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DeKalb County Department of Planning & Sustainability Quarterly Newsletter

From county CEO Burrell Ellis: New interim director; Code Compliance; Builders Information Exchange; Zoning code update; OneDekalb; Long range planning.

 
ONE DeKalb
DeKalb County Department of Planning & Sustainability Quarterly Newsletter
  1st Quarter 2012


Gary Cornell
PLANNING & SUSTAINABILITY GETS NEW INTERIM DIRECTOR

On January 9th, Gary Cornell, FAICP, became the new Interim Director of the Department of Planning and Sustainability, appointed by CEO Burrell Ellis. Gary is an Atlanta native with 35 years of professional experience in planning, and was formerly Director of Planning for Gwinnett County. Gary earned a Masters degree in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University and has taught Urban Planning at Florida State University and Georgia Tech. Recently Gary worked as a consultant for Jordan, Jones & Goulding and Jacobs Engineering where he managed planning projects including preparation of zoning ordinances, comprehensive plans and Livable Centers Initiatives projects.

 
Long Range Planning

kensington lci

Long Range has a number of projects that are in the early stages of development. Two examples of these include the Kensington Transit Oriented Development Plan and Stonecrest LCI (Livable Centers Initiative). The Kensington study is a follow-up study to one completed in 2003. This supplemental study was funded by the Atlanta Regional Commission.
 
The Stonecrest Study is a new study focusing on what is considered as a major economic engine for DeKalb County. The plan will link both land use and transportation in a dynamic vision for the mall area. Both studies were awarded by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), and this program provides funds for investment studies and transportation projects located in activity centers.
DeCoBIE

DeKalb County Builder's Information Exchange [DeCoBIE]: DeKalb County Builder's Information Exchange is a new monthly forum hosted
by the DeKalb County Building Official to establish a conduit of information between the Building Services Division and representatives of the building industry. We are eager to engage the building community in meaningful dialogue to create better understanding of how various building department policies affect the business community.

The Builders Information Exchange ("DeCoBIE") provides; information to benefit the construction industry, an opportunity to consider future changes that may be in the works, regular and
meaningful contact with the DeKalb County Building Official; and, an avenue to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement to the DeKalb County
Permitting and Inspection Process.
 
The Zoning Code Update

The Current Planning division has resumed the task of the Zoning Code Update. The goal of the update is to create a user-friendly, design oriented document that implements the County's Comprehensive Plan.

This project, which originally began in 2009 before it was tabled in 2011, went through an extensive process of review including over fifty meetings with staff, various county boards, committees, a task force, and members of the community. Staff is working with the consultants (Pond and Company) to finalize a draft for consumption by the Board of Commissioners and the public with the target of approval by this fall.
ONE DeKalb

ONE DeKalb continues to stay on course as the vehicle through which we promote community engagement, facilitate neighborhood capacity-building and increase the flow of information to citizens about county departments and programs.

During the first quarter of 2012, ONE DeKalb has engaged over 5,000 citizens and was recognized as the 2012 Civic and Community Engagement Advocate of the Year by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) during its annual conference.

gardening workshop
 
 


Eric J Woods
WELCOME TO THE NEW BUILDING ADMINISTRATOR

Eric J. Woods is the new Building Development Administrator in the Department of Planning and Sustainability. Mr. Woods started with DeKalb County on March 5, 2012, and comes to us from the Washington, D.C. Building Department where he was the Deputy Chief Building Official. He was Vice President of Code Compliance for a large ENR 500 engineering firm in South Florida and the former Chief Codes Analyst for the City of Acworth Building Department.

Mr. Woods is married and both he and his wife, Francine, hail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Woods obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Howard University, Washington, D.C. and continued his
education in Building and Housing Code Administration at Penn State University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Woods is a Master Code Professional [M.C.P.], the highest level of code expertise recognized by the International Code Council [ICC]; and is one of only 600 individuals in the United States who possess the M.C.P. certification. Overall, Mr. Woods maintains seventeen (17) International Code Council (ICC) certifications.

 


code violations
Top 10 Code Violations
 CODE COMPLIANCE DIVISION

During the 1st Quarter of 2012 (January - March), the Code Compliance Division
continued to see success in its efforts to maintain and improve the quality of life throughout the community through education, communication, and enforcement
action.

Over the course of the quarter, the Division:
* Processed a total of two thousand nine hundred sixty four (2964) service
request. This total includes all proactive measures.
* Conducted a total of four thousand five hundred fifty (4550) inspections.
* Conducted a total of three thousand six hundred sixty six (3666) reinspections.
* Issued a total of one thousand eight hundred thirty (1830) warning notices.
* Issued a total of nine hundred fifteen (915) court summons for noncompliance
when violators did not respond to requests for compliance.
* A total of $38,865 was collected in Recorder's Court.
* A total of $620 was suspended in Recorder's Court.
* A total of seven thousand eight hundred sixty (7860) pounds and 3.93
tons of signs were removed from the county right-of-way
* A total of twelve (12) commercial vehicle violations cited in residential
districts.
* A street survey conducted on a total of fifty four (54) streets
* A total of five (5) structures were demolished
* The staff attended at total twenty six (26) Community/Neighborhood Association
Meetings.

 
 
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