Poncey-Highland Planning Survey Results
Survey was open between August 17-31, 2019.
136 respondents completed the survey
Please note when reading the results:
The summary below includes survey results pertaining primarily to homeowners and renters in Poncey-Highland. Download the full .pdf here for responses from business owners, people who live in PH and own a rental property, and people who live in PH and own a business in the neighborhood.
Respondents were not required to answer every question to complete the survey. Therefore, the number of answers to each question will only total 136 if everyone answered that question. The total number of answers for each question equals the total number who answered that specific question.
Overall: What best represents your relationship to Poncey-Highland?
Homeowners: How long have you lived in Poncey-Highland?
Homeowners: Why did you decide to live in Poncey-Highland?
School district and walkability are what originally attracted us.
Close proximity to work, grocery stores and restaurants
Convenient location, great tree canopy.
Location Location Location!
Beltline, work and airport proximity.
I loved the house. And the neighborhood is close to work.
The accessibility to city walking- for eating, shopping and everything! Schools are also very good!
Schools , walkable neighborhood , in the city , easy commute to airport
Love the walkability and old school neighborhood feel.
walkabilty, central location, access to parks and arts/culture
Our reasons back in 1986: 1) close location to our downtown offices; 2) the Carter Library was under construction nearby which we thought would keep our property value high.
BeltLine
Love the location and the old condo building.
Love the neighborhood and the proximity to everything: work, parks, grocery
Able to walk everywhere, diverse and eclectic population.
Location, amenities, schools!
Intown, walkable, easy access to lots of neighborhoods and things to do
Historic character, walkability, & trees
It had character and was a centrally located diamond in the rough.
To be free from the conformity and structure of suburban developments, and to live in a walkable place.
Reasonable Intown prices (at the time 21 years ago)
There are a number of mature trees on Ralph Mcgill that I enjoy. I am close to Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, the Carter Center, and Piedmont Park. I walked the rairoad tracks before the Beltline even existed. It is perfect area to walk, shop and dine.
Nice eclectic neighborhood with easy access to stores and restaurants I enjoy.
I wanted to live in an older building.
I love the walk ability of the area. I drive a lot for work, and it’s awesome to park my car for the weekend but still have easy access to shops, restaurants and community activities.
Proximity to other neighborhoods, walkability, access to interstate & commute options
Affordable pricing (relatively) with easy, walkable access to Inman Park, Little 5, and Virginia-Highland.
Walkability, schools, proximity to Beltline and amenities, proximity to work.
Close and affordable....at the time.
Love the neighborhood personality, our home was perfect for us, and it is close to family
location, location, location
My husband bought in the area in 2004, which was not what Poncey Highland is today.
Love the style of homes here, and it is convenient to everything.
I was born in Atlanta, grew up in Druid Hills, went to Emory, GSU, and was living in Candler park in the 80s and wanted to buy a house. I knew the Ponce area was on the resurgence ever since the (murder) Kroger had been built. Plus I'm a musician and lots of hip bohemian friends lived in the area. Additionally, the area is near everything: midtown/downtown/decatur/Little Five, etc.
Convenient to everything!
I bought my condo in 2000, found a great deal.... loved the neighborhood. Still do
My husband and I wanted live in a neighborhood where we could walk to restaurants, bars, parks, etc. Or be an easy drive away. My husband needed a more reasonable commute.
Location, affordability, walkability, diversity, original architecture, schools, parks...
It’s location and walkability
SPARK
Love the intown neighborhood
Proximity to work& intown
Growing neighborhood. Safe. Beltline. PCM was coming online at the time. Whole Foods & Home Depot nearby. Relatively close to highway.
Walkability, BeltLine
Proximity to good restaurants, parks, the beltline
Walkable to things I like
Loved the look of the neighborhood. Close to everything. The house suited our needs.
Walk-ability, in town neighborhood feel
I wanted a house here
Walkable
Proximity to BeltLine, PCM, and other places
Character and quality of streets, houses, and buildings
I chose the building more than I specifically chose the neighborhood. But I wanted a neighborhood where I could walk out in the evening and find things to eat and drink and do, and Poncey-Highland definitely is that. I was excited by the opportunity to become a regular at Manuel's. I also like that the neighborhood has a somewhat grubby history.
