NPU-F July Meeting Updates Residents on City Activities
The City of Atlanta is divided into 25 Neighborhood Planning Units, or NPUs. Lindridge-Martin Manor is in NPU-F. There have been two virtual meetings this summer, and the most recent was held virtually July 20.
Here are the latest updates from that meeting:
General City Updates
City of Atlanta offices, as well as NPU-F, are still operating “virtually.”
The Department of Watershed Management reminds us that “disposable wipes” are not flushable in toilets, despite claims that they are.
Atlanta311: All agents are working remotely. Call Barbara Dougherty if you have problems with 311. She is at 470-689-5171.
Michael Bond is one of our at-large city council reps. He can be reached at 404-330-6770 or 404-274-8111 (cell).
Piedmont Park Conservancy: Executive Director Howard Werthheimer reports there are plenty of volunteer opportunities available. The Green Market is operating Saturdays in the area of the Park Tavern. Although weddings are not being conducted in the park, they’re offering “Elopement Packages.”
City Planning Department: City Planner Doug Young reports the Zoning Review Board and the Board of Zoning Adjustment will resume operations starting on August 6. They will go through the backlog of cases in order of receipt.
NPU-F voted to support the application of the Dogwood Festival to take place from October 9-11. Dates have been changed several times.
NPU-F voted not to support a change to the zoning code (Z-20-36, amended) that would alter the garage recess requirement, from 10’ to 6,’ in the R-4, R-4A,R-4B, and R-5 zoning categories.
Proposed Billboard Removal / Peachtree Creek Environmental Project
NPU-F voted to defer making a recommendation on Z-20-43, otherwise known as the “Grand Bargain,” which would authorize the removal of five privately owned billboard faces and their supporting structures.
This removal would be permitted under Part 16, Chapter 28A of the 1982 Zoning Ordinance of the City of Atlanta, as amended, in exchange for the right given to their owners to upgrade and/or relocate five billboards.
The upgrade and exchange may allow for the creation of the 14th Street Linear Park and the Peachtree Creek at Cheshire Bridge Road Environmental Project after the five privately owned sets of billboard faces and the supporting structures of relocated billboards are removed.
For Lindridge-Martin Manor, the Georgia Aquarium and the South Fork Conservancy would partner to provide stream restoration of the South Fork of Peachtree Creek at Cheshire Bridge Road, to install a device to capture trash in the creek, and to conduct educational opportunities. The current billboard would be removed.
Because concerns have been raised by other NPUs that would be affected by this legislation, the bill is being reframed.
North Fork Peachtree Creek Tank and Pump Station
During wet weather, overloading in the Peachtree Creek basin collection system has resulted in flooding in Peachtree Creek, sanitary sewer overflows and bypasses within the system.
To address these problems and comply with consent decree stipulations, the city’s Department of Watershed Management proposes a new Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project, the North Fork Storage Tank and Pump Station. Its proposed budget is $107.7 million. The contract bid process started in May 2020. A portion of the funds will likely be paid by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program.
It would complement the South Fork Storage Tank and Pump Station (Liddell tank) placed into operation in 2014. Once complete, it will serve as a key capacity relief projects to meet the consent decree compliance date of July 1, 2026 for Peachtree Creek Basin. The implementation of this project before the consent decree deadline will provide a resolution to the flooding problems in Peachtree Creek and the major trunk system within the basin.
The project will include the development of a 15 MG storage tank and 75 MGD pump station, which will be designed to handle a 10-year design storm. During a significant storm event, wet weather flows will be diverted from the main trunk sewer to the pump station wet well, from which the flow will be pumped to the storage tank. After the storm event has ended, the storage tank will be dewatered using another set of pumps, as soon as downstream conditions permit.
Concept designs have been prepared. The site proposed site for the project is owned by Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The city is finalizing negotiations with GDOT for shared use of the site, through a permanent easement. Proposed construction start is July 2020 and scheduled completion is proposed for June 2022.
The next remote NPU-F meeting will take place Monday, August 17, at 7 p.m. A link to the ZOOM meeting will be posted on the NPU-F Agenda. To find it, go to the NPU-F website.
You can learn more about LMMNA and our involvement with the NPU system on our website. We have two LMMNA Board members who represent our needs at NPU-F once a month:
Richard Sussman NPU-F Co-chair for Parks, Trees, and Environment
Jane RawlingsNPU-F Chair for Alcohol Licenses and Permits
You can contact them by sending an email to npu@lmmna.org.
This is the South Fork Storage Tank and Pump Station.