Council seeks more public input for long-term planning projects
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council wants more opportunities for the public to chime in on the 2045 Comprehensive Plan update and a new Unified Development Ordinance.
After hearing a proposed schedule for the process in a July 22 hearing, city officials asked consultants to place a higher focus on community engagement, citing the nature of long-range policy directions and technicalities in the city code. With a lack of early community touch points, council members asked consultants to come back with more opportunities for public input.
“I stressed this during the bidding process … that we have to do different, and we have to do better,” Mayor Lynn Deutsch said. “Given the technical advisers you have on this project, you’re going to need ample opportunity for the regular citizens to provide input.”
The state requires municipalities to update their Comprehensive Plan, a document used to guide land use and growth, every five years. Other cities across Metro Atlanta have completed or are in the process of creating a unified code.
Dunwoody tapped TSW consultants and
See INPUT, Page 11
StewartHarris, senior associate with city contractors TSW, kicks off Dunwoody’s two-year process of creating a Comprehensive Plan update and Unified Development Ordinance at the July 22 City Council meeting.
HAYDEN SUMLIN/ APPEN MEDIA
Teen police explorers graduate city course
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Teenagers who want a closer look of police operations in Dunwoody have a new course available and the first class of students just graduated.
Dunwoody Police Department
Sgt. Anwar Sillah started a five-day course for local teenagers to get an up-close study of police operations.
Sillah opened the July 22 City Council meeting with congratulations for the graduates
of the five-day summer program, which ran July 8-12.
The Dunwoody Teen Police Academy, part of the department’s community policing efforts, is dedicated towards enhancing its relationship with the community’s youth.
“The academy provides teenagers, ages 14-19, with an insight look at local law enforcement operations, and even some of the challenges we face,”
See GRADUATES, Page 11
Allison
A few graduates of Dunwoody Teen Police Academy stand with city officials at the July 22 City Council meeting.
HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
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Authorities investigate 4 gun-related incidents
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody Police responded to four calls involving firearms throughout the city July 17-21 despite no reported injuries or victims.
Officers responded to the first incident around 8:30 p.m. July 17 after a resident reported hearing several gunshots on Kingsland Court.
A witness said he saw a Chevrolet Trailblazer speed away from the residence but was unable to capture the license plate.
Officers said there were no injuries or damage to report, but they found five 9mm and four .45-caliber shell casings. They were unable to locate a suspect or vehicle.
The second incident at Emory Family Medicine off North Shallowford Road July 18 involved an active shooter investigation, eventually determined not to be a threat.
Officers said they responded around 4:45 p.m. at an emergency level to an active shooter call, but Emory staff was unaware of any incident on site.
It turns out that an employee reported her colleague for threatening comments made toward another worker around 11 a.m.
The reporting party said her male colleague described holding his handgun in the parking lot before work and contemplating shooting another employee.
Officers said because of Emory protocols, corporate members contacted 911 about the incident.
Officers said the suspect’s vehicle was last seen outside of DeKalb County, and the case was turned over to the Criminal Investigations Division.
Dunwoody Police posted on X that
no shots had been fired.
The third incident, July 20, involved a discharged firearm call from the Dunwoody Glen Apartments off Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (Ga. 141).
Officers said they received a Flock Raven alert for multiple gunshots in the complex around 1:50 a.m.
They located eight 9mm shell casings in the parking lot but did not find any victims or damage to personal property.
The next night, July 21, another officer located two more 9mm casings in the Dunwoody Villas parking lot next door after another Raven alert.
Gun reported stolen from parked vehicle
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody Police responded to a car break-in July 19 across from 1224 Hammond Drive after a 36-year-old Florida man reported his firearm missing.
The owner said he parked his Cadillac Escalade around 6 p.m. on the first floor of a parking deck across from the Dunwoody MARTA station.
When he returned 45 minutes later, he found his vehicle had been rummaged through. He said he believed his friends were messing with him.
