[*A portion of this video is without audio*]
[I. Call to Order. ]
[V.a. Presentation of the Comprehensive Plan “Check In” status. ]
[00:02:47]
ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
I'M HERE WITH A COUPLE OF MY COLLEAGUES. WE'VE GOT PHOEBE GRAHAM AND NEDRA DEADWYLER.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO TONIGHT IS JUST GIVE YOU SORT OF A QUICK UPDATE ABOUT THE PLAN.
WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. I KNOW A LOT OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THAT, BUT WE JUST WANT TO DO A QUICK TOUCH BASE BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BE MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
NEXT SLIDE. ALL RIGHT. AND THIS IS JUST A LITTLE VIEW OF OUR TEAM.
WE'LL TOUCH ON SOME OF THE RESULTS AND WE'LL END ON OUR NEXT STEPS.
WE CAN KEEP GOING. ALL RIGHT. SO OUR TASK AS YOUR CONSULTANT TEAM WAS TO REALLY TAKE YOUR PLAN THAT Y'ALL DID ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO AND JUST GIVE IT AN UPDATE.
IT WAS A GREAT PLAN THAT YOU ALL INVESTED IN.
IT WAS STRANGE TIMING. IT WAS RIGHT DURING COVID.
SO THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON. SO WE WANTED TO TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT THINGS, BUT WE REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE BUILDING ON ALL THAT GOOD WORK THAT WAS DONE BEFORE. WE WANTED TO REALLY TAKE THOSE KEY FOCUS AREAS OF EQUITY, RACIAL JUSTICE, CIVIC TRUST, CLIMATE ACTION, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, MOBILITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND REALLY JUST KIND OF TOUCH BASE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, ARE THESE STILL OUR AREAS OF FOCUS? ARE THERE NEW THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE CONSIDERING? AND ALSO TRY TO CULL THAT TO DO LIST.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO HERE IS OUR PROCESS.
SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE JUST IN THE BEGINNING OF JUNE.
SO WE ARE STARTING THE DRAFT PLAN. THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE IS REQUIRED BY THE STATE.
[00:05:07]
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLANS IS THAT THEY'RE SO BROAD. PEOPLE ARE LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT OTHER THINGS TO DO. I'M NOT REALLY, YOU KNOW, MOTIVATED TO COME TALK ABOUT POLICY TONIGHT.SO WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS SAY, OKAY, LET'S REALLY FOCUS OUR CONVERSATIONS AROUND SOME MAIN AREAS.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING, HISTORIC RESOURCES AND THE ARTS, COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES, TRANSPORTATION, CLIMATE AND LAND USE. SO THE WAY THAT WE ENDED UP STRUCTURING THIS AND WE CAN KEEP SCROLLING.
OH NEVER MIND. WE'LL GET THERE. WE'LL GET THERE IN A MINUTE.
SO WE CAN KEEP GOING. WE CAN GO ON. SO WE DID A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT.
WE HAD AN ONLINE SURVEY. WE HAD ABOUT 154 RESPONSES.
SO CONSIDERING THAT WE'VE ONLY BEEN DOING THIS ABOUT 4 OR 5 MONTHS, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD ENGAGEMENT. I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ACROSS THE BOARD, WE DO THIS WORK IN A LOT OF COMMUNITIES. WE ARE SEEING KIND OF A DIP IN ENGAGEMENT FROM PREVIOUS YEARS.
SO I THINK THESE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY, PRETTY COMPARABLE TO OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT WE SEE.
NEXT SLIDE. SO SOME OF OUR INITIAL TAKEAWAYS FROM YOUR SURVEY.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE REALLY VALUE DECATUR SENSE OF PLACE.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE STILL VERY CONCERNED ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND EQUITY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU ALL REALLY IDENTIFIED IN YOUR YOUR 2020 PLAN ARE STILL VERY IMPORTANT TO FOLKS. SO WE KIND OF CONSOLIDATED INTO THIS STATEMENT IN THAT ORANGE BOX.
