Light one or curse the darkness, or so goes the thinking behind those who are answering the Village Overlay survey. Others see it being as useful as spitting off the wrong side of the ship.
It is an odd survey having some of the aspects of a push poll. For "vibrant" they do offer their own definition, but they implicitly assume that everyone believes that "vibrant" is not only good but that it is to be maximized. If you don't fully accept their definition or their premise, that's too bad because your answers are going to be interpreted and presented in THEIR context and not yours. Even the picture selections are biased--away from what we have developed and embraced over the years in favor of what one, apparently very well connected developer wants for today. It is almost as if the developer commissioned the survey.
They ask what you'd like to see the village look like in 20+ years? Disingenuous that. The folks putting on this circus know damn well that what this developer is asking for is little more than the current trend based more on developers' version of the Hawthorne effect than any enduring societal or demographic sea change. They don't care what it will look like in 10 years let alone 20 and why should they. When a new trend surfaces, they or their followers will simply demand the old make way for the new and they will expect the City to at least rubber stamp their plan if not actually pay for it. It is almost surprising that the Brothers Crim have not demanded tax abatements.
In preparation for the tussle, forces have been sent to undermine the Williamsburg character of the current overlay. First was to broaden the definition, without asking anyone, to be "mid-atlantic" allowing them to nibble away at the existing requirements. Then they blamed it all on a gas station saying it "just happened" after one business picked that style. But that is the very essence of organic development. It started with one, was adopted by others until it because a cohesive representation of the community. Why? Because that is exactly what it is.
Now we have unelected folks at the City's Taj Mahal deciding what they will make of Dunwoody, what they will do with Dunwoody Village. As staffers, not even required to live in Dunwoody, they are beholden to developers, not those pesky but unknown and unseen residents. But they are not unlike elected officials who should reflect residents' concerns even when not facing election but increasingly seem distracted by more important issues.
There will be a presentation this Saturday and they will tell you what they are going to do. They won't say it directly because they know it isn't what you want--it is what their real bosses want--but if you listen between the lines you'll hear the end of Dunwoody Village as you know it.
It is an odd survey having some of the aspects of a push poll. For "vibrant" they do offer their own definition, but they implicitly assume that everyone believes that "vibrant" is not only good but that it is to be maximized. If you don't fully accept their definition or their premise, that's too bad because your answers are going to be interpreted and presented in THEIR context and not yours. Even the picture selections are biased--away from what we have developed and embraced over the years in favor of what one, apparently very well connected developer wants for today. It is almost as if the developer commissioned the survey.
They ask what you'd like to see the village look like in 20+ years? Disingenuous that. The folks putting on this circus know damn well that what this developer is asking for is little more than the current trend based more on developers' version of the Hawthorne effect than any enduring societal or demographic sea change. They don't care what it will look like in 10 years let alone 20 and why should they. When a new trend surfaces, they or their followers will simply demand the old make way for the new and they will expect the City to at least rubber stamp their plan if not actually pay for it. It is almost surprising that the Brothers Crim have not demanded tax abatements.
In preparation for the tussle, forces have been sent to undermine the Williamsburg character of the current overlay. First was to broaden the definition, without asking anyone, to be "mid-atlantic" allowing them to nibble away at the existing requirements. Then they blamed it all on a gas station saying it "just happened" after one business picked that style. But that is the very essence of organic development. It started with one, was adopted by others until it because a cohesive representation of the community. Why? Because that is exactly what it is.
Now we have unelected folks at the City's Taj Mahal deciding what they will make of Dunwoody, what they will do with Dunwoody Village. As staffers, not even required to live in Dunwoody, they are beholden to developers, not those pesky but unknown and unseen residents. But they are not unlike elected officials who should reflect residents' concerns even when not facing election but increasingly seem distracted by more important issues.
There will be a presentation this Saturday and they will tell you what they are going to do. They won't say it directly because they know it isn't what you want--it is what their real bosses want--but if you listen between the lines you'll hear the end of Dunwoody Village as you know it.
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