North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 1

BACKGROUND

How the North Buckhead Civic Association

concluded the neighborhood needed a

master plan.

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 2

BACKGROUND

Fall 2013 Survey • Issue - Where to focus

• 255 survey participants• Not just NBCA Members

• 68% NBCA members• 32% non-members

• Select NBCA committee studied these results for six months.

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 3

BACKGROUND

CommunicationsNorth Buckhead Newsletter

• 16 pages, 4,300+ mailed quarterly• Sent to all single-family houses and condos in

North Buckhead

Emails – North Buckhead Update• 2,100 email addresses in 1,600 homes• 300,000+ email copies sent in 2013• 50%+ open rate• Subject line always lists contents

Surveys – by email, newsletter & web• About once a year• Open to everyone: Residents /

non-residents / businesses

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 4

BACKGROUND

Crime Reporting• Weekly reports on-line for

NBCA members

• North Buckhead Crime• higher on major streets• Lower in residential areas

Crime maps at www.nbca.org/plan

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 5

BACKGROUND

Traffic• External congestion sources

• 9,000 residents • 100,000+ daily vehicles

• Antiquated street grid• Need better use of streets • Implement approved solutions

• Piedmont at Habersham

• 43% in survey provided complaints & suggestions

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 6

BACKGROUND

Land Use & Zoning• Goal: Establish a blueprint for

growth• consistent with protecting existing

single-family areas, and• avoiding traffic strangling uses

• Another bubble? • 2,500 apartments are planned/

underway in North Buckhead• 4,000 more in Buckhead• 2,500 more in Sandy Springs

• Traffic and growth intertwined • Are impact fees high enough?

From the Fall 2013 Survey...

• “We can't stop the growth…”

• “Traffic is totally horrible and only getting worse. Build the infrastructure BEFORE any more development of any kind.”

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 7

BACKGROUND

Sidewalks• Much has been accomplished

in securing sidewalks for North Buckhead

• Critical needs remain

• From the survey:

• “Sidewalks should be available on both sides of [Wieuca Road] from Roswell Rd. to Phipps Blvd.”

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 8

BACKGROUND

Speeding• Speeding a major concern

• Complaints about speeding are often made about Wieuca and Old Ivy Roads, particularly near the school campuses.

• Infrastructure updates might help• The pavement on some streets

appears to be too wide, encouraging speeding. Restriping, etc. should be considered.

• Need more police enforcement.

From the survey:• “I would like to see more speed

bumps in our area. North Stratford Road is very dangerous with speeders.”

• [Need] “more police presence”

• “My complaint is speeding on Old Ivy.”

• “Wieuca Road is a cut-through. Too much speeding.”

• “[I’d like] Speed traps by the police officers; people frequently speed down Wieuca and P’tree Dunwoody. They could make a lot of money.”

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 9

BACKGROUND

Parks• Our most-used park? Chastain• Favor park projects?

• PATH400 multi-use trail 6 to 1• Mountain Way Common 18 to 1• Little Nancy Creek Park 38 to 1• Blue Heron Nature Preserve 23 to 1• Lowrey-Stevens Cemetery 4 to 1

• 36 text comments: • Many said they were unaware

of our historic cemetery on Loridans Drive near GA 400.

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 10

BACKGROUND

Parks Complaint• We have to drive to Little

Nancy Creek Park.

• N.B. neighbors can’t walk to it safely -- no sidewalks.

• The City paid $2.7 million for the land.

• Need sidewalks on west side of Peachtree Dunwoody Road!

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 11

BACKGROUND

Crosswalks• Wieuca Road bisects the

neighborhood • there are two one mile

stretches without crosswalks

Roswell Road is 5-lanes wide• Big gaps without crosswalks:

• One 0.8 miles long• Two 0,3 miles long

• How are MARTA buses supposed to work?

• From the survey:

• “Crosswalks on heavily-travelled roads should be at signalized crossings only. I feel that [having] crosswalks without lights of some kind is asking for trouble.”

• “Crosswalks removed from Roswell Road: hard to cross Roswell Road to get over to Chastain Park.”

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 12

BACKGROUND

Eyesores, Etc.• Some in the neighborhood

need to perform more upkeep to protect everyone’s property values.

• The ugly traffic islands on Peachtree Dunwoody at Peachtree are a sad gateway to North Buckhead and Historic Brookhaven.

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 13

BACKGROUND

Social Events• While lowest in survey

priority, social events provide an important way to build a sense of neighborhood. At our Fall Flings, we have a strong turnout. But it’s not for everybody.

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 14

BACKGROUND

North Buckhead needs a plan. • North Buckhead is bigger than many think.

It is as big as a city.• 8,332 residents in 2010.• Atlanta’s 4th most populous

• It has many strengths.• Growing, maturing• Healthy diversity• Transit, X-way and hiking• Wildlife and high-rises• Great shopping and dining

• But it is changing rapidly.• With some big city issues and risks

• NBCA concluded we seriously need a master plan.

North Buckhead Master Plan: KICKOFF MEETINGJuly 15, 2014 15

BACKGROUND

Draft Master Plan Goals 

The goals of the North Buckhead Neighborhood Master Plan include:

•       Protecting existing single-family areas

•       Preserving the neighborhood’s character and historic resources

•       Creating a park-accessible neighborhood

•       Establishing a blueprint for growth

•       Addressing cut-through traffic and speeding

•       Promoting walking, bicycling, and transit use

•       Targeting key intersections for transportation upgrades

•       Making efficient use of existing transportation infrastructure

•       Enhancing neighborhood services