Below are minutes for the April 8, 2003, meeting of the Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association. Notes were written by ADNA Secretary Wendy Darling.

Introduction

In this month's meeting, ADNA brought people up to speed on issues of economic development in Downtown. Central Atlanta Vice President of Operations Paul Kelman gave a great summary of the work CAP has accomplished, while Beth Haynes of Theatrical Outfit outlined plans for the conversion of the historic Herren's building into a theater.

Welcome & Introductions

ADNA President Dorthey Hurst welcomed residents from many different Downtown buildings.

We were also pleased to have guests from the following organizations:

• Atlanta Police Department
• GSU Police Department
• Fiesta Fresh restaurant
• Exodus restaurant
• Office of City Council President Cathy Woolard
• Office of City Councilperson Debi Starnes
• Central Atlanta Progress
• Theatrical Outfit
• Aderhold Properties
• Christian-Science Reading Room

Committee Reports

ADNA includes several committees and a number of them made reports to members:

• Downtown Neighborhood Festival Committee
  The committee is coming up on the final stretch for the festival, which is coming up May 17-18. Latest news:
  • Fundraising is continuing; close to meeting fundraising goals.
  • Still recruiting volunteers to help out festival weekend.
  • Still needing more artists and vendors. If you are an artist or know someone who is, let them know we need people for our festival. Also, applications/downpayments for artist and vendors are due April 15th. Forms are on the web site.
  • VIP Party will be May 15th at Velvet Underground. Scott Fortney is leading this effort and is arranging for some fabulous food and entertainment. This party is something sponsors and other festival helpers get as a reward but we will also be selling tickets as a fundraiser. More details to follow.
  • Tony Stewart, Downtown resident & artist, is helping out not only by providing artwork for the festival advertising campaign, but by offering up for say 25 limited-edition signed prints of a wonderful Downtown scene. Each print is priced at $200 and the money raised will go directly to ADNA.
  • For more information and/or applications related to the festival, see the fabulous festival web site, created by Downtown resident Brian Crooks

• Welcome / Newcomer Packet Committee
  Patti Clark had great news! Thanks to the hard work of the Newcomers' Committee, hundreds of Downtown newcomers packets are on their way out into the neighborhood to newcomers and current residents alike! Distribution is being coordinated with buildings around Downtown via building contracts and homeowners associations. For more information -- especially if you and/or people in your building have not received a packet -- contact committee Patti Clark, Kimchee110@msn.com.

• Planning, Zoning and Land Use Committee
  Caleb Racicot offered a brief update. This committee did not meet this month. He is planning on having meetings the Tuesday prior to the ADNA's monthly meetings, e.g. the first Tuesday of the month. Details to follow

• Treasury Committee
  ADNA Treasurer John Mount made a quick report on our group's two bank accounts. Present balance reflect around $1,400 for the ADNA's account and the festival right now has its finances managed by its own treasurer, who coordinates with ADNA President Dorthey Hurst. John reported receiving $100 in membership dues this month.

• Membership Report
  ADNA is always looking for additional members. Now the form is available on the web site!

Getting On A Committee
Everybody is welcome to join up to any committee. To lead a committee, you need to be an ADNA member. To sign up, email downtownatl@hotmail.com.

Police Reports

Atlanta Police Department
Lieutenant Hagen, who works with Zone 5 Commander Tolleson, offered an overview of the traffic plan devised for this weekend in the event that the Hip Hop festival triggers off any serious traffic problems. Details:

• Starting on Friday, there will be some street closing that will be affecting traffic Downtown. Peachtree Street will be closed and cars will be routed to Piedmont. If you work north of Downtown and normally travel south on Peachtree, Friday afternoon you should choose another route south because otherwise you will be stopped at every intersection or street barricades.
• APD does not expect the event to amount to anything, with partyers going to Daytona instead. Still, they are going to execute their plan on Friday. If nothing seems to be happening by mid-day Saturday, things will go back to normal.
• Residents will be able to place RESIDENT placards on the dashboards of their cars so that officers stationed at intersections and barricades can quickly wave them through, allowing them passage down closed streets. Download the RESIDENT placard here (28K, PDF).
• For further info, contact APD.