After learning it was not a prank, the victim said he found his .38-caliber revolver missing from a concealed compartment behind the dashboard.
Officers said they will reach out to surrounding businesses for security footage.
The victim said he will provide the serial number for the firearm if he finds it.
Construction equipment reported stolen from truck
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police are investigating a vehicle break-in July 12-13 after a construction worker reported $6,000 in missing equipment and personal belongings.
The victim, a 61-year-old Marietta
ASK APPEN
man, said he left his truck parked overnight at a residence on Creekmont Way because he lost his keys.
When he returned to the vehicle at 7 p.m. the next day, the victim said computer equipment, tools and other personal items totaling $6,000 were missing.
The victim said there was no damage to the truck.
Officers said the victim thinks a Creekmont Way resident took his belongings after an unrelated argument the day before, and he wants to press charges if a suspect is identified.
Officers said they were unable to contact any suspects.
Walmart catches employee allegedly raiding registers
ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Police arrested a 23-year-old male resident July 15 after Walmart loss prevention discovered the employee had allegedly stolen around $1,000 from registers.
A loss prevention officer said the employee at the Walmart Supercenter off Mansell Road was removing $20 bills from cash registers from May 17 to July 14. He said his investigation into the missing cash started days prior to his call.
Officers said loss prevention showed them videos of the suspect crumbling bills and concealing them in his pockets during routine transactions.
Walmart’s loss prevention officer said that based on security footage and missing cash, the suspect took $940 from registers.
Officers spoke with the suspect who said he messed up.
The suspect said he only took around $400 and had stopped in recent months.
Officers transported the suspect to the North Fulton County Jail and secured a warrant for misdemeanor theft by taking.
The retailer said it will send all security footage and documentation to Roswell Police.
Austin Elementary could have been Spirit of ’76 Elementary
The story of Nettie Southern Austin, the namesake of Austin Elementary School, has been told in this column before. However, I was surprised to read about other names suggested for the Dunwoody elementary school before it opened in September 1975.
The March 27, 1975, edition of the Atlanta Journal featured an article, “DeKalb officially picks names for two new schools,” listing other names being considered for the school. Students, teachers and local citizens submitted ideas. The other DeKalb County school receiving an official name was Stone Mill Elementary School.
One of the suggestions for the school which became Austin Elementary was Chester, honoring the former owner of the property. Harry M. and Mildred Chester lived where the school was built, next to neighbor T. K. Peters. The former Peters home is now part of Dunwoody Nature Center. Across Roberts Drive lived the Swancey family in the old home that still stands. Harry M. Chester was personnel administrator for the Georgia Health Department.
C.L. Harper School was also on the list of recommended names. Harper was a former DeKalb County Schools assistant superintendent. Former DeKalb County Schools Assistant Superintendent Sam Moss was also suggested. The superintendent of DeKalb County schools, Jim Cherry, already had a school named for him on Hermance
Drive in Brookhaven.
Apple’s Way School was suggested, perhaps because there were still farms and fruit groves in Dunwoody.
With the bicentennial coming up the following year, Liberty School and Spirit of ’76 are not surprising suggestions. Although Spirit of ’76 Elementary School is a bit of a tongue twister. We Believe was also suggested, which needs clarification.
The final name suggested but not chosen was Roberts Drive School. Since Roberts Drive is named for the 40-year engineer of the Roswell Railroad, the school would also have been named for engineer Ike Roberts.
One name not mentioned in the Atlanta Journal article is recorded in an oral history of several Dunwoody citizens in 1994, Elizabeth Davis School. Davis was a teacher and principal of Dunwoody School.
The name chosen in 1975 was Austin Elementary, honoring teacher and principal Nettie Southern Austin. Austin was born in Dunwoody in 1882 and attended teacher training at the State Normal School in Athens, Georgia.
