Good luck, but attempts to preserve this space seem to have appeared a little late in the game. My question is, when are they going to get rid of the suicide lane and install bike lanes on Dekalb Ave with intermittent turn lanes at major intersections? Increased development + increased traffic is equaling gridlock on this road.

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word.

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Just wanted to put a note here that the Tree Commission Hearing has been set for 2/20(next Wed.)at 6:30 PM in Committee Room 2 at City Hall(55 Trinity Ave.)I have written a little history of this over here http://decaturmetro.com/2008/02/08/can-tree-commission-save-dekalb-park/#comment-1094 if your interested-I live next to this and if you would like to see these trees standing long enough to bud and flower this spring the hearing is the place to make that known-Peter

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Fist off, I want to say that having a park where the “green space” is, is not a bad idea. However, to say this is green space is “green” is a complete sham. Let’s get this straight people, this is a trash infested, weed stricken, abandoned piece of land that has sat empty for YEARS!! My question is this, why didn’t anyone want this before it was going to be developed?? I could see if this was a city park or something to that effect, but it is not, and far from it. It is a rodent infested field on the side of Dakalb Ave. I live in Candler Park, and everyday I have to commute on the scariest road in Atlanta, Dakalb Ave. Why don’t we invest out time and effort on something that could actually save a life; fixing Dakalb!!! It is an absolute nightmare. Between burned out arrow lights, and the nightmare at Arizona Ave (making a left with on coming traffic), and all the other issues with that horrible road. Maybe we should worry more about the safety of out citizens than a few 30 year old trees.

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Sorry, Dekalb, not Dakalb!! opps.

