlanta Landscape Materials just outside 285 on Buford Hwy
This is one of the best pieces I’ve read in some time. Those with a libertarian bent will especially appreciate it.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/05/few-conservatives-take-police-abuses-seriously/391886/
Is there anywhere in the Atlanta area that’s like an Asian version of the Plaza Fiesta food court, with Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Taiwanese, Cambodian, Indonesian, and/or Malysian food?
If not, can anyone who knows what real cuisine from any region of any of those countries is like recommend some restaurants? I gots a hankering for all of the above.
I can recommend two of those, both on Buford Hwy. For Vietnamese, Com is great, if not strictly authentic. For Malaysian, there’s a new place called Mamak that is very good. Mamak is small and has had a wait every time I’ve been there (I’ve only done to go orders).
Here’s an article about the noodle dish at Mamak I’m addicted to, one of the best bargains on Buford Hwy.
http://clatl.com/atlanta/chow-kway-teow-at-mamak/Content?oid=14011921&year=2015
Try the food court at an H Mart.
Tomorrow is the day young Decatur artists have been waiting for. Woodlands Garden, located at 932Scott Blvd., Decatur, GA 30030, has rescheduled its Second Annual Youth Artist Market for Saturday ,May 2nd from 11am-3pm. Artists in grades 2-12 will be showcasing the following: jewelry ,dream boxes, embroidered pillows, whimsical sculpture, flower crowns, drawings, photography of Decatur, chalk painted wood pieces, and much more. This event offers a great opportunity for Mother’s Day shopping and will include free gift wrapping for Mother’s day purchases. For more information contact Nancy Martin at 404-373-8l65. Bring all your friends and help spread the word so that we can support our young artists.
Carpe Diem, Decatur High motto but also outside shot in Kentucky Derby today at 6:25pm.
“Come on Carpe, Come on Carpe…”
big love to Nancy Martin and the rest of the volunteers who coordinated the Woodlands Gardens Youth Artist Market today. my son was one of the participating artists, and it was a wonderful experience for him as well as, i assume, for the other kids. so impressed with the quality of their work, and appreciated getting to know the hidden gem in the city Woodland Gardens is.
Need recommendations for tile install. If you can provide approx cost per sq ft. that would be appreciated too! thanks.
Darn if that big wall of cement parking along College (dairy queen corner) isn’t so depressing. The beautiful grace of ASC on one side and then blech… depressing cement structure on the other. Some new landscaping along the tracks would be nice.