SO RESIDENTS WANT TO CATER TO REMAIN WALKABLE, CONNECTED, AND A WELCOMING COMMUNITY.
LET ME KEEP GOING. WE DID HAVE OUR OPENING NIGHT MEETING ON MARCH 4TH.
THIS WAS TO KICK OFF THE PROCESS. WE HAD ABOUT 40 OR SO PEOPLE WAS THAT THE DECATUR REC CENTER.
KEEP GOING. AND WE REALLY STARTED ASKING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS WORKING AND WHAT'S NOT.
YOU KNOW, HEARD A LOT ABOUT ROADWAY CONGESTION.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S A SINGLE COMMUNITY IN THE REGION WHERE WE DON'T HEAR ABOUT THAT.
AND A COUPLE PEOPLE NOTED THAT SOME OF THE CODES NEED TO GET REVISED. BUT IN GENERAL, THESE ARE PRETTY, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE PROJECTS WE NORMALLY SEE, THESE ARE PRETTY MINOR COMPLAINTS.
KEEP GOING. WE ALSO ASKED ABOUT NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES.
WHAT WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT WAS EXPANSION OF GREEN SPACES.
AGAIN, PEOPLE STILL REALLY CARE ABOUT AFFORDABLE AND DIVERSITY OF HOUSING.
FINDING SUPPORTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR THE UNHOUSED. THIS WAS A TOPIC THAT WASN'T AS BIG OF A FOCUS IN YOUR 2020 PLAN, BUT I THINK THE UNHOUSED SITUATION HAS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. SO THIS IS ONE OF THE CHANGES FROM THAT INITIAL PLAN.
AND PEOPLE JUST WANT MORE. IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITIES, AGAIN, THAT ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PIECE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE STILL WANT MORE PARKING, BUT THEY WANT WALKABLE COMMUNITIES TOO. SO IT'S HARD TO KIND OF BALANCE THOSE.
WE HEARD SOME FROM SOME FOLKS REALLY WANTING TO STRENGTHEN ARTS AND CULTURE ACTIVATING PUBLIC SPACES AND AGAIN, OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE WORKFORCE HOUSING GOING.
ALL RIGHT, SO I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE DEEP DIVES. SO IF YOU REMEMBER THOSE EIGHT TOPIC AREAS, WHAT WE DID WAS WE PAIRED THEM UP AND WE REALLY SAID, OKAY, ON THESE TWO DAYS, WE ARE GOING TO REALLY FOCUS ON THESE AREAS.
SO WE HAD A SERIES OF STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS, WE HAD POP UP EVENTS, WE HAD BROADER PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS, AND THEY VARIED BY TOPIC. SO THESE WERE THE FOUR SETS THAT WE DID STARTING IN MARCH.
AND WE WRAPPED UP THE LAST ONE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
KEEP GOING. AND AGAIN, THESE WERE THIS WAS THE MAIN STRUCTURE.
AND AGAIN, THE DETAILS DIFFERED PER DEEP DIVE.
BUT THIS WAS MAINLY WHAT WE TRIED TO DO. AND WE LEARNED QUITE A LOT.
AGAIN, THIS WAS WHERE A LOT OF THOSE 1800 COMMENTS CAME FROM.
KEEP GOING. SO ONE THING THAT WE DID HEAR WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WOULD COME IN TO SORT OF THE HOUSING DAY, BUT THEY WOULD TALK ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND MOBILITY. AND, YOU KNOW, THE BIG MESSAGE WE HEARD IS LIKE, YEAH, WE MIGHT HAVE THESE EIGHT AREAS, BUT THESE ARE ALL INTERCONNECTED. THERE'S A LOT OF CROSS-CUTTING. SO WE DON'T WANT TO SILO EVERYTHING OUT INTO THESE ELEMENTS, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE INTEGRATED AND REALLY TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER. WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THERE'S A NEED FOR SOME MORE NUANCED, DETAILED TOOLS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION. MORE PARTNERSHIPS TO HAVE HELP ARTS AND CULTURE THRIVE.