In a VERY hot market of 1998, houses were selling in hours and over asking price, so we had to jump quickly. We had been open to PH and surrounding neighborhoods like Candler Park due to intown proximity & access to everything. We were ONLY in the market for a historic home with "good bones". So glad we landed in Poncey.
Walk ability, style of home, revenue stream from detached rental and proximity to Belt line, parks and retail.
Location
Location, walkability
I found a house with potential that I could afford.
Married my husband. Got lucky!!
Location in Atlanta and walkability
proximity to the Belt Line and walking lifestyle
Location
Charm, trees, walkability, historic houses
Great walk-ability, the park and community feel.
I loved being in the ‘heart’ of the new development in Atlanta. Especially being close to the beltline and Ponce City Market.
I married someone who already lived here
Location to the other neighborhoods
I lived here in the early 2000s & have always liked the neighborhood & its location.
It was a great location between Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points, it had a great school district, and it seemed to be a safe neighborhood when we bought.
I love the walkability, Carter Center restaurants, BeltLine and Freedom Park. I love the historic parts of the neighborhood, the trees and the diverse visitors and residents
Walkability, single family home proximity to restaurants / city life, close to many neighborhoods our friends live in
Quaint neighborhood, proximity to everything.
Love the neighborhood.
Liked area
Love living Intown.
We came in town every weekend. Decided to move down. It was about 1/2 way between our work locations at the time. Met our future neighbors looking at houses and that was it.
wanted to live in town & could not afford any of the surrounding neighborhoods (VAHI, Candler Park, Inman Park). PH was still affordable in the early 90s because no one wanted to live here
Wanted to live close to City in a neighborhood.
Super walkable with lots to see and do without getting in a car. We bought a lovely historic home and saw a lot of potential growth from the BeltLine and related developments, while also the feel of a small neighborhood with lots of old growth trees and parkspace.
Location: better schools compared with other neighborhoods, access to walking and biking trails, easily walkable to lots of restaurants and shopping, easy access to the highway, close to my job. Atmosphere: a great mix of older/longtime residents and newer people/families, and just flat-out great people. :)
I decided to live in Poncey-Highland because it is a live-work-play community that is beautiful, active and diverse.
I love the walkability of the neighborhood. I love how central it is to all the other neighborhoods. It also has easy access to the interstate which is nice with my commute.
Love the neighborhood and walk-ability
Connectivity to multiple commercial corridors (Plaza, N Highland, PCM, IP).
Because of its proximity to many great Atlanta neighborhoods and business establishments. Plus proximity to the Beltline.
I loved it's accessibility to restaurants and the parts of Atlanta that I wanted to be in.
Desire to be in town, not in the burbs. With a young family we found a house we liked at a price we could afford on Seminole Ave.
Loved the house and good price at the time.
It had the right feel to it. We liked the laid back & "live & let live" atmosphere. At the time, it was also affordable ;-) . Other close by intown neighborhoods were too stuffy.
Renters: How long have you lived in Poncey-Highland?
Renters: Why did you decide to live in Poncey Highland?
I wanted to live at a specific apartment complex.
Walkability.
Wonderful location and proximity to downtown, beltline, Inman quarter and Virginia Highlands
Location! Vicinity to beltline, restaurants, etc
Near grocery store. At the time I moved in, it was very affordable
Location
Because the rent was affordable and there was an open room.
Great location near much
Location Location
Great location! Short commute to work. Right by the Beltline.
Originally, because I had family nearby. Stayed because I love living in a walkable neighborhood, with access to so many things, including a great elementary school.
Convenient to work
When I moved from Charlotte, I was looking for a neighborhood that had a deep sense of community, tree-lined streets, beautiful homes, businesses to walk to and a central location to the airport and highway. I absolutely love this neighborhood and my neighbors. I'm currently looking to purchase within the next year.
My boyfriend and I love the area mostly because of how safe we feel here. We also like being close to freedom trail and having the beltline not too far away.
For it's close proximity to Emory and midtown (for work) and walkability to restaurants, bars, the beltline, and freedom park.
Proximity to the things I love to do plus the overall look of the neighborhood.
Walkability
Schools and walkable neighborhood.
