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| Ideas and concerns collected in prior discussions (left, middle) + hands-on opportunities for people who live, work and play in the area to literally draw better solutions (right) = COMMUNITY THINK TANK! |
The February 27 Medline LCI Community Meeting was a success, with Commissioners Rader and Gannon and their staff present to kick off the project. Jen Price (Sycamore Consulting) has kindly secured the presentation slides (see below), so that those who were not able to attend can also participate. Jen has also supplied us with hard copies of the community survey that will be available at the MANA Community Meeting on March 3.
The Medline LCI study group is funded by the Atlanta Regional Commission:
This study focuses on the area around DeKalb Medical Center and will plan for redevelopment of underutilized and vacant properties to create a variety of housing options and an appropriate mix of commercial, office and retail. The study will incorporate Lifelong Communities concepts and the establishment of a “wellness district” for the DeKalb Medical Center area. Additionally, the plan will address sidewalk and bicycle facilities along the major corridors in the area to create a more walkable center and to improve connections to MARTA bus routes and Emory’s Cliff shuttle.For more information on the Medline LCI Study, see https://sites.google.com/site/medlinelcistudy/
where you can also find a link to the online survey. There is still time to fill out the community survey!
The presenters emphasized that this is the kick-off to a long process; as the area is developed, we will need to continue to push for investment from developers, with a focus on obtaining concessions that help us create an environment that meets the many and diverse needs of our residents.
A big question in everyone's mind is how to ensure this LCI study yields improvements both short and long-term. The answer goes something like this:
1) as LCI recommendations are finalized, we become eligible for County and Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) funding to complete certain projects
2) finalized Medline area use and design recommendations will be added to the zoning code for the area. This means that future developers will have to abide by those guidelines.
3) the Atlanta Regional Commission requires LCIs to be reviewed every 5 years. This allows the LCI to remain a living, evolving project.
The next Medline LCI community meeting will be on a Saturday in late March; details will be posted soon. The meeting will be held in a charrette format to encourage participation.
The Medline LCI Study began last month and will be completed in June 2014.