Enforcement of Quality of Life Ordinances
Lt. Hagen also gave an update on the APD's enforcement of quality of life ordinances Downtown. Last week they charged 10 people for panhandling and in the last week there was action taken on 81 quality of life violations.

Georgia State University Police Department
Officer Porter talked about Woodruff Park and how the GSU Police has been working to enforce quality of life ordinances. The force received praise for responding to a car theft report outside the Healey Building.

President's Report

ADNA President Dorthey Hurst gave a run-down of some of the meetings and events she was involved in since the last meeting.

• Meet with City Councilperson Debi Starnes. Had a one-on-one meeting with our Council representative. They decided to focus on a few top items and work on those:
  • Woodruff Park
    We had been trying to get Fulton County Health Department to address health violations taking place whenever groups come in and offer food to park residents. Often the food creates refuse and is not distributed in a safe manner. Unfortunately Fulton County is at this time saying they don't want to get involved, but are going to fight them.
  • Services and Retail
    Mayor Shirley Franklin sits on a new committee designed to look at bringing services and retail to Atlanta. CAP has started working with this group.
  • Community Court
    At our last meeting, we were told that certain judges are more effective than others and that some judges don't do their jobs. According to Debi Starnes and several other people, one of the judges in the Community Court, Judge Johnson, is doing the community at large a disservice by handing out a lot of "time served"'s and dismissing cases for no reason. ADNA is considering starting a "court watch" program and/or showing up in the courtrooms to observe judges in action and make our presence felt.
• NPU-M, our Neighborhood Planning Unit meeting. Two issues came up which needed to go before ADNA so we could have member voting and make recommendations. All three issues were presented to the group and voted on as follows:
  • Fiesta Fresh: Mexican grill restaurant located on Peachtree Street / Broad Street in the Muse's block is considering applying for a beer and wine license to serve margaritas during Happy Hour / evening hours. Currently the restaurant closes at 7 but hours would be extended if venture is able to support it. Alcohol will be served inside only. Membership voted unanimous to approve / recommend permit; final decision will be made by others.
  • Exodus: New Jamaican restaurant opening on Luckie Street has just opened and is seeking liquor and beer and wine permits. The restaurant is "casual upscale" with excellent hours -- Mon-Thur. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sunday 1-9 p.m. Membership voted unanimous to approve / recommend permit; final decision will be made by others.

Presentation & Questions

Focus of the meeting was on economic development Downtown.

Paul introduced himself and presented background on Central Atlanta Progress, Downtown and some of what's brewing. This was followed by a Question & Answer session.

A summary of the presentation and discussion:

