Supportive Housing Ordinance

March 30, 2009

On March 26th, 2009 the Zoning Review Board voted to approve the Supportive Housing Ordinance (Z-08-48). The ordinance basically grants supportive housing operators the ability to operate without a special use permit, and therefore abolishing the vote by the NPU required to open a facility. This ordinance will grant the operators the ability to still operate with special uses – such as higher occupancy rates.

The NPUs have not been engaged in the process, and at the hearing not one resident or homeowner spoke in favor of the ordinance. The proponents were all developers and people who stand to gain financially by easing up the rules.

The ordinance will grant all the power to the Mayor’s office through a certification process. The certification requirements they were presenting at the hearing were less than a page long. It will without a doubt be exploited.

Please take a moment and fill out the form on www.npuvoice.org to contact your councilmember. They need to hear from you on this matter! And please pass this on to anyone else you know that lives in the City of Atlanta.

Also, please note that everybody is in favor of having some type of supportive housing. This isn’t a battle against the homeless. It is a battle to make sure the NPUs and you continue to have a voice.

APS Grants KIPP STRIVE Westview School Building

March 28, 2009

Westview is proud to announce that KIPP STRIVE Academy will officially be opening in the fall of 2009 in the former J.C. Harris Elementary School building at 1444 Lucile Avenue. 85 5th graders will start the 4-year college focused program, which will be a tuition-free public charter school and will expand its grades one year at a time until it reaches 8th grade. For more information visit their website, www.kippstrive.org, and download the enrollment application.

Economy Forces Americans to Rediscover Community

March 27, 2009

One of Westview’s neighbors, Leslie Gage, has been featured in the CNN article “Shaky economy forces Americans to rediscover community”. Although the circumstances were not ideal, Leslie found good use of her spare time after being laid off from her job: To help neighbors in the community through Tool Bank’s HouseProud project!

Read “Shaky economy forces Americans to rediscover community” and find out more information about how HouseProud is active in Westview.

Trees for Westview

March 14, 2009

Despite weather in the low 40s and an uncomfortable drizzle Trees Atlanta, along with their volunteers and Westview neighbors, planted 40 new trees in the neighborhood. Due to the recent sidewalk and street work along East and West Ontario a few of the large trees were removed. The City of Atlanta’s ordinance requires any removed trees to be replaced with an equal number of inches. In place of the old trees American Elms, Winged Elms, Sioux Crepe Myrtles, and Magnolias were planted along West Ontario and Stokes.

Please click on a thumbnail to enlarge:
Trees Atlanta 2009 Trees Atlanta 2009