[00:10:01]
AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST A DESIRE TO REALLY GROW YOUR COMMERCIAL TAX BASE TO KIND OF HAVE, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A HEALTHY TAX DIGEST GOING.AGAIN, WE HEARD REAFFIRM SUPPORT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PRESERVATION.
HEARD A LOT MORE ABOUT PUBLIC OPEN SPACE, BUT ALSO KIND OF THIS, YOU KNOW, ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT Y'ALL DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SPACE LEFT, RIGHT? SO THERE'S, ONLY SO MUCH GREEN SPACE YOU CAN CREATE OUT OF THE BOUNDARIES THAT YOU HAVE AND STUFF THAT'S NOT BUILT.
AGAIN, PEOPLE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR RECENT TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS, BUT THEY WANT TO KEEP SEEING MORE, KEEP SEEING MORE OF THIS PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS. AND YOUR LAND USE POLICY SHOULD REALLY SUPPORT WALKABILITY, MOBILITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I WILL JUST TOUCH QUICKLY ON A FEW OF OUR OTHER INPUT ACTIVITIES SO YOU GET A SENSE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. WE DID ATTEND THE DEKALB COUNTY AFFORDABLE HOUSING ROUNDTABLE, SO WE TALKED ABOUT 30, 40 FOLKS DURING THAT EVENT, WHICH WAS REALLY GREAT.
GOT SOME REALLY GOOD INPUT ABOUT SORT OF HOW DECATUR IS A PIECE OF THIS MUCH BIGGER PUZZLE.
KEEP GOING. WE WERE AT LEGACY PARK FOR THE EARTH DAY COMMUNITY DAY.
WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE WE ACTUALLY TALKED TO. THERE WERE THERE WERE QUITE A FEW. YOU CAN KIND OF SEE ON THE BOARDS THERE. SO OUR FOCUS FOR THAT WAS REALLY TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE AND OPEN SPACE. SO WE GOT SOME GOOD FEEDBACK THERE.
WE HAD THE, WE WENT TO THE DECATUR YOUTH COUNCIL ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
WE, KIND OF HAD THESE ONE ON ONE CONVERSATIONS WITH 10 OR 10 OR SO, I BELIEVE, OF YOUR YOUTH.
WELL, ONE THING THAT WE DID WAS WE ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES TODAY? AND LIKE, IF YOU KIND OF IMAGINE YOURSELF IN TEN YEARS AS A YOUNG ADULT, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO CARE ABOUT? SO, YOU KNOW, TODAY, ARTS AND CULTURE, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, MORE OPEN SPACE, TOP PRIORITIES IN TEN YEARS, QUALITY JOBS, PUBLIC SAFETY AND SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES.
SO WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING SO AGAIN, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE'VE GOT THESE EIGHT ELEMENTS, BUT IT'S ONE PLAN. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ALL INTERCONNECTED. SO WE'RE GOING TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CROSS-CUTTING THERE. AND THE BIG PICTURE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU ALL KNOW THIS, BUT DECATUR HAS A LOT GOING FOR IT.
A LOT OF PLANS LIKE THIS ARE REALLY JUST SORT OF LOOKING AT SOME DETAILS AND SHORING UP A COUPLE THINGS. ONE BIG THING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN YOU DID IN 2020, WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH. THAT WAS A TEN YEAR PLANNING HORIZON.
SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT FIVE YEARS TO DO ABOUT 200 THINGS ACCORDING TO THAT PLAN.