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Paul and Others, I certainly agree that DeKalb Ave(or Da Kalb if you prefer).has many problems, and the 'suicide lane’ is perhaps the most glaring one .I have a hand made sign I keep and put out when the reversible arrows get slammed by a tall truck or burn out because the response time from the city,DOT,911,whoever... is from days to weeks. The horn blowing and tire squealing is enough to keep me from being able to concentrate on my work, not to mention the thought of my wife and children having to exit and enter that deadly stream to get to school. As to why ”no one has wanted this property before now “it has been sought after by many people over the years, I even had a contract on the front half at one time. The issue is that there are 2 lots here and they were zoned as part of the neighborhood when it was created to be for ‘neighborhood business ‘(1/4 acre C-1) and medium density residential or light commercial use (1/4 acre R-LC).The city decided years ago to allow residential development within C-1 zoning and I took advantage of that in order to develop my live/work situation. The city previously(and correctly IMHO)refused to allow the merging of small lots for larger developments on the grounds that this would violate the original scale intended for the neighborhood. The neighborhood association and the NPUs have consistently worked to keep this distinction .The development of larger parcels along Dekalb towards town into high density housing caused speculators to purchase these lots and others and work towards prying them away from the community .The perception of ‘urban blight’ and danger worked to the advantage of these speculators as has the holding of these properties without renting or improving them . Also Marta held two small commercial buildings 4 blocks down for 20 years until land values rose and they sold them in ‘06-they both now have medium density housing in progress/for sale. .Increased traffic and the ‘suicide lane’ on Dekalb also have driven away residents and weakened the neighborhoods claim .There is a desire to wall off a commuter corridor similar to what the freeway that became ‘Freedom Parkway’ would have been ;the same problems that caused that to fail plague this –the “walled corridor’ is a bad neighbor .It fragments neighborhoods ,increases noise, drives out small businesses and neighborhood institutions like schools and churches .The neighborhood organizations have been fighting threats of this nature for many years but they do not have the resources to compete dollar for dollar with developers who have project budgets in the multiple millions. A great irony in this is that these neighborhoods allowed Marta to slice through in the hope that it would allow the growing suburbs access to the urban core without major roads gutting, dividing and destroying the ‘inner suburbs’ .The failure of Marta to become a ‘regional’ transportation alternative now helps to drive this attempt to turn Dekalb into an urban tunnel as one side is already walled and the noise levels are high. The financial pressures on the city make the increase in the tax base and the fees on development attractive; top down pressure is put against the neighborhoods to accept the loss of this once pleasant road ’for the greater good’. Neighborhood organizations recognize this as the same old camel’s nose. You cannot have a functioning neighborhood and a ‘commuter tunnel’. The inner suburbs which have become neighborhoods within the city must stand up and demand that those wishing access to the inner city do so by means of mass transit instead of cars and roads. It is a simple fact that the model of an expanding sprawl of urban area is unsustainable. Inside the ring of growth is a ring of decline and blight where the overtaxing of infrastructure by the new areas damages the old. Atlanta was visionary enough to tax itself and build Marta and many battles have been fought and won to prevent trampling of the inner suburbs by the outer ones. I support the development of efficient ,high density urban housing but it is vital that it be done right-simply stacking oversized homes with two car garages onto already overcrowded streets will just make things worse. The old inner suburbs with small houses, tree lined streets ,sidewalks and public transport are far more attractive ,pleasant and sustainable . The cities have the power to limit the development of roads within them and this is crucial to building the new urban area which is sustainable and not car based. Examples such as London and it’s congestion charge show that you can preserve what is best in the old and have room to add new capacity in housing if you insist on a transit plan which strictly limits car use .I know this strikes many as a radical and even un-American concept but if you think back to the days before WW2 you will realize that the car dependency of our nation is not so old and certainly not a part of our core values and identity as a nation. Our cities must be rebuilt and in a carefully planned way. If we allow redevelopment within the city to be as destructive and shortsighted as development in our outer suburbs has been we will miss the opportunity to create a new type urban space which our children can live and prosper in. Seeking short term gain by bulldozing and clearcutting our old inner suburban neighborhoods to create stacks of isolated ,oversized, car-dependent ,inefficient housing lined on overburdened roads is a recipe for disaster. Facing our current drought, oil shortage,. global warming and infrastructure crises requires that we rethink our methods of development. The first step is to stop digging this hole by stopping the loss of our valuable and functional neighborhoods with their large trees, small houses and opportunities for car free transport. We should then move on to spell out what new development should look like. Taxes and fees can be set to encourage the development of blighted ,abandoned and contaminated properties and discourage car dependency ,excessive water and energy use. Finally, if you are still reading ,I will point out that the majority of trees on these lots are over 30 years old with at least two which are over 100 years old. I picked up the trash on this lot weekly until the current developer posted it with ‘no trespassing’ signs. The majority of ‘rodents’ are native grey squirrels –there are a few rats everywhere .There has been a community garden here as well as the pecans which have been enjoyed by a huge range of people for not just years but over a century. It may appear ‘empty’ from a car stuck in traffic or racing between work and a distant home but it is and has been full of life-and I don’t consider native trees and forest plants ‘weeds’. Every drop of rain that falls on this land soaks into the soil ,nurtures plants which(even the weeds)clean the air, enrich the soil, dampen the noise and make our living space more livable. We are supposed to allow this to become an expanse of impermeable surface with tanks full of polluted runoff below stacks of inefficient, car dependent ,infrastructure taxing housing and call it progress? No Thanks!

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DeKalb Avenue is only a shell of its former self since they tore down that car wash where Grant Henry used to give himself colonics.

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LOL- I want to apologize for getting on my soapbox and ranting earlier-I was kinda shell -shocked from the Tree Commission meeting.I have a slightly less disjointed and mean-mad ramble/update over here if anyones interested - http://decaturmetro.com/2008/02/08/can-tree-commission-save-dekalb-park/#comment-1088

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Peter- Thank you for your comments on this. I do agree that my words of "rodent infested" may have been a little harsh. I was just trying to prove my point. I am glad that others in the community see these problems (Marta, Dekalb Ave, urban sprawl, polution) the same way as I do. I would just like to see the greenspace be something more than what it is now. And yes, my number one choice is to see a permanent park put in there. However, if this is just going to remain a field with trees, it would be great to see something more permanent put in there. This is simply my opinion.

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