Carl is EVERYWHERE.

The AJC now has an article about next Wednesday’s 315 W. Ponce session with moderator Otis White.  In it, Carl (of “Carl reports this”, “Carl tells us that” fame) says he’s looking for a little healing.

And White?  Well, he sounds pretty psyched about the process…though he didn’t sit through that last session.  He’ll reportedly receive $4,500 for the 2-hour session, but if he’s able to make a decent amount of headway between the neighborhood and the developer, it’ll be money well-spent.

Carl reports Dresscodes is closing its doors at the end of the year and adds “anyone who may be interested in leasing their space beginning in 2009 can contact Terry Hsu at 4044249889.”

Has the 315 West Ponce opposition has gone underground?

Inspired by a strange, cryptic note in the October Focus regarding the tabling of a slight revision of the Trinity Triangle project that would preserve the current Dairy Queen building, I asked the city to provide me with the minutes for that meeting (since they are not yet posted online).

In them, you see a number of residents stand up and ask a lot of strangely familiar questions and make a lot of familiar requests…asking for more parking at the site, a traffic study, and questioning the “purpose of lifecycle housing”.   A closer look at their addresses (2 on Oakland, 1 on Fairview, 2 on Ponce Place) and there is little doubt that the neighborhood opposition to 315 West Ponce (I’m hesitant to call them “Livable Growth” because I know the neighborhood is a bit fractured) has broadened its critique to the entire city.

And let’s be clear…this is their right.  However, I am very concerned that a few residents are attempting to quietly erect roadblocks on development projects in our city and no one else knows about it.

So this is your fair warning.  There is a vocal opposition in the city that doesn’t like the path Decatur has been taking in terms of mid-rise development.  It questions density, not enough parking and (apparently) lifecycle housing.  And its not just about 315 West Ponce anymore…its about all future development and the future of our city.

If you want to voice a different or concurring opinion on Trinity Triangle, the proposal will be brought up again at tomorrow night’s Planning Commission Meeting at City Hall at 7:30p.  I’m sure the opposition will again be in attendence.

But just know that this is bigger than just Trinity Triangle or 315.

The full minutes for the meeting are posted after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

If you needed any additional proof that Decatur’s blogs are changing the way the city communicates, here it is!  The city has just announced the launch of its very own blog, “The Decatur Minute“!

Asst. City Manager Linda Harris sends us some details…

The City of Decatur is joining the blogosphere with its newest blog “The Decatur Minute.”  The Decatur Minute features information about special events, volunteer opportunities, new businesses, and more in the City of Decatur.  The Decatur Minute is written by different employees in the Community & Economic Development Department on a variety of topics.

Those “employees” include Linda herself, Cheryl Burnette and Catherine Lee (of AsianCajuns fame).

Only time will tell how this effort will play out.  Blogs are a tricky and time-consuming business…especially when allowing comments.   I hope they have the time to dedicate to the effort, otherwise these sites can quickly fall by the wayside.

Though I would be lying if I didn’t say I have some mixed feelings and reservations about this initiative, I really think this action says a lot about the impact of this site and all of Decatur’s blogs.  Surprisingly few other cities in the entire metro area have any sort of site that covers them, let alone such highly trafficked ones.  Occasionally I even receive emails from folks in other Atlanta metro cities complementing the site and wishing they had ones of their own.

There’s a real need out there on the local level that just isn’t being filled by city-wide, conglomerate-owned newspapers like the AJC.  How much of a need?  Well, I can’t speak for the other Decatur sites, but other than the Republican-leaning Peach Pundit (which covers the whole state) and CL’s Fresh Loaf, I don’t think there’s a local blog in all of Georgia that has the traffic and # of comments of this site.  And while I’d like to think that has a little bit to do with me, I really believe that a great deal of it has to do with the strength of community in this city.  Its downright inspirational.

With all that said, I’ll step off my soapbox now.  Welcome to the blogosphere City of Decatur!  I’ll be checking in often!