When we moved here, we moved for my partner's job. I don't have a car. I take public transportation or bike or walk. I told him it was up to him to find a neighborhood that was ITP with walking access to a grocery store, restaurants, bars and other stores. He found an apartment in PH! And we've loved it ever since!
Because it’s a safe and established neighborhood. It’s proximity to various things to do as well as to parks is a definite positive.
Proximity to work
Close to downtown, beltline is close, lots of greenery, fun place to hang out.
Found a great apartment.
Originally purchased at Copenhill Lofts because of the amazing building.
Walk ability and distance to transit options
The location to amenities and beltline. So we don't have to buy a second car
Convenience for work and my partner’s work.
Central location, walkability, variation of food choices and bars.
It's extremely walkable, and has good access to public transit.
I loved the old vibe. It still looked like an old R.E.M. video and the area was laid back and friendly.
Walkable area to live .
Great community, friendly neighbors
Combined responses: What do you love about Poncey-Highland?
OTHER Responses
Bikable and walkable :)
We've really loved the 'live and let live' mentality that we've felt here since we bought in 1986.
I can’t choose fewer than 16. I cut: proximity to Freedom Park, historic buildings and homes, diversity, prox to other neighborhoods, mix of old and new, easy access to public transport, low crime, mix of housing types. These are all very important to me too
Bickering neighbors on Nextdoor. Shows people do care about the community despite difference of opinions.
Combined responses: It is important for Poncey-Highland to ...
Combined responses: What contributes most to the character of Poncey-Highland?
Other Responses:
Maintaining historic homes and buildings!
Walkability to the max and bike riding ability on Beltline/Piedmont Park, etc.
Our history and sense of community.
"We're technically not O4W nor Midtown!"
I wish Poncey-Highland would embrace its quirk. Specifically, if we mix VaHi and L5P together, you'd get P-H. This would be a strong brand definition to build on, IMO.
Historic buildings/homes/businesses
Building like 725 and the new Kroger building are destroying the character of our neighborhood
Our "live and let live" vibe
Freedom. I can't speak for others, but I moved intown years ago partly to avoid the strictures of suburban HOAs. I would hate to see our neighborhood association try to remake itself into a pseudo-HOA trying to exert control over how people use their property. We do need to have some tools to make sure new developments are beautiful and use quality materials, but let's be cautious about dictating style.
Combined responses: What changes would most improve Poncey-Highland?
Other Responses
Oppose any high rise developments within our borders, including on Ponce de Leon.
Add public transportation options
AMIR GET A HANDLE ON THE FRIGGING E BIKES ALREADY, PLEASE? I mean, they are illegal on the sidewalks and legal on the roads. But they are unsafe on the roads and litter the sidewalks. DOCKING STATIONS AMIR!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!PAY ATTENTION!!
Address homelessness in neighborhood
Bike lanes on North, N Highland, Moreland
Connect Belgrade to northbound freedom parkway and make another intersection
Parking is still a problem despite permits - not enforced during certain times as there is no one issuing citations
Instead of suppressing/calming traffic, find ways to more efficiently increase traffic flow. P-H is in the middle of other communities with lots of people trying to just get through. Add dedicated bike/scooter lanes, add a MARTA stop or shuttle, or widen sidewalks to allow bikes & scooters too. It'll drive more people into the community and not increase traffic and parking issues. At the same time, a bike accident is much less severe than a car accident.
Improve street parking either by signage or painting curbs
(Hard to pick just 5 :)
I’ve started conversation with CM Amir Farokhi re: sidewalks on Somerset. Sent photos and addresses last week. Will keep the community posted on any updates.
New development is completely changing the character of the neighborhood, reducing diversity and greenspace.
Please, No bridges over the roads intersecting Freedom Park under the guise of "Improving Pedestrian Connectivity"
Add a walkway at the steps that cross Freedom at Carter entrance, Renovate the shabby children's play space.
Install crosswalk at Somerset and North Avenue
Improved walkability and pedestrian safety on all streets, not just interior neighborhood streets. This includes street design, traffic speeds, bike/LIT lanes, transit, sidewalks, trees, lighting, street furniture, and bus stops. These are ALL important, not just on certain streets.
These survey results were compiled by Survey Monkey and presented by PH resident volunteer,
Robert Hamburger.