AND THAT'S NOT REASONABLE, RIGHT? SO ONE THING THAT WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT IS, GIVEN WHAT WE'VE HEARD, GIVEN THESE POLICY PRIORITIES, WHAT'S A REALLY REASONABLE WORK PROGRAM FOR THE CITY TO REALLY TACKLE OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? SO THAT'S ONE BIG GOAL OF OURS IN DELIVERING THIS PLAN.
WE HEARD THAT EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY ARE STILL VERY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE ECHOED THROUGHOUT THE PLAN. I THINK IMPORTANTLY FOR YOU ALL, WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GIVING YOU A BETTER LAND USE POLICY DOCUMENT. RIGHT NOW YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS PRETTY LIGHT ON THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN OTHER CITIES LAND USE ELEMENTS, BUT THEY'RE PRETTY THICK AND YOU ALL, YOU DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT TO GO ON. SO WE WANT TO GIVE YOU A MUCH MORE ROBUST TOOL THAT'S GOT MUCH CLEARER DIRECTION.
SO IN TERMS OF LAND USE WHAT WE'RE LEANING TOWARDS DOING IS SORT OF THIS, THIS TEN MINUTE NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD THIS LIKE 15 MINUTE CITIES, TEN MINUTE NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO THE GOAL IS THAT EVERYONE CAN BE WITHIN TEN MINUTES OF BASICALLY THEIR DAILY NEEDS.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE TAKING YOUR SCHOOL, YOUR KID TO SCHOOL, THAT'S WITHIN LIKE A TEN MINUTE WALK OR BIKE RIDE, ALL THOSE SORT OF DAILY TRIPS THAT YOU MAKE ARE PRETTY CLOSE TO YOUR HOUSE. IT'S ASPIRATIONAL, BUT WE DO THINK THAT IT WILL PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR YOU ALL THAN YOUR CURRENT LAND USE MAP SUGGESTS? SO ONE OF THE BIG FOCUSES IN CREATING THIS, AND THIS IS OUR BIG TASK FOR JUNE IS REALLY LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE SOME PLACES WHERE WE CAN START TO CREATE SOME OF THOSE COMMERCIAL NOTES? I THINK OAKHURST IS A REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT TEN MINUTE COMMUNITY THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE. AND IT'S A REALLY SPECIAL PLACE, RIGHT? SO ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO KIND OF CREATE MAYBE SMALLER VERSIONS OF THAT AND PARTS OF DECATUR WHERE IT'S NOT A TEN MINUTE WALK TO DOWNTOWN, RIGHT? IF YOU'VE GOT A SMALL CHILD, YOU'VE GOT A STROLLER, IT'S MAYBE A 45 MINUTE WALK.
SO CAN WE LOOK FOR PLACES WHERE YOU CAN HAVE THOSE KIND OF SMALLER LITTLE COMMERCIAL NODES CLOSER TO HOME, AND YOU CAN HAVE THOSE KIND OF MORE DAILY TRIPS.
IN TERMS OF OUR EIGHT DIFFERENT ELEMENTS, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF FOCUSES FOR OUR LAND USE ELEMENT.
LOOKING FOR TRANSPORTATION, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING TO REALLY BUILD OUT YOUR MULTIMODAL NETWORK SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LOOKING AT UNDERUTILIZED SITES, VACANT SITES TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY PLACES WE CAN KIND OF SQUEEZE OUT A LITTLE MORE COMMERCIAL TAX BASE HOUSING. YOU KNOW, THIS IS KIND OF THE SAME THING THAT WE'VE BEEN PROBABLY SAYING HERE IN THE CITY FOR A WHILE, KIND OF CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE AFFORDABILITY TOOLS REALLY KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WORK IN THE MARGINS TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN.
IT'S A HARD TOPIC. I THINK IF WE HAD THE ANSWERS, WE WOULD BE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES WHO COULD TACKLE IT, RIGHT? IT'S JUST IT'S VERY HARD. THERE'S SO MANY EXTERNALITIES, BUT WE'RE GOING TO KEEP WORKING ON IT. NEXT SLIDE.