She was honored by former students and the Dunwoody community in 1949. A surprise garden party was held at Boxwood Farms, which is now Donaldson-Bannister Farm. (Atlanta Constitution, “Teacher of 46 years gets surprise fete of lifetime,” May 18, 1949)
Award-winning author Valerie Biggerstaff is a longtime columnist for Appen Media and the Dunwoody Crier. She lives in Atlanta. You can email Valerie at pasttensega@gmail.com or visit her website at pasttensega.com.
That simple DIY project— not really so simple
AUSTIN FAMILY PHOTO
Nettie Austin and her students gather in front of the Dunwoody School in the 1940s. The school sat on land where the Dunwoody Library is today.
VALERIE BIGGERSTAFF Columnist
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A look at 200 Ashford Center North shows the five-story Class A office building that recently sold in foreclosure proceedings for $13 million. In January 2019, a company acquired it for more than $24 million.
Perimeter office building returns to lender in sale
By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
DUNWOODY, Ga. — A Perimeter office complex in Dunwoody, valued at $22.9 million in the 2024 assessment, sold in DeKalb County foreclosure proceedings for $13 million in June.
TerraCap Management, a Floridabased investment firm, announced it acquired 200 Ashford Center North for $24.6 million in January 2019, a company press release said.
The five-story office Class A building is situated between City Hall and Dunwoody Village near Ashford Dunwoody and Mount Vernon roads. It includes 159,000 square feet of office space, structured parking, fitness center, cafe and conference room.
TerraCap Management reported the building was 85 percent occupied at acquisition with around 30 tenants when they acquired the building more than five years ago.
During the 2019 acquisition, Chicago-based NXT Capital provided financing for TerraCap.
NXT Capital transferred the loan to New York-based Phoenicia Real Estate Holdings, which filed to foreclose on a loan attached to 200 Ashford Center North in April, according to a Bisnow media report.
A TerraCap subsidiary, Ashford Office Center, sold the building back to its lender for $13 million in a June 5 foreclosure auction.
The glass-covered office building, built in 1989, does not immediately come to mind when thinking about
Dunwoody’s stock of old commercial properties.
The city has 10.1 million square feet of office space with a 23.9 percent vacancy rate.
At the July 22 City Council meeting, Economic Development Director Michael Starling said vacancies are not trending down as much as he would like. As a part of an upcoming series on the Edge City 2.0 study, Starling and city officials will pitch redevelopment options around Dunwoody’s Perimeter market.
“The issue we’re dealing with is what are we going to do with those properties that are no longer going to be office,” he said. “What happens to the buildings, as well as the property? That’s really, I think over the next 18 months or two years, what we’re going to be focused on.”
Starling also said some buildings constructed in the 1970s and ‘80s, more than 60 percent of the city’s inventory, are struggling.
Meanwhile, he said the Terraces between Perimeter Center Place and Ashford Dunwoody Road are doing well with much lower vacancies near more amenities like Perimeter Mall.
“Others that are not as well positioned and a little further on the periphery are really struggling, most of them are either sending them back to the bank or throwing up their hands,” he said. “So, we have to find another use.”
The first Edge City 2.0 session is Aug. 22 from 8:30-10:00 a.m., featuring Georgia Tech Urbanist Ellen Dunham Jones.
GOOGLE MAPS
BY: GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION/PROVIDED
A map shows travel adjustments for the demolition of the old Mount Vernon Highway bridge over I-285, expected to run July 22 through the end of August. Lane closures and traffic pacing operations will only occur overnight.
A bird’s eye view shows the new and old Mount Vernon Highway bridges in March 2024. Georgia Department of Transportation officials said demolition of the old bridge is expected to last until the end of August.
GDOT starts demolition of old Mt. Vernon bridge
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Georgia Department of Transportations has begun a four-week demolition of the old Mount Vernon Highway bridge over I-285.
The new bridge opened one lane in each direction April 22, and punch list items are now wrapping up.
A GDOT statement says that while all traffic lanes will remain open during the daytime hours, traffic pacing operations and lane closures will be implemented six nights a week.
