Praise be!

From Emory…

By this time next year, Clifton Road will be a wide, tree-lined corridor welcoming students, faculty, staff, patients and other visitors to Emory University and Emory Healthcare facilities. Clifton Streetscape, a project to improve access, safety and aesthetics along Clifton Road, is slated to begin in mid-to-late June and continue until late spring/summer 2017.

The extensive construction effort centers on Clifton Road from North Decatur Road to Haygood Drive/Eagle Row. It will include widening of the road and sidewalks, a bike lane, repaving of Clifton Road, new landscaping and improved visibility of intersections along Clifton Road.

If you’ve been blowing out your suspension on this road for more years than you can remember and want more details, click the rendering above to look at the larger image.  Or just keep reading…

An almost half-mile segment of Clifton Road will be resurfaced and widened, and a bike lane will be added along the east side. A “sharrow,” or shared bike-vehicular lane, will remain on the west side of Clifton Road.

Sidewalks will be widened to eight feet, with the addition of a five-foot planted strip along the curb, and trees and other plantings will be added to new medians. Streetlights similar to those at Emory Village and Emory Point will be installed as well.

A new right-turn lane will be added at Clifton and North Decatur roads for westbound traffic headed toward Emory Village.

A new traffic light and ingress/egress lanes also will be added at Healthgate Drive and North Decatur, where there is currently a gated, limited access entry near the North Decatur Building. This access point will be for use primarily by Emory University and Emory Healthcare faculty and staff who are accessing the parking decks along Gambrell Drive and is not intended for patients or through traffic.

As you can see in the first rendering at the top of this post, a ” new, two-story pedestrian bridge will be installed over Clifton Road from the new J wing to Emory University Hospital” starting in July.

Yes, you can expect lane closures and delays along Clifton for the next year or so, but man is this project long overdue!

Want to dig even deeper?  Emory has created an entire website for this project that you can check out for yourself.

Big news for the new city of Brookhaven.  The city of Brookhaven sent out this release yesterday afternoon…

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and Emory Healthcare today announced plans to partner as well as build a first-of-its-kind training and sports medicine center in Brookhaven’s Executive Park, which will serve as the team’s official practice site.

The 90,000-square-foot facility will be located on about five acres at 22 Executive Park Drive, and is expected to bring at least 200 permanent jobs to the city. The development of the Brookhaven site will not require any rezoning action by the city’s planning commission.

“The City of Brookhaven is proud to be home to the Atlanta Hawks and Emory Healthcare,” Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst said. “This innovative training and sports medical facility fits within our City’s vision for smart growth and a high quality of life. Bringing an elite athletic franchise and world class healthcare to Brookhaven fosters investment, visibility and well-being for our vibrant community. We welcome the Atlanta Hawks, Emory Healthcare and their visitors to Brookhaven.”

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Emory University, Atlanta GA (pic submitted by Corky)

On Tuesday afternoon, a group called “Together in Atlanta” announced on Facebook that they had gotten the support of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to annex the Briar Vista and Fernbank school zones – which include both Druid Hills and Emory University – into the city of Atlanta.  (Yes, you’ve seen this map before)  Here’s that announcement…

Together In Atlanta is extremely pleased to have the support of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and looks forward to working with the Mayor’s office and legislators to make our state’s flagship city bigger and better in 2015.

WABE has an extensive report on this recent news, with reasoning from a Mayor Reed Senior Advisor…

A big factor moving forward is Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has thrown his support behind Together In Atlanta’s annexation plan. Reed Senior Advisor Melissa Mullinax explains why.

“The map includes Emory and the CDC, which we think are prestigious institutions that we think ought to be in the city,” said Mullinax. “The other piece about it is this is a neighborhood that really always has been thought of as in the city so this is just formalizing that.”

Mullinax says annexation makes a lot of sense on both ends. For the city, the fact that the area is affluent and would add to the tax base isn’t lost on Reed.

According to the WABE article, DeKalb Commissioners are not thrilled with the Mayor’s support of the annexation, since any potential annexation would cut into DeKalb County’s tax base.

Check it…

Open Streets DeKalb in Emory Village is right around the corner – Sunday, September 21, 3-7pm in Emory Village.

As the streets close, the performers come out!   Sample the specials from Village businesses, stroll in the street as a cappella groups, choirs, and improv troupes share the curb with jugglers, stilt walkers and face painting.  Bouncy houses , bicycle repair, plus a fire truck and a Farm mobile sustainable food truck will all be on site. Jam with the Jazzercise group, swing your hips with the hoola hoop team, and listen for the drum ensemble, as neighbors take to the streets.  Stroll, cycle or salsa your way to the Village this Sunday – you won’t be disappointed!

Photo courtesy of Open Streets DeKalb

From the AJC’s county by county wrap up on Sunday...

Druid Hills residents began receiving letters Friday informing them about options for joining a city like Atlanta or remaining in the unincorporated part of DeKalb County.

The letters, from Druid Hills Civic Association President Justin Critz, said annexation into Atlanta would be an opportunity to be part of the city’s growing development and its neighborhood planning unit system.

But Critz also said uniting with Atlanta presents challenges in the form of potentially higher taxes and the cost of some services.

The letter asks residents to pay attention in the coming months as the Druid Hills community considers its options.

On a somewhat related front, City Planning Director Amanda Thompson tells DM that the city has never been formally approached by Druid Hills to be annexed.  Additionally, there would be some expected complications that would come with such a move.

There has never been a formal request from Druid Hills to be annexed into the city. I believe that Emory wishes to be identified with Atlanta.  Annexing Emory would require some special emergency management services for the hospital, research and if the CDC was included that we do not provide now.

A recent AJC article  on Druid Hills annexation options wrote off neighboring Decatur as an option “the city school system is already at its capacity and its government doesn’t want to add more residential properties”,

Be vigilant all.  From Decatur PD late last night…

Decatur Police are investigating a report of a suspicious person on Erie Avenue.  The 17-year-old complainant stated on 2-21-14 at approximately 2:00 pm, she was walking on Clairemont Avenue and turned onto Erie Avenue and noticed an unknown male walking toward her in the opposite direction.  As she passed the male, he immediately turned around and started walking behind her.  The male was walking approximately two feet behind her.  She felt uneasy, left the sidewalk and walked up to a nearby church and waited before continuing home. The male did not follow her and continued east on Erie Avenue.  The male never spoke or made physical contact.  The male was described as white, late 50’s, unshaven, with a slight hunch in his posture, wearing an orange beanie cap, hoodie and blue jeans.  The complainant located and viewed the forensic sketch from the recent Emory University rape investigation and stated the suspicious male she encountered on Erie Avenue appeared to be the same male depicted in the forensic sketch.

Decatur Police have been in contact with Emory University Police and DeKalb County Police to share information.  If you have any additional information, please contact the Decatur Police Department at .  The actions of the complainant in being aware of her surroundings, reacting to her uneasiness and changing course to locate a safe place are actions the Decatur Police Department would recommend if you are in a similar situation.