[00:15:05]
SO COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES MAKING THE BEST USE OF OUR RESOURCES.THIS IS SOMETHING WE HEARD IN PARTICULAR FROM YOUR RECREATION FOLKS.
YOU KNOW, YOUR PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT DOES A LOT OF REALLY GREAT WORK AND THEY'VE GOT A LOT TO MAINTAIN, A LOT OF BUILDINGS TO MAINTAIN. SO REALLY, RATHER THAN LOOKING AT LIKE, WELL, WHAT MORE CAN WE DO? WHAT NEW, WHAT NEW STUFF CAN WE DO? CAN WE TAKE CARE OF WHAT WE HAVE? RIGHT? CAN WE MAKE THE MOST OUT OF THE RESOURCES WE HAVE ALREADY.
HISTORIC RESOURCES AND ARTS AND CULTURE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE TELL THE FULL STORY OF DECATUR REALLY GET INTO ALL THOSE DIFFERENT STORYLINES AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE STORIES ARE ACCESSIBLE OPEN SPACES, NATURAL RESOURCES YOU KNOW, VERY HIGH IMPORTANCE TO YOUR COMMUNITY.
HOW DO WE PROTECT WHAT YOU ALL HAVE? AND THEN IN TERMS OF CLIMATE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PREPARE DECATUR FOR FLOODING? ANY EXTREME EVENTS? ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT IN TERMS OF YOUR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE? YOU KNOW, Y'ALL AS A SMALL CITY REALLY HAVE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AND YOU'RE ALREADY DOING A LOT OF THESE THINGS, BUT LET'S KEEP LOOKING FOR MORE OF THOSE, PARTICULARLY BEYOND THE DOWNTOWN FOOTPRINT. IN TERMS OF OUR NEXT STEPS, WE WILL BE CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION AGAIN.
WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON THE DRAFT OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.
WE WILL BE BACK IN FRONT OF YOU, I THINK. CASEY, DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT WE SAID? WAS IT ALL RIGHT? WE'LL BE BACK IN FRONT OF YOU AT SOME POINT IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE, ESPECIALLY WE WANT TO REALLY GIVE YOU ALL.
YEAH. SO THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE US, WE'LL REALLY BE FOCUSED ON THAT FUTURE LAND USE MAP AND WHAT THAT KIND OF TEN MINUTE NEIGHBORHOOD IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR DECATUR WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL HAVE A CHANCE TO REALLY DIG INTO THAT AND GET YOUR INPUT THERE.
JUST A COUPLE NOTES ABOUT THIS PROCESS AT THE END.
SO THE WAY THAT IT WORKS IN GEORGIA IS THAT YOU KNOW, YOUR CITY COMMISSION WILL VOTE TO SEND IT TO THE STATE THAT'S NOT VOTING TO ADOPT IT, BUT IT'S JUST VOTING FOR THE STATE TO REVIEW IT.
THE STATE WILL REVIEW IT, BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE SAYING LIKE, WELL, WE DON'T AGREE WITH THIS POLICY. THEY'RE JUST GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THE LAW. THEY SAY, OKAY, DID YOU MEET THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS THAT WE EXPECT YOU TO MEET? THEY'RE KIND OF AGNOSTIC TO THE ACTUAL CONTENT. SO WE'LL GET COMMENTS BACK.
WE'LL MAKE SOME CHANGES AS NEEDED. AND THEN THE DOCUMENT WILL COME BACK IN FRONT OF YOU ALL.
SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM AT THE END.
SO I REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU ALL, WHEN YOU GET A DRAFT OF THAT DOCUMENT, TO REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT IT, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE REALLY HARD TO KIND OF COME BACK AND TABLE IT AND IT WON'T REALLY WORK FOR THE TIMELINE.
SO THAT WILL GO TO THE CITY TO REVIEW AND THEN WE'LL GET COMMENTS BACK FROM CITY STAFF, REVISE THAT.