To ensure crews can work safely, motorists should expect up to three lanes closed on I-285 in both directions between the Chattahoochee River overpass and Ashford Dunwoody Road from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday during the demolition.
Overnight closures of up to three lanes include I-285 eastbound from Riverside Drive to Mount Vernon
Highway and westbound from Long Island Drive to the bridge.
The new bridge over I-285, delayed after a tractor trailer struck it in September 2023, is a part of the I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane project, which also includes a roadway between Roswell Road and Riverside Drive.
The auxiliary lane project is one of the I-285 Advanced Improvement Projects, required before large-scale Major Mobility Improvement Program projects, like the Top End Express Lanes, can begin construction.
The MMIP looks to create additional capacity to improve freight movement, enhance safety and decrease travel times across the state.
For more information about the new Mount Vernon Highway bridge and I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane Extension, visit i285wbauxlanes-gdot. hub.arcgis.com/.
PHOTOS
Attorney general joins Appen’s bid for Sandy Springs payroll records
By CARL APPEN carl@appenmedia.com
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The Georgia Attorney General’s Office has joined a fight to pry loose payroll records from the grip of Sandy Springs officials, according to a July 18 letter sent to the city attorney.
In 2023, Sandy Springs spent more than $41 million on salaries and benefits for city employees. That’s about $370 per resident.
Through the Open Records Act, Appen Media requested data from the city in order to analyze that spending. The inquiry is one the newsroom regularly makes with all the municipalities it covers.
The city has repeatedly declined to release that information, instead redacting the names of all those who received a paycheck. It is the only city Appen Media covers which has withheld the data.
Other cities will tell you who they pay.
As a result the newsroom has been unable to confirm who Sandy Springs is paying, how many people it employs or whether staff salaries are in line with other metro Atlanta governments.
Payroll information for public employees is subject to release under Georgia’s Open Records Act.
Appen Media previously used public records to report that a former assistant city manager resigned from Sandy Springs in July 2023 after three months on the job. That employee received $47,196 in severance, according to documents the newspaper obtained. The City of Sandy Springs declined to comment on the matter, citing a “long-standing practice” not to address personnel matters.
In response to a March request for additional payroll data, the City of Sandy Springs redacted the name of every person who had received a check, including the mayor and city manager. When the newspaper asked for clarification on why that information was not released, city officials cited safety concerns.
Sandy Springs staff have also used the explanation that a city “security plan” mandates they withhold payroll information. The city then denied requests to inspect that document, again citing safety concerns.
Appen Media eventually filed a complaint with the state Attorney General’s Office over the city’s refusal to provide payroll information.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Settlemire wrote to the city about the topic April 4.
“It is unclear how either of the exemptions being relied upon by the city apply to the redacted portions of the record,” the letter states.
Settlemire wrote further that because she is not aware of all the circumstances of the situation, she is not assuming any wrongdoing by the city. The note ends by requesting the
city respond within two weeks and explain their justification for the redactions.
Sandy Springs City Attorney Dan Lee replied April 15, offering an explanation similar to the ones Appen received. His letter to Settlemire cited the city’s obligation to “protect its employees,” and pointed to the Sandy Springs security plan.
In an electronic letter dated July 18, Settlemire responded that the Attorney General’s Office was not satisfied that the city’s decision “comports with the legal requirements of the Open Records Act.”
Citing case law, legal rulings and the Georgia General Assembly, Settlemire countered Lee’s explanations.
“As to the employee names redacted, Georgia courts have expressly held that such names are, in fact, subject to disclosure,” the assistant attorney general wrote.
The three-page letter also speaks to the intent behind Georgia’s Sunshine Laws.
“Access to public records allows the public to know what actions their public servants are undertaking and fosters the public’s confidence in officials and the decisions that those officials make,” Settlemire wrote. “The failure to serve those purposes can lead to mistrust and controversy.”
