Cresthill & Monroe – Neighborhood Engagement Update

Neighbors,

The Virginia-Highland Civic Association has heard loud and clear our neighbor’s input regarding the proposed Fuqua development at Cresthill/10th and Monroe. We are continually sharing those concerns and comments with the developer, Atlanta Beltline, Invest Atlanta, and City officials, including City Council. It is incredibly encouraging that there has been such a vocal and unified response – we ask everyone to keep up the energy and stay engaged in this process.

Over the next few weeks, we will outline a plan for citizens to lobby City Council and express concerns about the proposed Fuqua development. The plan will include yard signs, flyers, stickers and “talking points” for communications with City Council members, who will ultimately vote on the rezoning needed for the development. While we are all eager to get started, we’ve been advised that it will be most effective to wait to contact City Council until we see a definitive plan from the developer and an application for rezoning.

Rest assured, there is a great deal already happening in the wings, and when the time comes to contact City Council members and other city officials, we will let you know — and keep in mind that hard copy letters are more effective than emails.

VHCA will schedule another Community Update meeting in the near future (which will be different from the developer’s required community meetings). The Community Update meeting welcomes people from all neighborhoods to learn more about the community’s concerns about the project and discuss the best path to address those concerns.

In the meantime, there are several things you can do to stay informed and engaged with this issue:

1)      Contribute to the GoFundMe Campaign www.gofundme.com/vahicef

Funds will help pay for VHCA’s professional consultants (city planning, land-use lawyer, traffic, affordable housing and media relations).

2)      Volunteer for Summerfest https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2229418/false#/invitation

Money raised from Summerfest supports all of VHCA’s initiatives, including efforts related to the proposed Fuqua Development.

3)      Stay Informed — Review Materials on the VHCA Website Related to the Project     

Cresthill & Monroe Meeting Materials is the VHCA PowerPoint by Planning Consultant Aaron Fortner.

As noted in the PowerPoint, there are ~1.2 million square feet of land in Virginia-Highland along the BeltLine that are zoned for increased density. Higher density development should occur at those parcels and include real affordable housing, not the bare minimum affordable housing that is proposed in the Fuqua project.

Public Meeting – 10th & Monroe Development -Update is an overview article on the proposed project, the community input process organized by the development team, and explains the process for City Council to vote on rezoning.

4)      Start Conversations! Spread the Word to Neighbors in VHCA and Nearby Neighborhoods

Have a neighbor you haven’t spoken to in a while? Ask them about the development and if they’ve been active in the discussion. Ask friends in nearby neighborhoods to contact their civic association leadership to express their opinion(s) about the development and ensure their civic association, too, is taking a vocal position. Talk to neighborhood businesses and visitors to the neighborhood about the project and the materials the neighborhood has prepared (#3 above). Better still, host an informational meeting on the topic on your street and let us help facilitate the discussion. Reach out to us at [email protected] and we would be happy to attend, talk about the project as it currently stands, discuss our stance as a neighborhood, and answer questions about further engagement on the issue.

What should you say about this issue? The VHCA stands in support of:

• Preservation of existing single family zoning in National Register Historic Districts
• Development of properties already zoned for increased density with effective traffic solutions
• Real Affordable Housing on all parcels currently zoned for increased density along the Beltline
• Safer, Slower and Less-Congested Streets

Rezoning issues are at the heart of this project and impact all neighborhoods along the BeltLine! The Fuqua development is proposing the rezoning of 9 single family homes on Cresthill and Monroe that is contrary to all city planning, including the BeltLine Redevelopment Plan, the BeltLine Subarea 6 Plan, City’s Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), and current zoning.

Thank you for your continued energy and participation in this process. With your help, we will continue to fight effectively for growth and development that is thoughtful and well-planned. We must stay engaged and unified as we navigate this Atlanta-changing issue.

– Virginia-Highland Civic Association