The Medlock Area Neighborhood Association website posted this letter from Selig Enterprises…

Yesterday, a DeKalb County Superior Court judge ruled that Good Growth DeKalb does not have standing to appeal DeKalb County’s decision to issue Selig a building permit to construct a Walmart at Suburban Plaza.  Good Growth DeKalb had claimed that it had standing to appeal DeKalb County’s issuance of Walmart’s building permit.  The Court disagreed.  As a result, the building permit is valid and the project is now cleared to move forward.

Good Growth DeKalb filed an internal DeKalb County administrative appeal in January, contending that the County issued the building permit for the Walmart Supercenter in error. Their appeal was addressed to the Technical Board of Appeals. However, because the appeal challenged issues such as trees and hydrology that fell under the jurisdiction of the Zoning Board of Appeals, the County assigned the appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals.  In its lawsuit, Good Growth DeKalb contended that the Zoning Board of Appeals did not have authority to hear the matter.  In an eleven-page ruling, Judge Barrie rejected Good Growth DeKalb’s claims and declared that it did not have standing under the County ordinances to file the appeal.  

Selig is pleased with the outcome and believes the Judge came to the correct conclusion given the law and the facts in the case.  Selig would like to thank Dekalb County Attorneys, Duane Pritchett and John Jones, for doing such an excellent job in defending the County’s issuance of the permit and in responding to Good Growth DeKalb’s claims.

Further, Selig is excited about the continued tenant interest in the project – including LA Fitness (which will include a daycare facility), HomeGoods, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, and Ross Dress for Less.  We hope to be under construction by the end of the year.

As always, we thank you for your continued involvement and support in this project and we will continue to update the community as we progress.

Sincerely,
              
Scott Selig

I guess this is the only thing we’re talking about today.  Three more maps showing K-3 rezoning options now on the CSD website HERE.

Above is map 7.  Also note that when you open the map PDF’s, you’ll find stats at the bottom of the page for each zone option on the map, including capacity, enrollment, etc.

CSD sent out this letter from the Superintendent last night…

Dear Parents, Teachers, Neighbors and Staff,

I am looking forward to welcoming the students, teachers and staff, and families to the reopening of  Westchester Elementary next Fall 2014.  We have been planning for the reopening of Westchester for two years.  I know that Westchester Elementary will be just as warm and welcoming a community as our other K-3 Expeditionary Learning Schools.  However, there are many steps to take before this can happen.  

K-3 Rezoning Committee

Our K-3 Rezoning Committee is in the midst of some very intense and difficult work.  In order to reopen Westchester, some Decatur families will be rezoned to attend Westchester.  In keeping with our City Schools of Decatur commitment to community and parent input and our System Charter Status, we have asked members from the School Leadership Teams, staff and administrators from schools, and neighborhood community representatives to assist in this very important work.  Each of our K-3 schools and ECLC has 2-4 members on the K-3 Rezoning Committee.  Some neighborhood associations, such as the Westchester Neighborhood Association, also have a representative serving as a committee member.

There have been three committee meetings to date including a community input session which drew approximately 150 people.  Twenty-eight people spoke as the committee listened as well as two Board of Education Members, one future Board Member, two Board candidates and me.   The comments were respectful and relevant.  Comments to date, both in person and through emails, have been captured and shared with the committee and will be shared with the Board.

The committee will meet again on Monday, November 4^th at 6:00 PM, additional maps have been developed based on the comments heard.  The new “draft” maps will be posted on the website byMonday, if not sooner. It is my hope that we can come to some consensus on the most viable maps to present to the School Board at the November 12^th Board of Education meeting.

Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.

Comments close on Monday.