After laying out the response, the Attorney General’s Office told Sandy Springs to turn over the data. “Accordingly, please ensure [Appen Media] is provided access to the requested record, inclusive of employee names and ‘position ids,’ within ten business days and confirm to our office when this has been accomplished,” Settlemire writes.
The letter ends with some advice.
“We strongly encourage you, as city attorney, to be mindful of the legal requirements and obligations set forth in the Open Records Act and to counsel the city accordingly,” the note recommends.
As of press time the city has not provided the documents. It has until Aug. 1 to comply with the assistant attorney general’s directive.
Open house to feature details about proposed multi-use path on Peachtree Dunwoody Road
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. —Sandy Springs and the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts are hosting an open house Aug. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. for the Peachtree Dunwoody Road multi-use trail.
The meeting will be held at 500 Northpark off Abernathy Road in the Peachtree Dunwoody Conference Room. It gives the public an opportunity to provide input on the Perimeter path.
The project aims to enhance bicycle and pedestrian access on the west side of Peachtree Dunwoody Road, spanning from Hammond Drive to Mount Vernon Highway.
There will be a 12-foot-wide path for pedestrians and cyclists with a 6-foot-wide landscape buffer.
There is an agreement to split the project’s funding 50-50 between Sandy Springs’ share of the county-wide sales tax and PCID contributions.
The City Council approved a $454,000 contract with Kimley-Horn in November 2023 for design services, including surveys, utility coordination, right-of-way acquisition, public involvement and final construction plans.
In the fiscal year 2025 budget, the city has $5.65 million set aside for construction of the multi-use trail in its TSPLOST (2016) fund.
Zooming out, the trail looks to increase connectivity to local MARTA stations, the PATH400 Greenway Trail and infrastructure improvements being built on Lake Hearn Drive and Mount Vernon Highway.
CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS/PROVIDED A map shows plans for the Peachtree Dunwoody Road multi-use path, connecting Hammond Drive and Mount Vernon Highway. The city is hosting an open house for community input Aug. 15 from 5-7 p.m.
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THE INK PENN
An old favorite and a new-to-me author
I enjoy mystery series, but I also like standalone novels. There are series I return to time and time again, and rather than binge-read them, I space out the books to savor them. This week’s selection features both—a new entry in Elly Griffiths’s DI Harbinder Kaur series and a debut adult novel by an author known for her young adult books.
“The Last Word” by Elly Griffiths This is book four in a loosely connected series by one of my favorite authors. You might ask how a series can be only loosely connected. I say that because the books are held together by the presence of DI Harbinder Kaur, now posted in London. In the early books, she’s in Shoreham, a community somewhere near Brighton. She may not always play a major role, but she is present in the four books.
In this book, Griffiths has brought back several characters from the “Postscript Murders.” They have major roles in solving what else? A murder mystery, of course. You are bound to enjoy Edwin, an 84-yearold partner in a detective agency, whose specialty is surveillance. His partner Natalka also runs a personal care agency.
This time around, the two are hired to investigate the death of a local writer. She died at home, but something is fishy about a writers’ weekend she attended before her death. What can go wrong at a writers’ weekend? With this group of quirky characters, plenty.
I particularly enjoyed the references to writing and the personalities of the writers. This is the second book I’ve read recently that involved writers and murder. I wonder whether I should be worried about the company I keep. I haven’t noticed any murderous tendencies among my writer friends, but most of us do write murder mysteries. I may be looking over my shoulder for the next little bit.
“Listen for the Lie” by Amy Tintera
This author has written several series for young adults, and this novel is her adult fiction debut. Consider the blurb: “What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?”
We know the first two lines to be true going in. But what does the third line mean? That’s what the reader ultimately discovers, in addition to learning whether Lucy killed Savvy.
The story is told in first person years after the murder, when Lucy is outed by a true-crime podcaster. Also included are excerpts from the podcast — interviews with her then husband, her onetime friends, her grandmother and others.