• Downtown* Population
  More than 110,000 thousand people are employed Downtown Atlanta, making it the biggest job center in the Atlanta region and the Southeast. 27,000 people live Downtown. 50,000 college students go to school Downtown. Every day Downtown is "home" to an average of 50,000 city visitors. For a more detailed look at Downtown statistics, see this link on the CAP web site: Downtown At A Glance.
• Organization Background
  CAP is a non-profit that, under various names, has existed since 1941, making it one of the oldest Downtown business groups in the country. CAP is a "catalyst for action" and a "bridge between public and private sectors." For an overview of CAP, including a fascinating timeline, see this link on the CAP web site: About CAP/ADID.
• Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
  It's not just CAP, a public-private partnership that strives to create a livable environment for Downtown Atlanta. ADID is funded through a community improvement district within which private property owners pay special assessments which pays for things like the Downtown Ambassadors and the Clean Team. For more information on ADID and the Ambassadors, please visit the Ambassors Force web site.
• Capital Improvements
  Look for some noticeable improvements in the look of Downtown, including flower baskets, garbage receptacles and improved signage.
• Amazing Progress Since 1996
  Paul brought in his notes from a talk he did just before the 1996 Olympics. He was talking to the Buckhead 50 about all the wonderful plans CAP had for Downtown, during the Olympic and afterward. Paul ticked off a long list -- of which almost every single goal is now a reality:
  • In 1996, CAP was about to start up Ambassadors program to make Downtown a friendlier , safer place. Today the program has expanded its area up to North Avenue and has around 60 employees, plus there's a Clean Team.
  • In 1996, CAP was pushing for passage of Quality of Life ordinances at the City level. These ordinances were passed into law. They were not enforced very much under the Campbell administration, but now they are getting a lot of attention from APD.
  • In 1996 CAP was trying to solve Downtown lighting issues. Around 30 percent of streetlights Downtown used to be out because of bad communication between City and Georgia Power. Now the lights are on and Ambassadors are getting two officers to specifically handle physical problems like utilities cuts, lights, damaged sidewalks, etc.
  • In 1996 CAP was wanting to encourage cooperation among local law enforcement agencies. Today all forces, including APD, GSU, MARTA, etc., get together at a monthly interagency meeting.
  • In 1996 CAP was starting to link up Downtown using Comnet, a special radio frequency. Back then, only a dozen were tuned in; now 150 are in.
  • In 1996 CAP was planning a Downtown Housing Study. The study showed a potential market for housing. CAP helped make Downtown housing -- apartments, condos, and student housing -- happen. Today CAP is doing its 8th Annual Tour of Lofts.
  • In 1996 CAP was helping out with the Olympic transportation plan. These days CAP runs a Transportation Management Association (TMA) which encourages transportation to alleviate congestion, reduce pollution and make getting in and out of Downtown easier. TMA manages carpools, vanpools, encourages biking, etc.
  • In 1996 CAP was looking to improve regional signage. Today CAP is about to start installing a brand new wayfaring signage system throughout Downtown and Midtown. See the Downtown and Midtown Wayfinding Signage Project page on the CAP web site.
  • In 1996 CAP was very interested in the Centennial Olympic Park area. COPA was formed to develop the area, which eventually boomed with a new sports arena, an expanded GWCC, a renovated CNN Center, a new upscale hotel, several major residential projects (Centennial Park West, Museum Tower, Centennial House, etc.), and now the Georgia Aquarium / World of Coca Cola.
  • In 1996 CAP wanted to develop a business park, which today is NorthYards.
• Update on CAP President Position
  Paul says they've interviewed six candidates and expect to make an announcement soon on who will be the new CAP president.
• Economic Development
  Tahmida Shamsuddin, from CAP's Economic Development group, gave an update on all the work they've been doing to encourage economic development Downtown. One accomplishment has been to compile fully updated statistics on Downtown population, office and retail space, and more. See the Doing Business section of the CAP web site for details and contact information.

Theatrical Outfit's Beth Haynes, herself a Downtown resident, presented an update on the company's plan to convert the historic Herren's building --boarded up for the last 15 years -- to a 200-seat performance space. The building on Luckie Street was purchased about eight months ago thanks to a $1.3 million gift from Bill and Peg Balzer. They are half way to their fundraising goal and construction should begin in early 2004 with the theater hopefully open for shows in Fall 2004.

Details of the building plans:

• Colorful lobby
• Theater itself will be intimate, seating for 200 with sharp angle, stage located in what is the basement
• Upstairs floor will have rehearsal hall and office space
• Dressing rooms and support areas located below audience risers

Additional Announcements

After the Q&A session had ended, there were a number of announcements, most of them about fun stuff coming up:

• Reservations for Downtown Restaurant Week (May 19-25) can be made now! See the DRW web site. For only $20.03, you can enjoy a stupendous multi-course meal!
• Friends of the Central Library (FOCAL) is planning a booksale: FOCAL Second Annual Book Sale will be held May 30 and 31, with a Members Only Preview Party Thursday May 29. The Sale will be located on the Auditorium Level of Central Library. Email focal-owner@yahoogroups.com or
  voicemail 404-730-1706.
• Neighborhood's new Saturday Coffee meeting spot is Blue Cloud Coffee, 123 Luckie. Every Saturday, 9:30ish to noonish, we bond over coffee, newspapers, bring the dogs, hang out, make plans. Soon the cafe may be doing weekend brunches.
• This month ADNA will be hosting a social event , hopefully at FrostBite, a daiquiri bar in Kenny's Alley, Underground Atlanta.

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