AND THEN THAT IS THE DRAFT THAT WILL GO IN FRONT OF CITY COMMISSION.
AND THEN DRAFT TWO WILL BE WHAT YOU ALL SEE HERE AS PLANNING COMMISSION.
OKAY. ALL RIGHT, KEEP GOING. ALL RIGHT. SORRY.
SORRY. I JUMPED THE GUN. YEP. SO THANK YOU CASEY.
SO SO HERE ARE THE ACTUAL DATES THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT.
ONE THING WE WILL BE DOING IS IN EARLY AUGUST, WE WILL HAVE ONE ON ONE WITH THE CITY COMMISSIONERS MAKING SURE EVERYBODY'S COMFORTABLE WITH THE CONTENT. AGAIN, YOU'RE ON A REALLY TIGHT TIME FRAME.
SO AGAIN, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE TIMELINE HERE. AGAIN, IT'S VERY TIGHT. AGAIN, IT'S GOT TO BE ADOPTED BY OCTOBER 31ST. SO WE'RE BACKING UP ON IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE WILL GET IT OVER THE FINISH LINE.
AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR COMMENTS ON IT AS WELL WHEN WE GET THERE.
WITH THAT, I BELIEVE WE DO HAVE SOME BOARDS TONIGHT.
THESE ARE OUR DRAFT POLICIES. THEY WERE INTENDED FOR OUR ROWDY AUDIENCE THAT WE HAVE.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN CONTAIN EVERYBODY. SO YOU ALL ARE WELCOME TO LOOK AT THEM.
YOU KNOW, AS JASON MENTIONED EARLIER, A LOT OF THE POLICIES ARE FROM YOUR PREVIOUS PLAN.
AGAIN, WE WERE BUILDING OFF OF THAT. WE WEREN'T SCRAPPING IT AND STARTING FRESH.
BUT THROUGH ALL THESE PROCESSES, THROUGH THOSE DEEP DIVES, WE'VE UPDATED, WE'VE MADE SOME TWEAKS, TAKEN A FEW THINGS OUT THAT AREN'T RELEVANT ANYMORE. SO YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME TAKE A LOOK AT THEM IF YOU LIKE.
[00:20:03]
BUT OTHERWISE THAT IS ALL WE HAVE FOR YOU TONIGHT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND THANK YOU FOR INVITING US HERE TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE FOR YOU.IT'LL BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER ADDING A ZONE THAT, YOU KNOW, COULD ACCOMMODATE X, Y, Z.
AND THEN THAT UDL LANGUAGE WOULD HAVE TO COME AS A SEPARATE PROCESS.
YEP YEP YEP. YEAH. SO WE'LL PROVIDE DIRECTION.
YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. RIGHT. AND WHAT WE'LL DO AT THE, WE'LL SAY, HEY, THESE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE THEY'RE OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH THE REVISED POLICY DOCUMENT, BUT I DON'T EXPECT HUGE, MASSIVE CHANGES.
OH YES, OH YES, IN METRO ATLANTA. LET'S SEE RIGHT NOW AND FEEL FREE TO CHIME IN.
LET'S SEE, WE'VE GOT DORAVILLE. WE ARE FINISHING UP CITY OF LILBURN.
WE JUST COMPLETED CITY OF ATLANTA'S A LITTLE BIT FURTHER OUT OF ATLANTA.
WE HAVE CITY OF MADISON, MORGAN COUNTY, MACON BIBB, HALL COUNTY, WE'VE DONE GAINESVILLE.
SO WE'VE DONE ABOUT, LET'S SAY 50 COMPREHENSIVE PLANS OR SO IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
I HAVE A VERY EXCITING LIFE. YES. I'M.
SURE. YES. I WOULD SAY YOU'RE VERY DIFFERENT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF THINGS REALLY STAND OUT TO ME.