Most of the people interviewed are convinced she did it. Lucy doesn’t know because she can’t remember what happened. Or, at least, that’s her story. She was never charged because the evidence was
inconclusive, but no one except her grandmother has any doubt that she did it.
This one kept me guessing until the very end. Did she do it? If so, was it self-defense? The two women were best friends. What could have made Lucy attack Savvy?
I thoroughly enjoyed the snappy dialogue, even if it was a bit raunchier than my usual read.
“Listen for the Lie” is the title of the book and also of the podcast. Ben Owens, the podcaster, believes everyone has secrets. Does it also mean that everyone lies?
I highly recommend this as an intriguing read, and I’ll be on the lookout for the author’s next adult novel.
Award-winning author Kathy Manos Penn is a Sandy Springs resident. Find her cozy mysteries on Amazon or locally at The Enchanted Forest, Bookmiser, Tall Tales, and Johns Creek Books. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ KathyManosPennAuthor/.
Plenty of time on hand to not be out of my gourd
It’s been a little over a month since I was “sunsetted” from my previous company after a 15-year stint. That was the term that an ex-boss used. It conjured up the days when someone mounted his horse, tipped his hat to the ladies and rode off to parts unknown.
I don’t mind sharing that it has been a difficult transition.
For instance, I have to decide whether I want to go back to work. (Not quite yet!) Do I want to do some yardwork? (Only on days that don’t end with a “y.”) Is today a good day to ride Black Beauty to Ellijay and pick up a peck of Red Globe peaches? (As long as I leave early before north Georgia turns into a tropical jungle with humidity that begs for running enough air conditioning that will do its part to keep Georgia Power flush.)
Actually, meandering to Ellijay has been that has become a welcome blessing, allowing me the opportunity continue to appreciate the hills and
mountains of our area. If only it wasn’t so blasted humid.
This retirement gig has afforded me time to make decisions. For instance, do I want to… See, that’s the difference. There’s a lot of “do I want to’s” as opposed to the nasty “do I have to’s.”
One of youngest son Greg’s good friends is getting married soon. It’s an honor to be invited to see Garrett Bollinger walk down the aisle. It’s a Friday evening ceremony and has resulted in a “have to,” as in “Do I have to wear a tie?”
This is a sweat-provoking dilemma. I used to wear a tie, the most useless piece of clothing ever invented, every day at work. I’ve got a huge tie rack on a closet wall. Wide ones, skinny ones, you name it. Don’t have a bolo tie that would go great with my straw Justin cowboy hat.
Maybe I’ll wear that and could tell people it’s what I wore when I rode off into the sunset. I better wear something else, lest those at the wedding start asking me if I knew what color an orange is. I’m fairly certain I could handle that one.
Having all this spare time has
afforded me the opportunity to meet some remarkable people I previously would have been too busy to visit with.
On a recent peach-buying run, I noticed a huge display of gourds. The hand-painted sign read “Gourds” so being of sound mind with an ability to tell anyone who asked what year it is, on the way down the mountain, I pulled into the driveway.
Now, if you might think me and gourds have no business with one another, other than being told at times “you’re out of your…”, my sister-inlaw and mother-in-law have a purple mountain family that have become squatters above their front door. Possessing an encyclopedic supply of trivial information, and no longer having a plane to catch, a meeting to attend, or a report to write, I stopped and met the sweetest 77-year-old lady who told me all about providing a home for those purple squatters.
Naturally, I now own a gourd and hope to provide a residence for the birds, but will have to wait until March, since that’s when purple martins like to build nests. The gourd lady did tell me that bluebirds will
maybe build their nests this time of year.
At $7 a gourd, I might just knock out some early Christmas shopping. I wonder if gourds in the backyard will get me in trouble with the HOA?
Mike Tasos has lived in Forsyth County for more than 30 years. He’s an American by birth and considers himself a Southerner by the grace of God. He can be reached at miketasos55@gmail.com.
KATHY MANOS PENN Columnist
MIKE TASOS Columnist