ONE IS THAT YOU HAVE WHAT WE CALL GOOD BONES, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE A DENSE STREET NETWORK WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A WALKABLE COMMUNITY.
IT'S NOT JUST A PIE IN THE SKY THING. YOU'RE SMALL.
YOU'VE, GOT A FAIRLY, I DON'T WANNA SAY HOMOGENOUS, BUT YOU'VE GOT A, YOU KNOW, A COMMUNITY THAT IS VERY CONSISTENT IN THE THINGS THAT IT WANTS AND THAT IT CARES ABOUT. YOU'VE GOT SOME VERY ENGAGED CITIZENS.
SO I WOULD SAY THE MAIN THING IS YOUR SMALL SIZE, YOUR ROADWAY NETWORK.
AND I THINK THE, INTERESTS AND THE FOCUSES OF YOUR COMMUNITY, ARE PRETTY UNIQUE.
NO, NO, NO, NO. I JUST I WANT TO GIVE YOU A THOUGHTFUL ANSWER.
I THINK THERE'S A FEW THINGS I THINK. SURE. I THINK AND THIS IS JUST MY PERSPECTIVE AS AN INDIVIDUAL YOU KNOW, I THINK WITH THE CITY OF LIKE CHAMBLEE, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE THERE'S A BIGGER POPULATION THAT HAS A REAL NEED FOR A LOT OF THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SO IT'S MORE ABOUT MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE POPULATION THAT'S THERE.
WHEREAS WITH DECATUR, I FEEL LIKE IT'S A VALUE, RIGHT? IT'S A VALUE THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY WANT TO BE WELCOMING.
WE WANT TO FIND A WAY TO HAVE MORE DIVERSITY.
SO I THINK IT'S NEED VERSUS VALUE IN SOME WAYS IS HOW I WOULD PROBABLY FRAME IT.
I THINK THE MAIN IMPEDIMENT IS YOUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK HERE IN DECATUR IS ACTUALLY VERY GOOD.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THIS IN, SAY, GWINNETT COUNTY, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A SUBURBAN NETWORK, YOU'VE GOT HUGE BLOCKS. YOU REALLY DO HAVE TO DRIVE.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, GWINNETT COUNTY HAS A SIMILAR FRAMEWORK. THEY CALL IT THE DAILY COMMUNITIES, BUT THEIRS HAS TO BE, YOU KNOW, MODE AGNOSTIC. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO SAY, OKAY, PEOPLE GOT TO WALK AND BIKE EVERYWHERE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO SAY, HEY, PEOPLE CAN GET TO ANYWHERE THEY NEED WITHIN 15 MINUTES, RIGHT? SO I THINK TO ME, YOUR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK IS REALLY CONDUCIVE TO IT.
I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES, THOUGH, IS THAT YOU'VE GOT THESE VERY WELL-ESTABLISHED, TIGHT KNIT NEIGHBORHOODS. AND WHEN YOU START TO TRY TO CHANGE THOSE A LITTLE BIT AND INTRODUCE SOME USES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN THERE, I THINK THAT'S THE PART THAT'S GOING TO GET A LITTLE TRICKY.
[00:25:10]
YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE TO BE HONEST, IT'S SOMETHING THAT PLANNERS TALK ABOUT.AND I THINK THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS JUST KIND OF WANT TO TUNE OUT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF DIVISIVENESS RIGHT NOW.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST ARE OVER IT.
AND THERE'S SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT I DO SEE IT EVERYWHERE.
BUT YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE. SO YES.
SORT OF. SO I BELIEVE THE SYMBOLS ARE ACTUALLY ABOUT THE SIX STRATEGIC PLAN AREAS.
SO LIKE. YES. SINCE AGAIN, IT'S AN UPDATE TO THAT PLAN.
THESE WERE GOOD QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? ALL RIGHT. SOUNDS GOOD.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU ALL. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.